CORBA

[MartinLiss]

First of all, what is it? Second, does it relate to (can it be used with) Visual Basic?


------------------
Marty
COGITO EGGO SUM
I think; therefore I am a waffle.

[Serge]

I've never used it before, but here's what MSDN has to say about it:


CORBA - Common Object Request Broker Architecture


COM and Related Technologies
COM, the Component Object Model, is Microsoft's own specification for developing distributed transaction-based applications and defining the manner by which objects interact through an exposed interface. Microsoft Interface Definition Language (MIDL) is analogous to Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) IDL as a language for specifying these interfaces. Although COM mirrors other component model methodologies by allowing independently developed cross-language software applications or components to interact with each other, COM differs in its strict focus on the Microsoft 32-bit platform set.

Bridging Technologies:


Amid proliferation of multiple component model technologies, a number of mechanisms have arisen that facilitate the interoperability of these technologies. The Object Management Group (OMG) has written a specification for integrating DCOM and CORBA. The definition of the DCOM to CORBA mapping is the process whereby a request is made on what is considered a DCOM object, and this request is routed through Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP) to the correct CORBA implementation object. The first phase of this translation is actually binding a DCOM object reference to the corresponding CORBA implementation object. The second phase involves correctly routing individual requests to the object and handling exception and termination conditions.

Compaq was the first to provide this mapping to its market-leading CORBA product, ObjectBroker, with the ObjectBroker Desktop Connection. Based on bridging technology from Canadian-based Visual Edge Inc., it offered ObjectBroker users OMG-compliant bi-directional CORBA-Active connectivity for seamless integration of UNIX and OpenVMS™ data and information into Win32®-based desktop documents and Web-enabled applications. Now owned by Compaq partner, BEA Systems, the CORBA-COM functionality is being incorporated into a number of strategic future products.

A leading CORBA provider, Iona Technologies, recently licensed COM from Microsoft Corporation, and introduced COMet to build a bridge between CORBA and COM. OrbixCOMet provides bidirectional integration between COM and CORBA applications, and complete support for COM-CORBA mapping along with Automation-CORBA mapping. It provides a client-side bridge, enabling COM/Automation clients to talk directly to CORBA servers with support for callbacks. OrbixCOMet Desktop gives developers the ability to build heterogeneous systems using COM and CORBA components with minimum performance impact. Developers can use the tools familiar to them, whether it be Visual Basic, PowerBuilder, Delphi or Active Server Pages, thus boosting developer productivity by minimizing the learning curve associated with working with a new object model. Developers gain access to the CORBA world through COM interfaces and, for the most part, do not need to know anything about CORBA.



------------------

Serge

Programmer Analyst
[email protected]
[email protected]
ICQ#: 51055819

[Serge]

Marty, also check out this Overview of CORBA

------------------

Serge

Programmer Analyst
[email protected]
[email protected]
ICQ#: 51055819

[MartinLiss]

Thanks Serge.

------------------
Marty
HASTE CUISINE
Fast French food.