DIGITAL Software Product Description ________________________________________________________________ PRODUCT NAME: ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 DESCRIPTION ObjectBroker for OpenVMS (VAX and Alpha) Version 2.7 provides ap- plication developers and system integrators with the development tools and run-time environments to integrate applications and services dis- tributed across UNIX[R] environments (Digital UNIX [TM]), SunOS[TM], Solaris[TM], HP-UX[R], IBM[R] AIX[R]), Microsoft[R], Windows 95[R], Windows[TM], and Windows NT[TM] (Alpha and Intel[TM]). ObjectBroker Version 2.7 is Digital's implementation of the Object Management Group's (OMG[R]) Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA[TM]) specification V1.2 and V2.0 for enterprise wide produc- tion use. ObjectBroker also extends Microsoft OLE technology to a multiplatform distributed computing environment. ObjectBroker simplifies distributed application development by pro- viding platform-independent, client/server, programming interfaces. It offers an object-oriented (O-O) approach to dynamic linking of independently developed applications and services. ObjectBroker al- lows application processes to transparently invoke, control, and in- teract with each other across multiple platforms. Features o A high-level, standards-based application programming interface (API) across 15 platforms. o Compliance with OMG's CORBA specification, protecting users' soft- ware development investments. o C++ language bindings provide C++ programmers a natural inter- face as defined in CORBA Specification Version 2.0. C program- ming language and Visual Basic bindings continue to be supported. November 1996 AE-Q9KME-TE ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 o Integration with Kerberos/DCE Security for optional integration of secure client and server applications on Windows NT and Digital UNIX. o Support for the CORBA V2.0 Initialization Service. o ObjectBroker COSS Naming implementation has become invokable, al- lowing users to replace it with one of their choosing. o OLE Integration (known as the OLE Portal) and DDE Integration (known as the DDE Listener) provide the ability for shrink-wrapped and custom desktop applications, that comply with the Microsoft OLE and DDE interfaces, to communicate with certain remote ObjectBroker servers. Developers can use the OLE Portal and DDE Listener fea- tures today to begin moving toward open client/server environ- ments. o Script servers allow client access to existing applications us- ing command line interfaces, with no source changes necessary, facilitating the migration to client/server computing. o O-O abstraction provides insulation of clients and servers from changes in network topology or application code through the use of implementation-independent brokering services. o QuickStart makes it easier for new users to get an application up and running, as well as making experienced users more produc- tive. o A new Server Management API to enables system managers to man- age servers through a callable API. ObjectBroker for OpenVMS Capabilities ObjectBroker V2.7 is a software product that enables client and server applications, on different computer systems, to communicate over a network. Each message between the client and server is called a re- quest and the process of sending a request is called invocation. Client Application The client application sends a request, possibly over a network, for an operation to be performed. The request is performed by an imple- mentation within a server application. Server Application 2 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 The server application contains implementations that satisfy client requests when they are received. The server application returns in- formation back to the client application. ORB The Object Request Broker (ORB) provides functions specific to the client and to the server. A client request first goes to the ORB, which is the primary mechanism that ObjectBroker uses to locate ObjectBroker implementations on the network. The server-side ORB answers requests from clients and dispatches them to the appropriate server application. 3 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 Agent The agent is the entity provided as part of ObjectBroker V2.7 that performs services on behalf of a user in the context of ObjectBroker. An agent must be present on any computer that supports applications that provide services using ObjectBroker. The agent maintains a list of active servers on the computer and can automatically start new servers if needed to respond to client requests. A new function, Proxy Failure Log, has been added to ObjectBroker V2.7. This function provides the ObjectBroker agent with the abil- ity to record certain types of security failures in the agent log file. Repository The ObjectBroker repository contains definitions of ObjectBroker in- terfaces