Object-Oriented Programming Using SOM and DSOM/Distributing Your Objects

Distributed SOM (DSOM) allows applicatons to access SOM objects across address spaces. There are two flavors of DSOM: Workstation DSOM and Workgroup DSOM. Using Workstation DSOM, an application can access objects in other processes, or other address spaces, in a single-machine environment. Currently, the Workstation DSOM Enabler is available for both OS/2 and AIX. The Workstation DSOM Enabler for Windows has been recently announced and will be available in the summer of 1994.

Using Workgroup DSOM, an application can access objects distributed across a network of machines. In the current release, Workgroup DSOM supports distribution across local area networks (LANs) comprising both OS/2 and AIX systems. Workgroup DSOM for Windows has also been recently announced, and this allows you to distribute your objects across networks comprising OS/2, AIX, and Windows. Future releases of DSOM may support other platforms, including large, enterprise-wide networks.

The SOMobjects Developer Toolkit version 2.0 for OS/2 as used in this book includes the Workstation DSOM for OS/2. The examples included on the diskette run on OS/2. However, if you install the Workgroup Enabler for OS/2 and AIX, then you will be able to move the SOM objects to AIX and access them from OS/2. This architecture is important because it allows developers to develop their distributed objects in a single-machine environment and then deploy the objects in a distributed environment by switching to the Workgroup Enabler.