Introduction to VisiBroker

For the CORBA developer, Micro Focus provides VisiBroker for Java, VisiBroker for C++, and VisiBroker for .NET to leverage the industry-leading VisiBroker Object Request Broker (ORB). These three facets of VisiBroker are implementations of the CORBA 3.0 specification. See “VisiBroker CORBA Compliance” for further details.

VisiBroker Overview

VisiBroker is for distributed deployments that require CORBA to communicate between both Java and non-Java objects. It is available on a wide range of platforms including different hardware, operating systems, compilers and Java Development Kit (JDK) versions. VisiBroker solves all the problems normally associated with distributed systems in a heterogeneous environment.

VisiBroker includes:

•	VisiBroker for Java, VisiBroker for C++, and VisiBroker for .NET, three implementations of the industry-leading Object Request Broker.

•	VisiNaming Service, a complete implementation of the Interoperable Naming Specification in version 1.3.

•	GateKeeper, a proxy server for managing connections to CORBA Servers behind firewalls.

•	VisiBroker Console, a GUI tool for easily managing a CORBA environment.

•

Common Object Services such as VisiNotify (implementation of Notification Service specification), VisiTransact (implementation of Transaction Service specification), VisiTelcoLog (implementation of Telecom Logging Service specification), VisiTime (implementation of Time Service specification), and VisiSecure (security service).

VisiBroker Features

VisiBroker offers the following features:

•	“Out-of-the-box” security and web connectivity.

•	Seamless integration to the J2EE Platform, allowing CORBA clients direct access to EJBs.

•	A robust Naming Service (VisiNaming), with caching, persistent storage, and replication for high availability.

•	Automatic client failover to backup servers if primary server is unreachable.

•	Load distribution across a cluster of CORBA servers.

•	Full compliance with the OMG's CORBA 3.0 Specification.

•	Integration with the JBuilder integrated development environment.

•	Enhanced integration with other Micro Focus products including AppServer.

VisiBroker CORBA Compliance

VisiBroker 8.5 is compliant with version 3.0 of the CORBA specification from the Object Management Group (OMG). All changes between the earlier version 2.6 and version 3.0 are implemented. Note that VisiBroker:

•	Supports General Inter-ORB Protocol (GIOP) to standard 1.2; GIOP 1.3-related features are not implemented.

•	Does not support the CORBA Component Model (CCM) or Fixed types.

For more details, refer to the CORBA specification located at http://www.omg.org/.

VisiBroker Documentation

The VisiBroker documentation set includes the following:

•	VisiBroker Installation Guide—describes how to install VisiBroker on your network. It is written for system administrators who are familiar with Windows or UNIX operating systems.

•	Security Guide—describes Micro Focus’s framework for securing VisiBroker, including VisiSecure for VisiBroker for Java and VisiBroker for C++.

•

VisiBroker for Java Developer's Guide—describes how to develop VisiBroker applications in Java. It familiarizes you with configuration and management of the VisiBroker ORB and how to use the programming tools. It also describes the IDL compiler, the Smart Agent, the Location, Naming and Event Services, the Object Activation Daemon (OAD), the Quality of Service (QoS), the Interface Repository, the Interface Repository, and Web Service Support.

•

VisiBroker for C++ Developer's Guide—describes how to develop VisiBroker applications in C++. It familiarizes you with configuration and management of the VisiBroker ORB and how to use the programming tools. It also describes the IDL compiler, the Smart Agent, the Location, Naming and Event Services, the OAD, the QoS, Pluggable Transport Interface, RT CORBA Extensions, and Web Service Support.

•	VisiBroker for .NET Developer's Guide—describes how to develop VisiBroker applications in a .NET environment.

•	VisiBroker for C++ API Reference—provides a description of the classes and interfaces supplied with VisiBroker for C++.

•	VisiBroker VisiTime Guide—describes Micro Focus's implementation of the OMG Time Service specification.

•	VisiBroker VisiNotify Guide—describes Micro Focus's implementation of the OMG Notification Service specification and how to use the major features of the notification messaging framework, in particular, the Quality of Service (QoS) properties, Filtering, and Publish/Subscribe Adapter (PSA).

•	VisiBroker VisiTransact Guide—describes Micro Focus's implementation of the OMG Object Transaction Service specification and the Micro Focus Integrated Transaction Service components.

•	VisiBroker VisiTelcoLog Guide—describes Micro Focus' implementation of the OMG Telecom Log Service specification.

•	VisiBroker GateKeeper Guide—describes how to use the VisiBroker GateKeeper to enable VisiBroker clients to communicate with servers across networks, while still conforming to the security restrictions imposed by web browsers and firewalls.

