A semi-formal comparison between the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (COBRA) and the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM)

The way in which application systems and software are built has changed dramatically over the past few years. This is mainly due to advances in hardware technology, programming languages, as well as the requirement to build better software application systems in less time. The importance of mondial (worldwide) communication between systems is also growing exponentially. People are using network-based applications daily, communicating not only locally, but also globally. The Internet, the global network, therefore plays a significant role in the development of new software. Distributed object computing is one of the computing paradigms that promise to solve the need to develop clienVserver application systems, communicating over heterogeneous environments. This study, of limited scope, concentrates on one crucial element without which distributed object computing cannot be implemented. This element is the communication software, also called middleware, which allows objects situated on different hardware platforms to communicate over a network. Two of the most important middleware standards for distributed object computing today are the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) from the Object Management Group, and the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) from Microsoft Corporation. Each of these standards is implemented in commercially available products, allowing distributed objects to communicate over heterogeneous networks. In studying each of the middleware standards, a formal way of comparing CORBA and DCOM is presented, namely meta-modelling. For each of these two distributed object infrastructures (middleware), meta-models are constructed. Based on this uniform and unbiased approach, a comparison of the two distributed object infrastructures is then performed. The results are given as a set of tables in which the differences and similarities of each distributed object infrastructure are exhibited. By adopting this approach, errors caused by misunderstanding or misinterpretation are minimised. Consequently, an accurate and unbiased comparison between CORBA and DCOM is made possible, which constitutes the main aim of this dissertation.ComputingM. Sc. (Computer Science

Business strategy driven IT systems for engineer-to-order and make-to-order manufacturing enterprises

This thesis reports research into the specification and implementation of an Information Technology (IT) Route Map. The purpose of the Route Map is to enable rapid design and deployment of IT solutions capable of semi-automating business processes in a manufacturing enterprise. The Map helps structure transition processes involved in “identification of key business strategies and design of business processes” and “choice of enterprise systems and supporting implementation techniques”. Common limitations of current Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are observed and incorporated as Route Map implications and constraints. Scope of investigation is targeted at Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) that employ Engineer-To-Order (ETO) and Make-To-Order (MTO) business processes. However, a feature of the Route Map is that it takes into account contemporary business concerns related to “globalisation”, “mergers and acquisitions” and “typical resource constraint problems of SMEs”. In the course of the research a “Business Strategy Driven IT System Concept” was conceived and examined. The main purpose of this concept is to promote the development of agile and innovative business activity in SMEs. The Road Map encourages strategy driven solutions to be (a) specified based on the use of emerging enterprise engineering theories and (b) implemented and changed using componentbased systems design and composition techniques. Part-evaluation of the applicability and capabilities of the Road Map has been carried out by conducting industrial survey and case study work. This assesses requirements of real industrial problems and solutions. The evaluation work has also been enabled by conducting a pilot implementation of the thesis concepts at the premises of a partner SME

Metamorphosis: um referencial para o comércio electrónico

A afirmação gradual da sociedade da informação é um processo irreversível. As motivações, de ordem social e tecnológica, que estiveram na génese da sociedade da informação alastram-se, agora, a outros paradigmas. Os domínios organizacionais e sociais são, também eles, um alvo privilegiado da sociedade da informação, cujas consequências se traduzem no reconhecimento de uma nova forma comercial, denominada Comércio Electrónico. O Comércio Electrónico reclama uma revisão profunda das teorias, modelos, conceitos e atitudes comerciais. A revisão da actividade comercial, à luz das novas possibilidades e oportunidades da tecnologia carece de um referencial inovador, que não atenda exclusivamente aos aspectos de ordem tecnológica, mas que possibilite uma visão integrada deste mesmo paradigma com os aspectos de carácter social, organizacional e comercial. A ausência de ferramentas “Conceptuais” de suporte à concretização da actividade de comércio electrónico motivou a concepção de um referencial, denominado Metamorphosis. No âmbito do referencial deve destacar-se, de entre outros contributos, a proposta de uma arquitectura e respectivos modelos de ordem orgânica, funcional e tecnológica, a partir dos quais foi possível proceder à elaboração de um protótipo de comércio electrónico. A realização de um caso de estudo “RuralNet”, desenvolvido e testado no ambiente real de negócio, permitiu que se analisassem e avaliassem, em contexto, as possibilidades e potencialidades tecnológicas, constituindo, assim, uma mais valia, tendo em vista o enriquecimento do conhecimento científico nos domínios dos sistemas de informação e a validação das construções propostas no âmbito do referencial Metamorphosis. The gradual affirmation of the information society is an irreversible process. The social and technological motivations which were in the genesis of the information society are now extended to other paradigms. The social and organizational domains are themselves a main target of the information society, whose consequences originate the recognition of a new commercial way, known as Electronic Commerce. The Electronic Commerce claims for itself a deep revision of the theories, models, concepts and commercial attitudes. As far as new technological possibilities and opportunities are concerned, the revision of commercial activity needs an innovator reference , which not only deals with technological aspects but also with an integrated vision of this own paradigm with social, organizational and commercial aspects. The absence of the needed “conceptual” tools to the realization of the Electronic Commerce activity has caused the conception of a referential, named Metamorphosis. As far as the referential is concerned, we must emphasize, among other contributes, the proposal of an architecture and respective models of organic, functional, and technologic order, which were in the basis of the elaboration of an Electronic Commerce prototype. The realization of a case study ”RuralNet”, developed and tested in a real management environment allowed the analysis and evaluation, in context, of the possibilities of the technological potentialities reinforcing the scientific knowledge in the information systems domains and the validation of the proposed constructions as far as Metamorphosis is concerned