A Tour of CORBA

Title: OMG Logo.
FH3
A Tour of CORBA
Creator: FreeHand 3.1
CreationDate: 3/22/92 9:59 PM
A Brief Technical Tour through the

standard......
Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [1]

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
A Quick History
Caller
Caller
Stub Interconnection Network
Skeleton
Callee
Callee

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
A Request
Client Object Implementation
ORB
Request
A request consists of:

• target object
• operation
• parameters
• optional request context

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
A Scalable Architecture
Different Scales Different Types
Widely distributed Objects OODB

Objects
Network-Distributed Objects OLTP

Objects
Multi-process, local Objects C++

Objects
Lightweight, single-process Objects

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
Different ORB Types

Client Object Impl

Client Object Impl
Request
Request
ORB
ORB
Single-Process Client &

Library Resident Implementation
Resident
Client Object Impl
Server or Operating-
System Based
Request
ORB

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
OMG IDL
Key component of the standard is OMG Interface Definition

Language (IDL):
• mappings will be provided for many languages/compilers;
• independent of any particular language/compiler;
• multiple-inheritance, public interface-structured
specification language;
• not for implementation.
• primary support for interoperability between static and
dynamic requests mechanisms.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
Interfaces
IDL Interface Implementation

Definitions Installation
Interface Implementation
Repository Client Implementation Repository
Stubs Skeletons
Accesses Includes Includes Describes
– All objects are defined in IDL by specifying their interfaces.

– Object definitions (interfaces) are manifested as objects in the Interface Repository, as
client stubs, and as implementation skeletons.
– Descriptions of object implementations are maintained as objects in the Implementation
Repository.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
CORBA Components
Dynamic Client ORB Implementation Object

Invocation Stubs Interface Skeletons Adapter
ORB Core
One interface Proprietary interface

One interface per object adaptor Normal call interface
One interface per object operation Up call interface

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
CORBA Components
Client stub Each stub represents an object operation (a possible request)

which a client invokes in a language-dependent manner (e.g., by
calling a subroutine which represents the operation).
Dynamic Invocation Alternatively, a client may dynamically construct and invoke
request objects which can represent any object operation.
Implementation Skeleton Each skeleton provides the interface through which a method
receives a request.
Object Adapter Each object adapter provides access to those services of an ORB
(such as activation, deactivation, object creation, object reference
management) used by a particular ilk of object implementation.
ORB Interface The interface to the small set of ORB operations common to all
objects, e.g., the operation which returns an object's interface type.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
Client Side
Clients perform requests using object references.
Clients may issue requests through object

interface stubs (static) or dynamic
Client invocation interface.
Clients may access general ORB services:

• Interface Repository.
• Context Management.
Dynamic Client ORB • List Management.
Invocation Stubs Interface • Request Management.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
Implementation Side
Implementations receive requests through skeletons

(without knowledge of invocation approach).
The Object Adapter adapts to vagaries of

object implementation scheme. Object Implementation
The Basic Object Adapter provides for:

• management of references; Implementation
• method invocation; ORB Object
Interface Skeletons Adapter
• authentication;
• implementation registration;
• activation/deactivation.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
Examples ORB’s
Client-and implementation-resident ORB implemented as libraries (routines)

resident in the clients and in the
implementations.
Library-resident ORB and implementations implemented as

libraries (routines) resident in the client.
Server-based ORB is implemented as a server (separate

process) which brokers requests between
client and implementation processes.
System-based ORB is part of the operating system.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
Example Adapters
Basic Object Adapter Intended for implementations that are separate

programs (processes) with no “ORB-like” services,
the basic adapter provides for object reference
generation and management, method invocation and
request delivery, implementation registration,
activation and deactivation.
OODB Adapter As OODB’s provide some "ORB-like" services (e.g.,
object reference generation and management), this
adapter is tuned to integrate OODB’s with ORB
distribution and communication.
Library Adapter Tuned for implementations resident in the client's
process space, this adapter provides minimal
implementation management and high-performance
data transfer.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
Dynamic Requests
The Dynamic Invocation Interface (DII) allows clients to

dynamically:
• discover objects;
• discover objects’ interfaces;
• create requests;
• invoke requests;
• receive responses.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
DII Features
Major features of Dynamic Invocation Interface:
• requests appear as objects themselves;

• requests are reusable;
• invocation may be synchronous or asynchronous;
requests may be generated dynamically, statically or
in combination approach.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
Request Components
Object reference identifies the target object.
Operation identifies which operation to perform.
Parameters the input, output and in-out parameters defined for the operation; may be
specified individually or as a list.
Context object the context within which the request is to be performed.
Results the result values returned by the operation.
Environment the execution environment and exception information of the operation.
Request handle the identifier for this instance of the request.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
Interface Repository
Integrated Interface Repository provides:
• Dynamic client access to interface definitions to

construct a request.
• Dynamic type-checking of request signatures.
• Traversal of inheritance graphs.
• ORB-to-ORB interoperability.

Title: OMG Logo.FH3
Repository Structure
The interface repository service is defined as a set of objects specified in IDL:

Repository
ConstantDef ModuleDef ExceptionDef InterfaceDef TypeDef
ConstantDef InterfaceDef ExceptionDef ModuleDef TypeDef
ConstantDef OperationDef ExceptionDef TypeDef

(or Attribute)

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Title: OMG Logo.

A Brief Technical Tour through the

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [1]

Stub Interconnection Network

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [2]

Client Object Implementation

A request consists of:

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [3]

Widely distributed Objects OODB

Network-Distributed Objects OLTP

Multi-process, local Objects C++

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [4]

Different ORB Types

Client Object Impl

Single-Process Client &

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [5]

Key component of the standard is OMG Interface Definition

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [6]

IDL Interface Implementation

Accesses Includes Includes Describes

Client Object Implementation

– All objects are defined in IDL by specifying their interfaces.

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [7]

Client Object Implementation

Dynamic Client ORB Implementation Object

One interface Proprietary interface

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [8]

Client stub Each stub represents an object operation (a possible request)

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [9]

Clients perform requests using object references.

Clients may issue requests through object

Clients may access general ORB services:

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [10]

Implementations receive requests through skeletons

The Object Adapter adapts to vagaries of

The Basic Object Adapter provides for:

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [11]

Client-and implementation-resident ORB implemented as libraries (routines)

Library-resident ORB and implementations implemented as

Server-based ORB is implemented as a server (separate

System-based ORB is part of the operating system.

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [12]

Basic Object Adapter Intended for implementations that are separate

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [13]

The Dynamic Invocation Interface (DII) allows clients to

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [14]

Major features of Dynamic Invocation Interface:

• requests appear as objects themselves;

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [15]

Object reference identifies the target object.

Operation identifies which operation to perform.

Context object the context within which the request is to be performed.

Results the result values returned by the operation.

Environment the execution environment and exception information of the operation.

Request handle the identifier for this instance of the request.

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [16]

Integrated Interface Repository provides:

• Dynamic client access to interface definitions to

• Dynamic type-checking of request signatures.

• Traversal of inheritance graphs.

Copyright © 1994, Object Management Group. [17]

The interface repository service is defined as a set of objects specified in IDL:

ConstantDef ModuleDef ExceptionDef InterfaceDef TypeDef