The documentation is typically accessed through the Help Viewer installed with VisiBroker. You can choose to view help from the standalone Help Viewer or from within a VisiBroker Console. Both methods launch the Help Viewer in a separate window and give you access to the main Help Viewer toolbar for navigation and printing, as well as access to a navigation pane. The Help Viewer navigation pane includes a table of contents for all VisiBroker books and reference documentation, a thorough index, and a comprehensive search page.

Important

Updates to the product documentation are available on the web at https://supportline.microfocus.com/productdoc.aspx.

Accessing VisiBroker Online Help Topics in the Standalone Help Viewer

To access the online help through the standalone Help Viewer on a machine where the product is installed, use one of the following methods:

Windows

•	Click Start > Programs > VisiBroker > Help Topics

or

•	Open the Command Prompt and go to the product installation \bin directory, then type the following command:

help

UNIX

Open a command shell and go to the product installation /bin directory, then enter the command:

help

Tip

During installation on UNIX systems, the default is to not include an entry for bin in your PATH. If you did not choose the custom install option and modify the default for PATH entry, and you do not have an entry for current directory in your PATH, use ./help to start the help viewer.

Accessing VisiBroker online help topics from within the VisiBroker Console

To access the online help from within the VisiBroker Console, choose Help > Help Topics.

The Help menu also contains shortcuts to specific documents within the online help. When you select one of these shortcuts, the Help Topics viewer is launched and the item selected from the Help menu is displayed.

Documentation conventions      

The documentation for VisiBroker uses the typefaces and symbols described below to indicate special text:

Convention	Used for
italics	Used for new terms and book titles.
computer	Information that the user or application provides, sample command lines and code.
bold computer	In text, bold indicates information the user types in. In code samples, bold highlights important statements.
[ ]	Optional items.
...	Previous argument that can be repeated.
>	Two mutually exclusive choices.

Platform conventions

The VisiBroker documentation uses the following symbols to indicate platform-specific information:

Symbol	Indicates
Windows	All supported Windows platforms
UNIX	UNIX platforms
Solaris	Solaris only
Linux	Linux only

Contacting Micro Focus

Our Web site gives up-to-date details of contact numbers and addresses.

Further Information and Product Support

Additional technical information or advice is available from several sources.

The product support pages contain a considerable amount of additional information, such as:

•	The WebSync service, where you can download fixes and documentation updates.

•	The Knowledge Base, a large collection of product tips and workarounds.

•	Examples and Utilities, including demos and additional product documentation.

To connect, enter https://www.microfocus.com in your browser to go to the Micro Focus home page.

Note:

Some information may be available only to customers who have maintenance agreements.

If you obtained this product directly from Micro Focus, contact us as described on the Micro Focus Web site, https://www.microfocus.com. If you obtained the product from another source, such as an authorized distributor, contact them for help first. If they are unable to help, contact us.

Information We Need

However you contact us, please try to include the information below, if you have it. The more information you can give, the better Micro Focus SupportLine can help you. But if you don't know all the answers, or you think some are irrelevant to your problem, please give whatever information you have.

•	The name and version number of all products that you think might be causing a problem.

•	Your computer make and model.

•	Your operating system version number and details of any networking software you are using.

•	The amount of memory in your computer.

•	The relevant page reference or section in the documentation.

•	Your serial number. To find out these numbers, look in the subject line and body of your Electronic Product Delivery Notice email that you received from Micro Focus.

Contact information

Our Web site gives up-to-date details of contact numbers and addresses.

Additional technical information or advice is available from several sources.

The product support pages contain considerable additional information, including the WebSync service, where you can download fixes and documentation updates. To connect, enter https://www.microfocus.com in your browser to go to the Micro Focus home page.

If you are a Micro Focus SupportLine customer, please see your SupportLine Handbook for contact information. You can download it from our Web site or order it in printed form from your sales representative. Support from Micro Focus may be available only to customers who have maintenance agreements.

You may want to check these URLs in particular:

•	https://www.microfocus.com/product-trials/corba/index.aspx?productname=VisiBroker (VisiBroker trial software)

•	http://supportline.microfocus.com/xmlloader.asp?type=home&redirectpage=temporary.asp?aspneturl=/websync/productupdatessearch.aspx (updated VisiBroker files and other software)

•	https://supportline.microfocus.com/productdoc.aspx. (documentation updates and PDFs)

To subscribe to Micro Focus electronic newsletters, use the online form at:

https://www.microfocus.com/Resources/Newsletters/infocus/newsletter-subscription.asp