Java Programming With Corba

The thesis of this dense book is that the integration of the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and Java in the form of a Java Object Request Broker (ORB) makes for easier programming of powerful distributed systems. The authors assume that the reader knows object-oriented programming and has experience with distributed systems. The three Java ORBs featured are Visibroker for Java, OrbixWeb, and Sun Joe.

In the first few chapters, Vogel and Duddy give an overview of Java and CORBA concepts and introduce Java ORBs. They continue with examples of the use of Java ORBs, starting with the classic "Hello World." Additional chapters cover the Object Management Group Interface Definition Language (OMGIDL) mapping to Java, the fundamental CORBA services called the Naming and Trading Service, and advanced features including TypeCodes, the Dynamic Invocation Interface, the Tie mechanism, and others. Finally, they cover the creation of a hotel booking application to demonstrate how to use the objects described.

Appendices include a detailed OMG and CORBA reference and a listing of all the source code referenced in the book. (The source code can also be downloaded from the Web.) This concentrated volume reads like a textbook and the authors even suggest that it can be used for self-teaching or as material for a training course.