Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

The Architecture of CORBA

(Common Object Request Broker

Architecture)
Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Agenda
¾ Motivation
• The Broker Architecture
• CORBA Architecture
• ORB-Interoperability
• Conclusion
• Book-References

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Distributed applications cause

a lot of problems
•Participating systems may be heterogeneous

•Access to remote services has to be location

transparent
•State of objects has to be kept persistent and
consistent
•Remote objects have to be found and activated
•Security has to be dealt with

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Distributed application have a

lot of advantages
•Scalability
–Server replication
–Thin, heterogeneous clients
•Re-usability

•Partitioned functionality = easy updating of

either clients or servers

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

so we want an architecture
that…
…supports a remote method invocation paradigm

…provides location transparency

…allows to add, exchange, or remove services dynamically

…hides system details from the developer

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Agenda
9Motivation
¾ The Broker Architecture
• CORBA Architecture
• ORB-Interoperability
• Conclusion
• Book-References

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Broker Architecture
Server
Client
+ runService()
+ sendRequest()
+ initialize()

ClientSideProxy Broker ServerSideProxy

+ callService()
* + registerService()
* + callService()
+ findServer()

Bridge

+ packData()
+ unpackData()
+ transmitMessage()
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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Broker Architecture Sequence

Diagram

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Agenda
9Motivation
9The Broker Architecture
¾ CORBA Architecture
• ORB-Interoperability
• Conclusion
• Book-References

03/06/2002 9
Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

ORB – Object Request Broker

What is an ORB?
• Highway over which all CORBA-communication occurs

The ORB is responsible for:

• Data marshaling
• Object location management
• Delivering request to objects
• Returning output values back to client

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Example for a CORBA-

Architecture

ORB
ORB Server

Clients
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ORB-Server 11
Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

CORBA - Common Object

Request Broker Architecture
• CORBA is a standard (not a product!)

• allows objects to transparently make requests and

receive responses

• enables interoperability between different applications

ƒ on different machines
ƒ in heterogeneously distributed environments

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

CORBA design goals

• Independence of
ƒ hardware platform
ƒ programming language
ƒ operating system
ƒ specific Object Request Broker
ƒ degree of object distribution

• Open Architecture:
ƒ Language-neutral Interface Definition Language (IDL)
ƒ Language, platform and location transparent

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

CORBA works with interfaces

IDL-Interface

Object

• all CORBA Objects are encapsulated

• Objects are accessible through interface only

• Separation of interfaces and implementation

enables multiple implementations for one interface

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

CORBA is Location Transparent

For the client it doesn’t matter if the object he is
operation on is running…
• on the same processor and even in the same
process
• on the same processor, in a different process
• in different process on another processor

CLIENT
Object Object Object

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

CORBA Architecture

Client Implementation

Implementation
Repository
Interface

Interface
IDL DII ORB BOA IDL
Stub Interface Interface
DSI Interface Skeleton

ORB

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

CORBA ORB Interfaces

ORB ORB interface: contains functionality that might
Interface be required by clients or servers

DII
Dynamic Invocation Interface(DII): used for
Interface dynamically invoking CORBA objects that
were not known at implementation time

Dynamic Skeleton Interface(DSI): helps to

DSI implement generic CORBA servants

Basic Object Adapter(BOA): API used by the

BOA
Interface
servers to register their object
implementations
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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

IFR - Interface Repository

Registry of fully qualified interface definitions
Repository

• provides type information necessary to

Interface

issue requests using the DII

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

IDL -InterfaceDefinitionLanguage

• Specifies the Interfaces

• is programming-language independent and

does only contain data descriptions

• “Esperanto” of software

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

IDL-Compiler
translates the IDL-specifications into
• IDLstubs (client-side)
• IDL-skeletons (server-side)
in the desired programming language

IDL-File

IDL-
COMPILER

Stub code Skeleton code

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Steps to develop a
CORBA-Application
1.Writing the IDL source

IDL
Definition >>Interface<<
ExactTime

getTime()

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

2.Creating stubs and skeletons

IDL
Definition

IDL
Compiler
idltojava remotetime.idl

Stub Source Skeleton Source

_ExactTimeStub _ExactTimeImplBase
implements
ExactTime
Interface
ExactTime
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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

3.Implementing the server

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

start up the ORB

create server object

register with ORB

obtain reference to
naming service

assign name to
server object reference

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

4.Implementing the client

start up the ORB

(this time on client-side)

obtain reference to
naming service

create object reference

to servant object

request services…

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Client Servant Object

Implementation Implementation

Client Stub Source

Object
Skeleton Source Implementation
Program
Source Source

Java Java
Compiler Compiler

Client Program Object Implementation

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Agenda
9Motivation
9The Broker Architecture
9CORBA Architecture
¾ ORB-Interoperability
• Conclusion
• Book-References

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

ORB Interoperability
Interoperability: ability of distinct hard- or
software components to interoperate

different forms of interoperability:

ƒ between objects
ƒ between programming languages
ƒ between computers
ƒ between ORBs

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Possibilities for ORB-interoperability:

• all ORBs support a common protocol (GIOP)

IIOP
ORB_1 ORB_2

Server
Client

• every ORB uses it‘s own protocol,

bridges are used to transfer the protocols

ORB_1- ORB_2-
ORB_1 Protocol
Bridge Protocol
ORB_2

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

If two ORBs cooperate, they need a common

language

General Inter-ORB Protocol (GIOP)

dataFormat
messageFormat

Internet Inter-ORB Protocol(IIOP)

TCP/IP

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

IIOP - Internet Inter-ORB Protocol

• standard communication protocol between ORBs

• describes how agents open TCP/ IP connections
and use them to transfer GIOP messages
• Specifies common format for:
ƒ object references, known as the Interoperable
Object Reference (IOR)
ƒ Messages exchanged between a client and the
object

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 Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

RMI – Remote Method Invocation

Basic architecture

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

CORBA vs. RMI

•RMI is simpler to work with

•RMI interfaces are defined in Java. •CORBA interfaces are defined in

RMI-IIOP allows you to write all IDL
interfaces in Java

•RMI was designed for a single •CORBA is language independence

language where all objects are written
in Java

•RMI objects are garbage collected •CORBA objects are not garbage collected
automatically

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Agenda
9Motivation
9The Broker Architecture
9CORBA Architecture
9ORB-Interoperability
¾ Conclusion
• Book-References

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Advantages of CORBA
• CORBA allows methods on a remote object to be
accessed as if they were on the local machine

• CORBA is a mature technology, support and tools

are widely available

• Can deal with heterogeneous systems

• Legacy-systems can be integrated

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Agenda
9Motivation
9The Broker Architecture
9CORBA Architecture
9ORB-Interoperability
9Conclusion
¾ Book-References

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Distributed Computing CORBA-Architecture Speaker: Oliver Mueller

Book references
• Alan Pope: The CORBA Reference Guide, Addison
Wesley, 1997
• CORBA 2.0 – Praktische Einführung für C++ und
Java, Addison Wesley, 1996
• Buschmann et al.: Pattern-Oriented Software
Architecture (Vol.1), Wiley, 1996
• Bill McCarty, Luke Cassady-Dorion: Java Distributed
Objects, SAMS, 1998
• Bruce Eckel: Thinking in Java (2nd edition), Prentice
Hall, 2000

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