Abstract: Communication among agile objects and context-bound objects within object-oriented programming environments, including communication across contextual boundaries, is disclosed. In one embodiment, a reference to a second object within a second context is wrapped in a proxy wrapper. A first object within a first context calls the second object via the wrapped reference. No direct reference is held by the first object to the second object. Other embodiments relate to agile objects. Agile objects called by context-bound objects execute in the contexts of their callers. The context of a calling context-bound object becomes the context of an agile object for calling of the agile object by the calling context-bound object. Direct reference to the agile object by the context-bound object is thus permitted.

Abstract: A run-time executive of an object management system for managing execution of software components in an object execution environment uses a component context object to store intrinsic context properties related to an associated component. The run-time executive maintains an implicit association of the component context object with the application component. For example, the context properties can include a client id, an activity id, and a transaction reference. The component context object also provides an interface accessible to the associated component, with member functions for use in transaction processing, in creating additional other application components inheriting component's context properties, and in access control based on abstract user classes (roles).

Abstract: A cache residency test instruction is described which, when executed by a processor unit, allows the processor unit to determine if a set of data resides in a cache memory that is communicatively coupled to the processor unit and communicate a result of the determination to software being executed on the processor unit.

Abstract: Communication among agile objects and context-bound objects within object-oriented programming environments, including communication across contextual boundaries, is disclosed. In one embodiment, a reference to a second object within a second context is wrapped in a proxy wrapper. A first object within a first context calls the second object via the wrapped reference. No direct reference is held by the first object to the second object. Other embodiments relate to agile objects. Agile objects called by context-bound objects execute in the contexts of their callers. The context of a calling context-bound object becomes the context of an agile object for calling of the agile object by the calling context-bound object. Direct reference to the agile object by the context-bound object is thus permitted.

Abstract: Intelligent Trust Management provides a centralized security facility that gives system components a flexible mechanism for implementing security policies. System components such as applications create a request describing an action that needs to be checked against an appropriate security policy. The request is given to a trust system that determines which policy object applies to the request, and may pass request arguments to the policy. The policy objects include executable code that uses any arguments along with dynamically obtained variable information to make a decision. The decision is returned to the system component, which then operates accordingly. Policy objects may maintain state and interface with the user independent of the system component in order to obtain information to make their decisions. Policy objects may call other policy objects and/or mathematically combine the results of other policy objects to make a decision.

Abstract: An object system provides composable object execution environment extensions with an object model that defines a framework with contexts, policies, policy makers and activators that act as object creation-time, reference creation-time and call-time event sinks to provide processing of effects specific to the environment extensions. At object creation time, an object instantiation service of the object system delegates to the activators to establish a context in which the object is created. The context contains context properties that represent particular of the composable environment extensions in which the object is to execute. The context properties also can act as policy makers that contribute policies to an optimized policy set for references that cross context boundaries. The policies in such optimized sets are issued policy events on calls across the context boundary to process effects of switching between the environment extensions of the two contexts.