and their associated implementations. An ObjectBroker in- terface is the set of operations and attributes that can be performed on a object. An implementation contains the code that satisfies a client request for operations on a specific object. The interface repository also contains method maps, which describe the criteria by which to select implementations. The interface def- initions in the Interface Repository are written in OMG IDL, which is described in the CORBA specification and in the ObjectBroker doc- umentation. Context Object A context object contains information about a user's preferences, which are taken into account during the resolution process, and ad- ditional properties and values which are propagated to the server side during an invocation request. In addition, applications can store profile information in the context object that is not used as res- olution criteria. Script Server The script server is a special ObjectBroker server process which al- lows legacy applications to be encapsulated as object implementa- tions. The script server allows applications that export a command line interface to be used as object implementations. Client appli- cations have no knowledge that an object's implementation is actu- ally implemented as a script. Registry 4 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 The ObjectBroker registry stores information outside of user appli- cations, that is used by all of the components of ObjectBroker. The configuration partition of the registry contains information about the configuration of ObjectBroker on a given computer, including the list of available transports and the authentication package to be used. The security partition of the registry contains information about a user's authorization to access specific implementations and meth- ods. Along with authorization information for users, the security registry also contains information that describes the list of re- mote users that are allowed to access ObjectBroker on the current computer The advertisement partition of the registry stores information about servers, where to find them, and what they provide. The implementation partition of the registry contains information about object implementations that have been installed on the com- puter. At a minimum, the implementation registry contains the unique identifier of the implementation, the operating system specific com- mand for starting the server process that contains the implementa- tion code, and the list of attributes to be defined as environment variables when the process that executes the implementation is started. Developer's Features The ObjectBroker product contains many functions to aid in program development. There are utilities to generate code for the client and server applications, utilities to define and manage security and en- vironmental settings, and utilities to support other products and their interface to ObjectBroker. For code generation, ObjectBroker utilizes a language to describe the interfaces of your distributed application. ObjectBroker util- ities use this language to generate code and other definitions used at run-time. Developer's features include the following: o ObjectBroker V2.7 implements the CORBA 2.0 standard for allow- ing an application to initialize itself into an ORB environment. 5 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 o CORBAservices naming service is implemented as an invocable server. This makes it possible for customers to replace the CORBAservices Naming Service implementation supplied with ObjectBroker with- out relinking the client. o OMG Interface Definition Language (IDL) for describing classes and messages o Support for User Defined Types (UDT) o Generation of client-side stubs for operations defined on one or more interfaces: - Static interfaces use code skeletons (stubs) containing rou- tines that cannot be changed. Stubs provide a linear inter- face and reduce the complexity of the method resolution. - Dynamic interfaces use routines that the client defines and builds as it is running. The dynamic interface provides client with more flexibility to use deferred synchronous operations, different method maps, and new interfaces. o Generation of OMG IDL skeletons (dispatchers), registration rou- tines, and method routine stubs for servers o Support for the Dynamic Invocation Interface (DII) routines Additionally, ObjectBroker provides utilities to manage the secu- rity settings and the overall environment. These utility functions are available as command-line functions as well as through graph- ical user interface utilities (GUIs). Digital Extensions to the CORBA specification provide enhanced capabilities. These extensions include: Languages o The Implementation Language (IML) describes methods and their implementations. o The Method Mapping Language (MML) maps operations to the methods that implement them. QuickStart is a