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Network Protocols Glossary

What is a network protocol? Protocols are the rules of the road for how data exists and moves on the network. They allow many different systems and computers to communicate.

Internet Inter-ORB Protocol

What is Internet Inter-ORB Protocol?

Internet Inter-ORB Protocol, is a network protocol used for communication between distributed objects. It facilitates interactions between software components located on different machines, allowing them to request and provide services from each other. IIOP enables objects written in different programming languages (e.g., Java, C++, C#) and running on various operating systems to communicate without requiring language-specific adapters.


What is the purpose of IIOP

IIOP operates over TCP/IP and follows a client-server model. When an object needs to invoke a method on another object, it sends a request to the ORB (Object Request Broker). The ORB locates the target object, marshals the request, and transmits it over IIOP to the target object's ORB. The target ORB unmarshals the request and invokes the method on the target object. The result is then sent back to the client through the same mechanism.