Previous: Distribution models and middleware standards, Up: Introduction to PolyORB

### 1.3 The PolyORB generic middleware

Typical middleware implementations for one platform support only one set of such interfaces, predefined configuration capabilities and cannot interoperate with other platforms. In addition to traditional middleware implementations, PolyORB provides an original architecture to enable support for multiple interoperating distribution models in a uniform canvas.

PolyORB is a polymorphic, reusable infrastructure for building or prototyping new middleware adapted to specific application needs. It provides a set of components on top of which various instances can be elaborated. These instances (or personalities) are views on PolyORB facilities that are compliant to existing standards, either at the API level (application personality) or at the protocol level (protocol personality). These personalities are mutually exclusive views of the same architecture.

The decoupling of application and protocol personalities, and the support for multiple simultaneous personalities within the same running middleware, are key features required for the construction of interoperable distributed applications. This allows PolyORB to communicate with middleware that implements different distribution standards: PolyORB provides middleware-to-middleware interoperability (M2M).

PolyORB's modularity allows for easy extension and replacement of its core and personality components, in order to meet specific requirements. In this way, standard or application-specific personalities can be created in a streamlined process, from early stage prototyping to full-featured implementation. The PolyORB architecture also allows the automatic, just-in-time creation of proxies between incompatible environments.

You may find additional technical literature on PolyORB, including research papers and implementation notes, on the project websites: http://libre.adacore.com/libre/tools/polyorb/ and http://polyorb.objectweb.org/.

Note: PolyORB is the project formerly known as DROOPI, a Distributed Reusable Object-Oriented Polymorphic Infrastructure