SML Insourcing
OpenPeppol is insourcing the Service Metadata Locator (SML) currently operated by the European Commission.
The migration will take place gradually to ensure continuity and minimise operational risk.
Status: Migration, final phase – Service Providers should have migrated.
SML Migration plan
Full Migration plan:
Summary
This summary provides a high-level overview of the SML Migration Plan 2026. The full document is uploaded above.
Key principle
The migration introduces only one functional change for Service Providers:
New DNS lookup domains (Access Points)
New SML registration endpoints (SMP providers)
The Dynamic Discovery model and SML functionality remain unchanged.
AP and SMP Management migration
Test Management Interface EC Environment(SMK) | Test Management Interface PeppolEnvironment (T-SML) |
Domain:
| Domain:
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Service name:
| Service name:
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URL:
| URL:
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Production Management Interface EC Environment (SML) | Production Management Interface PeppolEnvironment (SML) |
Domain:
| Domain:
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Service name:
| Service name:
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URL:
| URL:
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Migration timeline
The migration follows two milestones:
T1 (migration window) – Service Providers should start using the new Peppol SML URLs
T2 (deadline) – Use of new URLs becomes mandatory
Component | Mandatory deadline (T2) |
SMP registrations | 31 May 2026 |
AP lookup | 31 August 2026 |
What Service Providers need to do
Access Points (AP): Update DNS lookup domains
SMP providers: Update SML registration API endpoints
Migration can be done gradually between T1 and T2, but must be completed before the respective deadlines.
Support
All migration-related support must be handled via the Peppol Service Desk.
Reference
See the attached document for full details, including technical endpoints and migration steps.
Background
OpenPeppol is in the process of insourcing the Service Metadata Locator (SML), which is currently hosted and operated by the European Commission (DG DIGIT).
The objective of the insourcing is to establish full operational and contractual control of this critical infrastructure component within OpenPeppol, while maintaining continuity and stability for the Peppol Network.
The SML is a core component of the Peppol eDelivery Dynamic Discovery architecture. It enables DNS-based resolution between a Participant Identifier and the corresponding Service Metadata Publisher (SMP). Through this mechanism, Access Points locate recipient metadata and technical endpoints required for secure document exchange.
The SML instance serving the Peppol Network has historically been hosted by the European Commission based on a Memorandum of Understanding originating from the initial Peppol pilot.
In June 2025, a decision was taken to initiate the migration of the Peppol part of the EC-operated SML to OpenPeppol. Planning of the insourcing was initiated under the Critical Infrastructure Working Group (CIWG) 1.0 and continues under CIWG 2.0.
The migration will be carried out gradually in order to minimise operational risk and ensure continuity for the Peppol ecosystem.
Current Status
09 June 2026
Migration of T-SML between 14-17 - SPs should expect downtime during migration of SMK to T-SML.
14 May 2026
On 13 May, we held a second webinar on the SML migration. The webinar was a repetition of the last webinar, and no new information was shared. The recording of the webinar and the presentation are available under “Webinar” at the bottom of this page.
Updates to confluence:
The confluence page is updated with a summary of the migration plan at the top.
8 April 2026
Following the SPC meeting last week, we would like to confirm the current status of the SML migration.
The migration is open for both:
Lookup (Access Points)
Registration (SMP providers)
Webinar:
On April 8, we held a webinar on the SML migration, during which we covered what will change, how the changes will be implemented, and the timeline. The recording of the webinar and the presentation are available under “Webinar” at the bottom of this page.
18 March 2026 - Migration window opens 19 March 2026
Migration start:
· The migration window will open on 19 March 2026
Migration timeline:
The updated timeline provides additional flexibility for the migration process:
· The migration period for AP Lookup (DNS resolution) is extended until 31 August 2026.
· The migration deadline for SMP registrations remains on 31 May 2026.
We are continuing discussions with the European Commission to assess whether the migration period for SMP registrations can also be extended. Any update on this will be communicated as soon as it is confirmed.
What this means for Service Providers
Service Providers must plan for migration during the migration window.
6 March 2026 – Migration window update
The migration window for the SML insourcing was originally expected to open 9 March.
Following dialogue with the European Commission, the transition period has now been extended and may run until 31 August. This provides additional time to complete the migration in a controlled manner and gives Service Providers more flexibility when planning any required changes.
To support the extended transition window, some adjustments are required on the OpenPeppol side. As a result, the migration window will not open on Monday.
The adjustment relates to remaining technical elements in the SML registration process between the EC-operated and the OpenPeppol-operated environments. These are currently being finalised in cooperation with the European Commission and Netcompany.
At this stage, no action is required from Service Providers.
Migration Overview
The migration of the Service Metadata Locator (SML) will be carried out gradually in several phases to ensure continuity and minimise operational risk. The transition is designed so that functionality and interfaces remain unchanged while operational responsibility is transferred from the EC-operated environment to the OpenPeppol-operated environment.
