A general model and mechanisms for model-level heterogeneous RPC interoperability

Heterogeneous RPC systems may interoperate in a number of different ways. Interoperability at the level of communications, system, data-representation and so forth is RPC-environment-level. The paper addresses a different, namely, RPC-model-level, form of interoperability. An RPC model describes RPC-related actions, such as exporting or importing an entry, independently of the details of the RPC environment. The paper defines general RPC model that can be used to describe most if not all known RPC systems. Two different systems, Concert and Apollo NCS, are described using the general model, and an example of model-level interoperability is presented. To implement model-level RPC interoperability, new mechanisms are introduced referred to as model-level stubs. Generated automatically, these transparent stubs act as local surrogates of remote RPC peers, and extend conventional stub functionality to include model-level actions.< >