From 84adefa331c4159d432d22840663c38f155cd4c1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Erlang/OTP Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:54:40 +0000 Subject: The R13B03 release. --- lib/orber/doc/src/ch_introduction.xml | 144 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 144 insertions(+) create mode 100644 lib/orber/doc/src/ch_introduction.xml (limited to 'lib/orber/doc/src/ch_introduction.xml') diff --git a/lib/orber/doc/src/ch_introduction.xml b/lib/orber/doc/src/ch_introduction.xml new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..16240e1eb0 --- /dev/null +++ b/lib/orber/doc/src/ch_introduction.xml @@ -0,0 +1,144 @@ + + + + +
+ + 19992009 + Ericsson AB. All Rights Reserved. + + + The contents of this file are subject to the Erlang Public License, + Version 1.1, (the "License"); you may not use this file except in + compliance with the License. You should have received a copy of the + Erlang Public License along with this software. If not, it can be + retrieved online at http://www.erlang.org/. + + Software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" + basis, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See + the License for the specific language governing rights and limitations + under the License. + + + + Introduction to Orber + Megan Lynch + + 1998-09-21 + + ch_introduction.xml +
+ +
+ Overview +

The Orber application is a CORBA compliant Object Request Brokers + (ORB), which provides CORBA functionality in an Erlang + environment. Essentially, the ORB channels communication or + transactions between nodes in a + heterogeneous environment. +

+

Common Object Request Broker Architecture is a common communication standard developed by the OMG (Object Management Group)(Common Object Request Broker + Architecture) provides an interface definition language allowing + efficient system integration and also supplies standard + specifications for some services. +

+

The Orber application contains the following parts:

+ + +

ORB kernel and IIOP support

+ + +

Interface Repository

+ + +

Interface Definition Language Mapping for Erlang

+ + +

CosNaming Service

+ + + +
+ Benefits +

Orber provides CORBA functionality in an Erlang environment that enables: +

+ + +

Platform interoperability and transparency

+

Orber enables communication between + OTP applications or Erlang environment applications and + other platforms; for example, Windows NT, Solaris + etc, allowing platform transparency. This is especially helpful in situations where there + are many users with different platforms. For example, + booking airline tickets would require the airline database + and hundreds of travel agents (who may not have the same + platform) to book seats on flights.

+ + +

Application level interoperability and transparency

+

As Orber is a CORBA compliant application, its purpose is + to provide interoperability and transparency on the application + level. + Orber simplifies the distributed system software by defining the + environment as objects, which in effect, views + everything as identical regardless of programming + languages.

+ Previously, time-consuming programming was + required to facilitate communication between different languages. + However, with CORBA compliant Orber the Application + Programmer is relieved of this task. This makes + communication on an application level relatively transparent to the user.

+ + +
+ +
+ Purpose and Dependencies +

The system architecture and OTP dependencies of Orber are illustrated in figure 1 below:

+ + + +Figure 1: Orber Dependencies and Structure. + +

Orber is dependent on Mnesia (see the Mnesia + documentation) - an Erlang database management application + used to store object information.

+ +

Although Orber does not have a run-time + application dependency to IC (an Interface Definition Language - IDL is the OMG specified interface definition language, used to define the CORBA object interfaces.compiler for + Erlang), it is necessary when building + services and applications. See the IC documentation for + further details.

+ + + + +Figure 2: ORB interface between Java and Erlang Environment Nodes. + +

This simplified illustration in figure 2 demonstrates how Orber can facilitate communication in a heterogeneous environment. The Erlang Nodes running + OTP and the other Node running applications written in Java can + communicate via an Object Request Broker - ORB open software bus architecture specified by the OMG which allows object components to communicate in a heterogeneous environment.(Object Request Broker). Using + Orber means that CORBA functions can be used to achieve this + communication. +

+

For example, if one of the above nodes requests an object, it does not + need to know if that object is located on the same, or + different, Erlang or Java nodes. The ORB will channel the + information creating platform and application transparency for + the user. +

+
+ +
+ Prerequisites +

To fully understand the concepts presented in the + documentation, it is recommended that the user is familiar + with distributed programming and CORBA (Common Object Request + Broker Architecture). +

+

Recommended reading includes Open Telecom Platform Documentation Set and Concurrent Programming in Erlang. +

+
+
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