Corba client
Description

The VSE Corba client provides an environment for distributed computing.  Also known as DST for VSE, this product works in conjunction with ObjectShare's Distributed Smalltalk (DST) for VisualWorks (VW).  The client provides a subset of the VW functionality sufficient for most client station activities.  There must be at least one VW image running in any environment using the VSE Corba client, but the VSE ORB may also connect to other CORBA-compliant ORB's. The VSE Corba client image does not contain either an IDL compiler or an interface repository.  The functionality of these objects is provided by the VW image.  The interface repository resident on the VW image can be browsed from the VSE image.

The VSE Corba client provides the following COS services:

                - Naming Service
                - Lifecycle (create and destroy only, without support for copy and move operations)
                - Event Service
                - Concurrency Control Service
                - Object Transaction Service

Features available in a VW image that are NOT available in the VSE image are:

                - IDL compiler
                - Local Interface Repository
                - Remote Debugging
                - Remote Inspecting
                - Access Control (Security) Service
                - Externalization and Internalization

The IIOP communications protocol is the only protocol supported in the VSE Corba image.

Files

This distribution includes the following files:
 
installation\
  CorbaClient.sll		 Corba client library, 1.32Mb (source included).
installation\sll\
  sktPatch.sll		 Sockets library patch
installation\
  overview.ws
  DSTexamples.ws		 Overview and examples workspace files
installation\
  DSTBitmapPool.bpl		 Bitmap resource file used by VSE console.
installation\
  sharedRM.vse		 Pre-compiled meta-objects describing IR IDL.
installation\
  wbruntime.bnd
  vdevw.bnd		 WindowBuilder runtime and application bind files
VWCode\
  DST VSE Compatibility.st
  DSTRepository.st		 VisualWorks Distributed Smalltalk file-in source and IDL to communicate with VSE client.

Additional files are included with the distribution in order to simplify creation of a working directory with VSE 3.1.2 to test the library.  The WindowBuilder Pro runtime files required by this application appear in directory installation\sll.  The Team/V repository of the client was not included with this distribution but is available upon request.

Requirements

VS/VSE 3.1.2 for Win32s and Window Builder Pro runtime libraries.  Requires the following additional libraries:
 
vsock31w.sll
vsck231w.sll
vskvw31.sll		 Sockets support

Installation

Unzip the archive to a new directory.  You may follow the instructions in each of the subdirectories for installing the various components of  the VSE Corba client.  Copy the files in the installation subdirectory to your VS/VSE directory and copy the file installation\sll\sktPatch.sll to this directory or your library directory.  Avoid replacing any .bnd files that may exist in your destination directory.  If you do not have WindowBuilder Pro or its runtime files installed copy the remaining files to this directory or your library directory.  To your bind file add the following lines if they do not already appear

    ; sockets support
    vsock31w   ;sockets
    vsck231w   ;sockets channels
    vskvw31    ;sockets vw compatibility
    vskpw31w   ;socket parts
    sktPatch   ; patches to socket code needed for DST
    ;WindowBuilder runtime support
    VSTP31W
    @wbruntime.bnd
    CorbaClient

To start the system after the libraries have loaded evaluate

  DSTConsole new open

Start the server ORB.  If this is a VisualWorks Distributed Smalltalk image file in DST VSE Compatibility.st and DSTRepository.st from the VWCode directory.  Set the DST image for IIOP Transport and the naming service and repository for local.

To start the client ORB on a remote naming service and repository select File-Settings-Naming Service from the menu in the VSE DST Console.  Click on the Hostname radio button and enter the hostname of the naming service server image.  Also enter the host IIOP port number.  Accept the changes.  Select File-Settings-Repository, click on the Hostname radio button, and enter the hostname of the Repository server and its IIOP port number.  Accept the changes and start the client ORB.

Examples

A version of the test script is available under the 'Scripts' menu of the console with sample expressions and explanation.  If the server image is a Distributed Smalltalk image and the files DST VSE Compatibility.st and DSTRepository.st have been loaded press the console 'Repository Browser' button to open a Repository Browser on the remote repository.

Additional info

Some classes in this library are unused since further development was left incomplete.

Contact

Leonard Lutomski (Contact for Corba issues only.  No VSE questions)
ObjectShare, Inc.
lutomski@objectshare.com

Kevin Greek
ObjectShare, Inc.
kgreek@objectshare.com

Links to:
The ObjectShare web site
VisualSmalltalk Product Support
ObjectShare's Online Documentation Site