CORBA: E-Commerce and Distributed Computing

Welcome! 

This site is intended to give an executive overview of middleware and the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), as well as its impact on distributed (or client/server) computing and E-Commerce.  By definition, E-Commerce involves distributed computing.  We can look at just part of a purchasing transaction to illustrate just how distributed E-Commerce really is. 

Many buyers of products and services across the globe institute purchasing transactions with an ever-growing number of suppliers.  Because a purchase request made on the buyer's computer system results in a purchase order on the suppliers computer system, we call this a distributed transaction.  To complicate things further, the computer systems involved in these transactions very likely have different hardware foundations and operating systems.  Indeed, these systems are quite heterogeneous.

Middleware, such as CORBA, was initially designed to be the glue that binds the IT infrastructure of the functional silos that have evolved in the corporate enterprise. With the growth of e-commerce, middleware standards can also be extended in order to open the boundaries between intracompany and intercompany systems.

Imagine a technology that enables scalable distributed computing in the world of heterogeneous computer systems in which we live.  Imagine CORBA.

Middleware can be broken down into four main categories: object-based, message-based, transaction processing-based, and implementations of OSF's Distributed Computing Envrionment. CORBA, an object-based middleware standard, is just one a several options in the overall middleware space. For the purpose of this overview, we will focus on CORBA, while as touching on another object-based implementation, Microsoft's Component Object Model. Of course, the choices available may make the task of choosing a middleware standard for your firm difficult. A general manager will need to consider the nature of their firm and industry, the need to electronically integrate with suppliers and buyers, IT skills and resources, as well as other factors when making such a decision.

The movement of distributed computed beyond the enterprise with Sun's Java and Microsoft component technologies aligns well with object-based middleware solutions. However, political implications certainly exist in choosing between CORBA and COM. To that point, both Java and Microsoft have been brought to the attention of the US Department of Justice, and a general manager need be aware of the up-to-date standings and implications of these investigations. Many may argue, however, that the issue is not COM versus CORBA. Most all vendors support both standards. Additionally, gateways used to connect COM, CORBA, and other middleware implementations are available, making the question of which standard to implement less of an issue.

The remainder of this summary provides more detailed information on CORBA.

This page was last updated on 11/01/98.