Component Active Service INterOperable (CASINO) Framework

Distributed computing systems have matured from simple client/server applicationstowards large complex systems. While computing processing and network bandwidthcapabilities have dramatically improved in recent years, the design andimplementation of complex systems remains difficult and expensive. Componentsoftware has emerged to address this issue. Several competing component technologieshave been touted in the industry, including DCOM, CORBA, and JavaBeans. There arestill many obstacles that must be overcome before the vision of a truly integratedcomponent framework is realized. An interoperable framework that transcends thesecompeting component standards is needed. Defense initiatives such as the JointBattlespace Infosphere (JBI), have fundamental requirements of interoperabilitybetween diverse component systems.Trident proposes the application of XML-based ontologies, software agent and activenetwork technologies to the problem space of interoperable component frameworks. Anactive network service, implemented using software agents that parse XML, will beinjected into the component communication path. We plan to design a Component ActiveService INterOperable (CASINO) Framework, compliant to the DII-COE. The CASINOframework provides a flexible, distributed infrastructure that enablesinteroperability between multiple component technologies, including DCOM, CORBA, andJava. To illustrate the feasibility of the CASINO framework, sample components willbe developed and demonstrated.This work will generate the design of a DII-COE compliant framework, which enablesinteroperability between multiple component technologies. Products developed underthe CASINO framework can provide for seamless, theater-wide interoperation among thevarious applications that planners and operators utilize. This capability will reducethe time and cost required to evaluate intelligence data and enable COTS technologyto leveraged for data fusion applications.