Connections Using the JaguarORB Object

To create a CORBA-compatible client, you can use the JaguarORB object instead of the Connection object to establish the connection to the server.

The JaguarORB object allows you to access EAServer from PowerBuilder clients in the same way as C++ clients.

Two techniques

The JaguarORB object supports two techniques for accessing component interfaces, using its String_To_Object and Resolve_Initial_References functions.

Using the String_To_Object function works in the same way that the ConnectToServer and CreateInstance functions on the Connection object do internally. The String_To_Object function allows you to instantiate a proxy instance by passing a string argument that describes how to connect to the server that hosts the component. The disadvantage of this approach is that you lose the benefits of server address abstraction that are provided by using the naming service API explicitly.

To use the EAServer naming service API, you can call the Resolve_Initial_References function to obtain the initial naming context. However, this technique is not recommended because it requires use of a deprecated SessionManager::Factory create method.

Most PowerBuilder clients do not need to use the CORBA naming service explicitly. Instead, they can rely on the name resolution that is performed automatically when they create EAServer component instances using the CreateInstance and Lookup functions of the Connection object.

See Application Techniques > Building an EAServer Client.

.NET client differences

There are some differences you should be aware of when you use a JaguarORB object with a .NET client. The Init function has slightly different behavior in .NET client applications:

  • You do not need to call the Init function to use the JaguarORB object from a .NET client. If you do not call Init, the EAServer ORB driver uses the default property values.

  • .NET clients support these standard options only:

    • ORBHttp

    • ORBWebProxyHost

    • ORBWebProxyPort

    • ORBHttpExtraHeader

  • The following options support mutual authentication in SSL connections from a .NET client. They are case sensitive and are not available for standard PowerBuilder (Win 32) clients:

    • ORBclientCertificateFile

    • ORBclientCertificatePassword

    See SSL Connection Support.

All other properties, functions, and events are supported and work in the same way as in standard PowerBuilder client applications.

Parent topic: Connections to EAServer Components