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The Basic Object Adapter provides a bare minimum of functionality to
server applications. As a consequence, many ORBs added custom
extensions to the BOA to support more complex demands upon an object
adapter, making server implementations incompatible among different
ORB vendors. In CORBA 2.2, the new Portable Object Adapter was
introduced. It provides a much-extended interface that addresses many
needs that were wished for, but not available with the original BOA
specification. POA features include:
- Support for transparent activation of objects. Servers can
export object references for not-yet-active servants that will be
incarnated on demand.
- Allow a single servant to support many object identities.
- Allow many POAs in a single server, each governed by its own set
of policies.
- Delegate requests for non-existent servants either to a default
servant, or ask a servant manager for an appropriate servant.
These features, make the POA much more powerful than the BOA and
should fulfill most server applications' needs. As an example,
object references for some million entries in a database can be
generated, which are all implemented by a single default servant.
MICO
Tue Nov 10 11:04:45 CET 1998