I have not developed in Java for quite some time now but hopefully I can get this problem solved. Let me explain the issues.

I have a microsoft shop on one side of the stick that has implemented web services. I the server creates a contract that has a PERSON object as a response at time A which contains First Name, Last Name objects. Clients written in That environment continue to work even if Server updates that object later and add Middle Name. If the client wants to use the object middle name it requires a new stub to be pulled and compiled. This has been working for many years.

Recently we have another side of the house that is java based that are starting to consume the soap based services and everytime we add a new object or property to the service the java code blows up claiming it does not recognize the added elements. Is there a way or a place to read up on how to create a Java Client that is also able to accept responses from services that may have added elements without breaking? I know that changing method calls/signatures obvsiously will break things, but adding simple data points to existing shouldnt break anything older.

Any clues? It may be elementary but after being away for so long I have not been able to find the right answer in my searches.