Distributed Development Using CORBA

Duration:	3 days
Type:	intermediate

Description

This course introduces Java programmers to CORBA development. Delegates create distributed applications written in Java and then access them through both Java and C++ clients. The process of writing IDL is explained in detail, as are the mappings from IDL to Java and C++.

By default the course uses the ORB supplied with the Sun JDK and the Eclipse IDE. Other configurations can be supported on request.

Prerequisites

Delegates should have several years Java coding experience, understand the principles of good OO design and be familiar with UML class and sequence diagrams. Previous experience in distributed computing (RPC, DCOM, RMI or Remoting) is advantageous but not essential.

List of Modules

Introduction

The need for distributed architectures

How CORBA emerged from UNIX RPC

The role of an Object Request Broker (ORB)

Network protocols used by ORB's (GIOP and IIOP)

Common terminology used in distributed systems

How IDL supports clients written in many languages

Introducing CORBA Services (Naming and Trading)

CORBA and Java

Java as the ideal middleware language

Examples of ORB's written in Java

Support for CORBA within the JVM

How Enterprise JavaBeans use CORBA

Working with Interface Definition Language (IDL)

Creating and reopening modules

Adding interfaces to modules

Data types defined within IDL

Forward declarations of interfaces

Adding attributes to interfaces

Adding operations to interfaces

Deriving one interface from another

Marking operations as asynchronous

Declaring exceptions thrown by operations

Supplying extra context information

Mappings between IDL and Java

Mappings between IDL and C++

Creating a Basic CORBA Server

Creating and initializing an ORB

Instantiating server side objects

Connecting objects to the ORB

Starting a request handling loop

Creating a CORBA Client

Creating a client side ORB

Understanding client side proxies

Operations supported by all proxies

Recovering references from strings

Making copies of references

Creating and using nil references

Invoking operations on the server

Coping with system and user exceptions

The Portable Object Adapter

The responsibilities of a POA

References, identifiers and servants

Services offered by the root POA

Creating a hierarchy of portable adapters

Dynamically creating a portable adapter

Policies that can be used with a POA

Persistent verses transient objects

Creating CORBA objects without servers

Explicitly registering servants with the POA

Dynamically supplying servants via managers

Providing a default servant for detached objects

Deactivating objects and closing the ORB

The OMG Naming Service

The purpose of the Naming Service

Finding an initial naming context

Adding bindings to the naming tree

Creating trees of contexts and bindings

Iterating over a naming context