Abstract: A novel communication device (e.g., router or switch) facilitates interoperation between a plurality of middleware. The communication device has in-ports, out-ports, and a configurator. In-ports, IP0, . . . , IPm, are associated with a middleware from a plurality of middleware and out-ports, OP0, . . . , OPn, are associated with a middleware from the plurality of middleware. The configurator configures in-ports and out-ports based on a binding and transport of associated middleware and the novel communication device facilitates interoperation between middleware via a communication path between at least one configured in-port and at least one configured out-port, with the communication path allowing an incoming message to pass from said at least one configured in-port to said at least one configured out-port. Parameters ‘m’ and ‘n’ are chosen such that any of the following conditions are true: m=0 and n?1, m?1 and n=0, m=n, m=1 and n>1, m>1 and n=1, and m?n.

Abstract: A system and method is introduced that integrates middleware components without canonicalization of data at runtime. An interface receives inputs identifying at least a first and second middleware to be made interoperative and a configurator configures at least an in-port and an out-port based on a binding and transport associated with the first and second middleware, respectively. Interoperation of the first and second middleware is effected via at least one communication path between the configured in-port and out-port, wherein the communication path allows an incoming message to pass from the in-port corresponding to said first middleware to the out-port corresponding to the second middleware without the creation of an intermediate canonical message.

Abstract: A method for controlling a table containing a list of active objects. The table is accessed by one or more threads in a multi-threaded computing environment. The method comprising the steps of mutex locking the table with a first thread when activating an object provided that the table is not locked by a second thread, and creating an entry for the object in the table when the entry does not exist in the table, wherein the entry includes a reference count. The method further comprises the steps of incrementing the reference count of the object if the table is locked by the second thread, and unlocking the table from the mutex lock after incrementing the reference count whether or not the object is completely activated. A system configured to perform steps similar to the above described steps is also provided.

Abstract: A method for matching an object key is described. The method includes the steps of calculating one or more values determined by one or more portions of the object key and comparing the values with a plurality of stored data. The method also includes the step of selecting a stored datum matching the largest portion of the object key.

Abstract: Object definition information is encapsulated in a first notation in encapsulator objects which are defined at least in part in a second, typically different, notation. The encapsulator objects expose native interfaces that may be interrogated to discover the foreign object definition information they encapsulate. Additionally, one or more objects corresponding to an interface associated with a target object can be instantiated (with the target object's interface being defined in a first notation and objects has an interface defined in a second notation which is statically acquired by an invoker), with such object invocation performed without run-time discovery of interfaces. Similarly, a calling object calls a target object by invoking the objects defined in the second notation without the calling object having to discover any interfaces at run-time.

Abstract: A prototype object reference for use in a distributed object computing environment is described. The object reference includes a specified object reference portion and an unspecified object reference portion. The prototype object reference is transformed into a valid object reference by insertion of specification information into the unspecified object reference portion and the specified object reference portion is not fully parsed in connection with insertion of the specification information.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of creating and managing one or more interceptors. The method comprises the steps of intrinsically chaining the interceptors, and storing state information, in at least one of the chained interceptors, directed to a reference to the next interceptor. A server computer in a client-server environment that includes a processor configured to generate one or more interceptors and to intriscally chain the interceptors, and a memory associated with at least one of the chained interceptors and configured to store state information directed to a reference to the next interceptor thereof.

Abstract: Methods and an apparatus are provided for providing secure communications around a firewall. The firewall is configured to only pass packets if they originate on a more protected side of the firewall or if they are in response to such a packet. A persistent secure connection is made from a connection manager program inside the firewall to a server outside the firewall. A protocol request message is then sent from the connection manager to the server over the secure connection. Requests arriving from a client are embedded in a protocol response message and sent to the connection manager program. After processing, the results, if any, are sent as a protocol request message to the server, which extracts the result from the protocol request message and puts the result in a protocol response message, which is sent to the requesting client.

Abstract: A prototype object reference for use in a distributed object computing environment is described. The object reference includes a specified object reference portion and an unspecified object reference portion. The prototype object reference is transformed into a valid object reference by insertion of specification information into the unspecified object reference portion and the specified object reference portion is not fully parsed in connection with insertion of the specification information.

Abstract: A prototype object reference for use in a distributed object computing environment is described. The object reference includes a specified object reference portion and an unspecified object reference portion. The prototype object reference is transformed into a valid object reference by insertion of specification information into the unspecified object reference portion. An indirect object reference for use in a distributed object computing environment comprising is also described, comprising a persistent object reference portion for communicating with a location service; and an object key; wherein a direct object reference is generated from the indirect object reference by insertion of the object key into a prototype direct object reference comprising transient information sufficient to communicate with the current location of an object referenced by the object key.