Phase T1 – Initial forwarding
DNS DNAME entries are added in the Peppol DNS zone to forward Lookup requests to the corresponding EC DNS zones. This allows Lookup traffic to begin using Peppol domain names while resolution continues to be handled by the EC environment.
In parallel, the new SML and T-SML environments are built and prepared for operation.
Phase T2 – Management API forwarding
A forwarding API is established on the Peppol side for the Management interface. SMP providers are informed of the new API domain and can begin directing Management calls to the Peppol endpoint.
Calls received by the Peppol endpoint are forwarded to the EC SML instance. Certificate handling is adjusted so that end-user certificates are preserved during forwarding.
During this phase, the EC SML remains the authoritative backend.
Phase T3 – Migration of management traffic
OpenPeppol monitors usage of both the EC and Peppol Management endpoints. SMP providers still using the EC endpoint are contacted and requested to migrate.
The objective of this phase is that all Management API calls are directed to the Peppol endpoint, while forwarding to EC continues.
No architectural change occurs in the Lookup lane during this phase.
Phase T4 – Role reversal
Once Management traffic is consolidated through the Peppol endpoint and prerequisites are fulfilled, the authoritative role shifts.
The Peppol SML instance becomes primary for Management operations. Management calls are processed directly in the Peppol SML codebase and secondarily synchronised to EC where required for consistency.
DNS configuration is adjusted so that EC-managed DNS zones forward to the Peppol DNS zones. At this stage, EC Management API access for SMP providers is closed.
Phase T5 – Disconnection of EC environment
In the final phase, DNS forwarding from EC to Peppol is removed, replication for verification is stopped, and forwarding to the EC SML instance ceases.
The forwarding API is replaced by the fully authoritative Peppol Management API implementation.
After this phase, the EC-operated SML environment is no longer part of the production Lookup or Management chain.
What this means for Service Providers
Access Points (AP): Update DNS lookup domains
SMP providers: Update SML registration API endpoints
Migration can be done gradually between T1 and T2, but must be completed before the respective deadlines. Please see SML Migration plan for further details.
Architectural approach
The migration of the SML is based on the principle of minimising risk by establishing a one-to-one setup that mirrors the existing EC solution and deployment architecture.
The current solution is based on DomiSML. The insourced setup maintains the same functional architecture, including:
DNS-based participant resolution
Management APIs for Service Metadata Publisher (SMP) operations
Separation between Lookup and Management functions
From an external integration perspective, the SML continues to expose the same service interfaces and follow the same operational model within the Dynamic Discovery architecture.
Changes introduced in the insourced setup relate to infrastructure components and hosting. The Oracle WebLogic application server and Oracle database are replaced with open-source alternatives (Apache Tomcat and PostgreSQL). DNS services are implemented using Bind9. The solution is hosted by Netcompany in two data centres, with separate environments for production (SML) and test (T-SML).
Availability targets are defined per environment, with 99.9% availability specified for production SML and 98% for T-SML (test environment).
Operational model
The migration separates SML functionality into two logical lanes:
Lookup (DNS-based resolution used by Access Points)
Management (API-based participant management used by SMP providers)
Both SML (production) and T-SML (test) environments are included in the migration scope. Changes are first introduced in T-SML before being implemented in SML.
During the transition, forwarding and replication mechanisms are introduced to ensure continuity between the EC-operated environment and the OpenPeppol-operated environment. These mechanisms allow traffic to be redirected while preserving functional behaviour.
The final state, as described in the migration plan, is that the SML is fully operated within the OpenPeppol-controlled environment, and dependencies on EC infrastructure for DNS and Management API operations are removed.
End state
Upon completion of the migration phases, the SML and T-SML environments are hosted and operated within the OpenPeppol-controlled infrastructure. DNS Lookup and Management API operations are handled entirely within this environment, and forwarding or replication mechanisms to the EC-operated system are no longer active.
The functional architecture of the Dynamic Discovery model remains unchanged.
Webinar 8 April 2026
Recording of the webinar held on April 8, 2026.
Presentation from the webinar
Webinar 13 May 2026
Recording of the webinar held on May 13, 2026:
Presentation from the webinar:
FAQ
When will the migration window open?
19 March 2026
Will SMP providers need to make changes?
Yes, SMP providers will have to migrate their Management API calls to a new Peppol endpoint. Detailed instructions can be found in the SML Migration plan
When will the migration be completed?
The migration period for AP Lookup (DNS resolution) is extended until 31 August 2026.
The migration deadline for SMP registrations remains on 31 May 2026.
How can I get support?
All migration-related support must be handled via the Peppol Service Desk.
Do we need to update both test and production environments?
Yes. Changes must be applied to both:
T-SML (test environment, previously SMK)
SML (production environment)