Re: Local SOAP Invocation??

Use of SOAP-XML for "native interface" purpose seems overkill to me.
The architecture just does not look right to me, my opinion.

However, there is some appeal to using SOAP/XML as messaging over
Inter Process Communication (IPC). I beleive one can start from WSDL
or XML schema and generate the mapping to OS specific IPC calls in C/C++.
The code generation could be done by XSLT scripting. The value add by
using SOAP/XML on IPC is as follows:

1. XML is semi-structured data and benefits of semi-structured data
   are well known. Many exciting computational conveniences crop up
   by agreeing to do the contract modeling in XML as opposed to say
   in 'IDL'.

2. XSLT driven code generation from XML schema description of messages.

Many a times XML messaging does not necessarily imply that one has to
use SOAP. Even if you use SOAP, custom transport mapping may not be
available. SOAP is just one possible standard of XML messaging. I
beleive you have to implement something on your own and you do NOT
have to implement the whole SOAP standard. Just do as much is necessary.

Soumen Sarkar.

-----Original Message-----
From: A Roszko [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, October 21, 2002 2:22 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [SOAP] Local SOAP Invocation??


I am indeed attempting to devise an XML based mechanism for
intra-machine interlanguage communication - an essentially lightweight,
local version of CORBA.  For example, I would like to call a C++ function
from a java component.  From what I have seen, SOAP has some
(somewhat limited) mechanisms in place (e.g type mapping) for
interlanguage communication; however I'm not sure how extensive they are.

Realistically speaking, I can only foresee that SOAP/HTTP would
enable the execution of a binary (e.g. the equivalent of running a C++
executable); it does not permit the invocation of actual methods.  If this
is indeed the case, then it is clearly of no use to me.  I was hoping to
get clarification on this issue?!?!

If the runtime functionality is indeed present SOAP for actual method
invocation, then it is a matter of optimizing the it for intra-machine
use; looping back to the same machine with HTTP would clearly be too much
overhead.  Are there SOAP implementations other than for HTTP that may be
of use?

Thanks again!!!!

Andrew





On Mon, 21 Oct 2002, Soumen Sarkar wrote:

> I have something to say regarding "inter-language" communication
> mechanism. Let us go over some basic concepts:
>
> 1. Computer languages give us ways to manipulate underlying
>    "run time" based on language semantics
>
> 2. Communication is needed between "run time"
>
> So a "inter-language" communication facility has to first
> standradize on "run-time interactions" and then provide
> language bindings in various computer languages. CORBA did
> exactly that with "run time interaction" model in IDL (and
> some runtime entities) and providing language bindings from
> IDL. Similarly Java Native Interface has clear semantics and
> syntax for Java to C/C++ communications.
>
> So could you please elaborate more on what exactly you are
> trying to achieve? SOPA/XML is, I beleive, only a small part
> of this big picture.
>
> Soumen Sarkar.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrew Roszko [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Monday, October 21, 2002 10:55 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [SOAP] Local SOAP Invocation??
>
>
> I am attempting to come up with a local, XML based invocation method so
> that software components written in different languages can communicate
> (e.g a java component calling a C++ component).  As far as I understand,
> SOAP has been designed and implemented to use an HTTP binding; I could
> therefore presumably bind my components to different ports and essentially
> loopback to my own machine.  However, this is clealy not an optimal
> solution.  An alternative could be to bind SOAP to the interprocess
> communication mechanism of the underlying operating system.  Has anyone
> heard of anything along these lines?  Is it feasible?
>
> My overall goal is to develop a generic inter-language communication
> mechanism.  Can I perhaps have some thoughts if this is a good way to go??
>
> Thanks a million!!
>
> Andrew
>
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