new code generation facility. It is a prototyp- ing tool that allows a user to take an OMG IDL file and generate code for the client, server, methods, make files and more. QuickStart reduces the complexity and time to create a running ObjectBroker client/server application and is particularly 6 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 useful for evaluators to test their IDL and showcase ORB functionality. Improved System Management makes it possible for a system manager to monitor the state of server applications within a distributed production environment through a callable API. This facilitates integration with other management tools or products. ObjectBroker Graphical User Interface Utilities provide a fully supported, windowed set of utilities that help system integrators manage the CORBA environment and programmers develop new distributed applications. The utilities provide interfaces that: o View and manipulate context objects, repositories, and remote servers o Generate code for programmers o Set up the environment (security, proxies, transport) The user interface of each utility is based on CORBA concepts. The utility's interface is native to the platform on which it is executing (Motif[R], Windows). OLE and DDE ObjectBroker Version 2.7 works cooperatively with Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) to provide a network "portal" from Microsoft Windows platforms to ObjectBroker server platforms. ObjectBroker applications on UNIX and OpenVMS systems can be made OLE-aware (by implementing a set of pre-defined OLE methods shipped with ObjectBroker) and will respond to requests from OLE applications on Microsoft Windows. The ObjectBroker OLE Portal processes OLE API calls on Window Systems and maps them to messages. These messages are then sent to an appropriate ObjectBroker server on the network for resolution. From a user's perspective, the mapping process is transparent. Within an OLE application, the OLE Portal appears as another local OLE server application, which can be expanded to a window to display OLE-aware applications/servers on the network. Information from sources across the network can be linked or embedded into desktop applications through ObjectBroker. The ObjectBroker OLE portal employs OLE Version 7 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 2.0 interfaces and also provides support for OLE Version 1.0 applications. ObjectBroker extends the Microsoft Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) communication protocol to allow Microsoft Windows applications on a networked PC to interact using DDE with applications running on, Solaris, SunOS, IBM AIX, HP-UX, OpenVMS and Digital UNIX. Applications can function as DDE clients or servers. DDE support in ObjectBroker allows two Microsoft applications to communicate on different PCs. Transports ObjectBroker supports PATHWORKS TCP/IP, Novell[R] TCP/IP, TCPware[R], DEC TCP/IP Services and PATHWORKS DECnet IV network transports. In addition, ObjectBroker uses the Winsocket Version 1.1.1 interface to PATHWORKS TCP/IP and Novell TCP/IP,and may work with other WinSock-compliant TCP/IP transports implementations. However, no others have been tested nor are they supported at this time. Multiple Simultaneous Transports ObjectBroker V2.7 supports multiple network transports on a single system; each transport can run concurrently. A client running TCP/IP and DECnet can communicate with a server that is running either TCP/IP, DECnet, or both. The system administrator controls which transports are available to client and server applications on each system. The platforms that support multiple simultaneous transports are OpenVMS (VAX and Alpha), Microsoft Windows and Windows NT (Intel and Alpha). Network Tester The network tester utility provides the ability to determine whether the network is properly configured for use with ObjectBroker. A user can specify the amount of data to be sent between a network tester client and server. This tool also provides detailed error messages when failures occur. The user can test ObjectBroker and the network between two computers without having to write an ObjectBroker test program. 8 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 Load Balancing ObjectBroker allows you to associate descriptive attributes to server applications so that clients can select a particular server application based on those attributes. ObjectBroker also provides a means of balancing the load among multiple copies of a server application on a given computer. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Alpha Systems Supported EISA Bus Based Systems o DEC 2000 Models 300/500 TurboChannel Bus Based Systems o DEC 3000 Models 300/300L/300LX o DEC 3000 Models 400/400S o DEC 3000 Models 500/500S/500X o DEC 3000 Models 600/600S o DEC 3000 Models 700/700LX o DEC 3000 Models 800/800S o DEC 3000 Models 900/900LX DSSI Bus Based Systems o DEC 4000 Model 600 o DEC 4000 Model 700 XMI Bus Based Systems o DEC 7000 Model 600 o DEC 10000 Model 600 Laptop Systems o Tadpole ALPHAbook 1 PCI Bus Based Systems o AlphaServer 8200 5/300 o Digital 2100 Server Model A500MP, A600MP 9 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 o AlphaServer 2100 4/233, 4/266, 4/275, 5/250, 5/300 o AlphaServer 2100A LP Models 5/250, 5/300 o AlphaServer 2000 4/233, 4/275, 5/250 o AlphaServer 1000 4/233, 4/266 o AlphaServer 1000a 4/266 o AlphaStation 400 4/166, 4/233, 4/266 o AlphaStation 250 4/233 o AlphaStation 200 4/110, 4/166, 4/233 o AlphaStation 255 4/233 o AlphaStation 255/233 o AlphaStation 255/300 o AlphaStation 500/266 o AlphaStation 500/333 o AlphaStation 600 5/266 Vax Systems Supported Q-bus Based Systems o MicroVAX II o VAXstation II/GPX (GPX)), VAXstation II/QVSS o MicroVAX 3200, VAXserver 3200, VAXstation 3200 o MicroVAX 3300, VAXserver 3300 o MicroVAX 3400, VAXserver 3400 o MicroVAX 3500, VAXserver 3500, VAXstation 3500, VAXstation 3520, VAXstation 3540 o MicroVAX 3600, VAXserver 3600 o MicroVAX 3800, VAXserver 3800 o MicroVAX 3900, VAXserver 3900 o VAX 4000, Models 100, 200, 300, 500, 600 o VAX 4000, Models 50, 100A, 500A, 600A, 700A 10 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 o VAXserver 4000, Models 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 NMI Bus Based Systems o VAX 8530, VAXserver 8530, VAX 8550, VAXserver 8550 o VAX 8700, VAXserver 8700 o VAX 8800, VAX 8810, VAX 8820, VAX 8830, VAX 8840 o VAXserver 8800, VAXserver 8810, VAXserver 8820, VAXserver 8830, VAXserver 8840 XMI Bus Based Systems o VAX 6000 Series, Models 210, 220, 230, 240 o VAX 6000 Series, Models 310, 320, 330, 340, 360 o VAX 6000 Series, Models 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460 o VAX 6000 Series, Models 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560 o VAX 6000 Series, Models 610, 620, 630, 640 o VAXserver 6000, Models 210, 220, 310, 320, 410, 420, 510, 520 o VAX 8530, VAX 8550, VAXserver 8530, VAXserver 8550 o VAX 8700, VAXserver 8700 o VAX 8800, VAX 8810, VAX 8820, VAX 8830, VAX 8840 o VAXserver 8800, VAXserver 8810, VAXserver 8820, VAXserver 8830, VAXserver 8840 o VAX 7000, Models 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660 o VAX 10000, Models 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660 VAXBI Bus Based Systems o VAX 8200, VAX 8250, VAXserver 8200, VAXserver 8250 11 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 o VAX 8300, VAX 8350, VAXserver 8300, VAXserver 8350 SBI Bus Based Systems o VAX 11/780, VAX 11/785 o VAX 8600, VAX 8650, VAXserver 8600, VAXserver 8650 CMI Bus Based Systems o VAX 11/750 Special System Specific Internal Bus o VAX 11/730 o MicroVAX 2000, VAXstation 2000, VAXstation 2000/GPX, VAXstation 2000/MFB o VAXft 3000, Models 110, 310, 410, 610, 612 o MicroVAX 3100, Models 10, 10E, 20, 20E, 30, 40, 80, 85, 90, 95 o VAXserver 3100, Models 10, 10E, 20, 20E o VAXstation 3100, Models 30, 38, 40, 48, 76 o VAXstation 3100/GPX, Models 38, 48, 76 o VAXstation 3100/SPX Graphics System (SPX)), Models 38, 48, 76 o VAXstation 4000, Models 60, 90 o VAXstation 4000-VLC o VAX 9000, Models 110, 110VP 210, 210VP, 310, 310VP o VAX 9000, Models 320, 320VP, 330, 330VP, 340, 340VP o VAX 9000, Models 410, 410VP, 420, 420VP, 430, 430VP o VAX 9000, Models 440, 440VP Processors Not Supported 12 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 MicroVAX I, VAXstation I, VAX-11/725,730 VAX-11/782, VAXstation 8000 ________________________________________________________________ ____________________Disk_Space_Requirements_____________________ Blocks To _________________Install__________Blocks_After_Installation_____ Development 18,500 17,500 Runtime__________13,000___________12,000________________________ This value refers to the disk space required on the user file system. This size is an approximate; actual size may vary depending on the user's system environment, configuration, and software options. CLUSTER ENVIRONMENT This layered product is fully supported when installed on any valid and licensed VAXcluster* configuration without restrictions. The HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS section details any special hardware this product requires. * V5.x VAXcluster configurations are fully described in the VAXcluster Software Product Description (SPD 29.78.xx) and include CI, Ethernet, and Mixed Interconnect configurations. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS Supported OpenVMS configurations with the following software versions: Operating Systems: o OpenVMS VAX Version 6.1 through Version 7.0 o OpenVMS Alpha Version 6.1 through Version 7.0 Transports For OpenVMS VAX: o DECnet - VAX Version 6.x (Phase IV) and DECnet for OpenVMS VAX and Alpha, Version 7.0, DECnet-Plus (DECnet/OSI) for OpenVMS and Alpha Systems, Version 7.0 13 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 o TCP/IP - DEC TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS Version 3.3, TCPware Version 2.0 For OpenVMS Alpha: o DECnet - DECnet for OpenVMS Alpha, Version 6.1 DECnet for OpenVMS VAX and Alpha, Version 7.0 o TCP/IP - DCE TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS, Version 3.3, TCPware Version 2.0 OPTIONAL SOFTWARE o Motif for OpenVMS VAX V1.1 (OpenVMS VAX) o Motif for OpenVMS Alpha V1.1 (OpenVMS Alpha) For program development of OpenVMS Alpha: o DEC C V4.1 for OpenVMS Alpha o DEC C++ V5.0 for OpenVMS Alpha For program development of OpenVMS VAX: o DEC C V4.0 for OpenVMS VAX Systems o DEC C++ V5.0 for OpenVMS VAX ObjectBroker development and run-time licenses for the following platforms can be used in conjunction with ObjectBroker for OpenVMS: o ObjectBroker for Windows NT Intel Version 2.7 o ObjectBroker for Windows NT Alpha Version 2.7 o ObjectBroker for HP-UX Version 2.7 o ObjectBroker for IBM AIX Version 2.7 o ObjectBroker for Digital UNIX Version 2.7 o ObjectBroker for SunOS Version 2.7 o ObjectBroker for Solaris Version 2.7 o ObjectBroker for Microsoft Windows Version 2.7 o ObjectBroker for Windows 95. 14 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 GROWTH CONSIDERATIONS The minimum hardware/software requirements for any future version of this product may be different from the requirements for the current version. DISTRIBUTION MEDIA o CD-ROM ORDERING INFORMATION ObjectBroker for OpenVMS Software Licenses Orderable for Specific OpenVMS Operating Systems: ObjectBroker for OpenVMS Alpha Development: QL-06UA*-** ObjectBroker for OpenVMS Alpha Run-Time Only: QL-06VA*-** ObjectBroker for OpenVMS VAX Development: QL-XKAA*-** ObjectBroker for OpenVMS VAX Run-Time Only: QL-XKBA*-** ObjectBroker for OpenVMS Software Media and Documentation Kits Orderable for Specific OpenVMS Operating Systems: The ObjectBroker Development and Run-Time CD-ROMs includes all supported platforms: ObjectBroker CD-ROM (Development and Runtime) QA-0PKAA-H8 ObjectBroker Pilot Package (Media/License Combination) QB-0PKAA-AA ObjectBroker for OpenVMS Development and Run-Time: ObjectBroker CD-ROMs only ObjectBroker for OpenVMS Software Documentation Order the Same Documentation Kit for all ObjectBroker Products: QA-0PKAA-GZ ObjectBroker for OpenVMS Software Product Services 15 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 Orderable for Specific OpenVMS Operating Systems: ObjectBroker for OpenVMS Alpha Development: QT-06UA*-** ObjectBroker for OpenVMS Alpha Run-Time: QT-06VA*-** ObjectBroker for OpenVMS VAX Development: QT-XKAA*-** ObjectBroker for OpenVMS VAX Run-Time Only: QT-XKBA*-** * Denotes variant fields. For additional information on avail- able licenses, services, and media, refer to the appropriate price book. SOFTWARE LICENSING One platform-specific ObjectBroker Development license is required per concurrent user for developing, compiling, and /or linking applications. At least one license is required per operating system. To deploy ObjectBroker, the appropriate platform-specific runtime license is required for each concurrent user included in the deployment. For more information about Digital's licensing terms and policies, contact your local Digital office. License Management Facility Support The OpenVMS VAX and OpenVMS Alpha support the OpenVMS License Management Facilities. For more information about Digital's licensing terms and policies, contact your local Digital office. SOFTWARE PRODUCT SERVICES A variety of service options are available from Digital. For more information, contact your local Digital office. 16 ObjectBroker for OpenVMS, Version 2.7 SPD 44.12.04 SOFTWARE WARRANTY Warranty for this software product is provided by Digital with the purchase of a license for the product as defined in the Software Warranty Addendum of this SPD. The above information is valid at time of release. Please contact your local Digital office for the most up-to-date information. [R]HP-UX is a registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company. [R]IBM and AIX are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. [R]Microsoft, MS, Windows 95 and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. [R]Motif is a registered trademarks of Open Software Foundation, Inc. [R]Novell is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. [R]OMG is a registered trademark of Object Management Group. [R]TCPware is a registered trademark of Process Software Corporation. [R]UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. [TMCORBA is a trademark of Object Management Group [TMIntel is a trademark of Intel Corporation. [TMSunOS and Solaris are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. [TMWindows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. [TMThe DIGITAL Logo, DEC, DECnet, Digital, ObjectBroker, OpenVMS, PATHWORKS, RX, TK, Digital UNIX, and VAX are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. ©1996 Corporation. All rights reserved. 17