Setting up an IOM Bridge Server and Spawner

An IOM Bridge server configuration enables client access using the IOM Bridge for COM or IOM Bridge for Java.

The IOM Bridge for COM is a software component of Integration Technologies that is used (transparently) to enable native COM/DCOM applications to access server data on either Windows platforms or on non-Windows platforms such as a UNIX or z/OS. The IOM Bridge for Java is used (transparently) when a Java client accesses an IOM Server. This bridge allows developers to write Java applications that access server data.

For more information about the IOM Bridge for COM and the IOM Bridge for Java, refer to Connecting Clients to IOM Servers in the SAS Integration Technologies Technical Overview.

When to Use an IOM Bridge Server Configuration

You must use an IOM Bridge server configuration if:

• The object server will run on a non-Windows machine (for example, a UNIX-based machine); or if

• The object server will be accessed by Java client applications

You can also use an IOM Bridge server configuration if the object server will run on a Windows machine and will be accessed by Windows clients. In this situation, clients will connect to the server using the IOM Bridge instead of COM/DCOM.

Components of an IOM Bridge server configuration

An IOM Bridge Server configuration consists of:

• A server machine which hosts Version 9 of the SAS base software and the SAS Integration Technologies software. The spawner program, which is part of Integration Technologies, must be running on the server machine in order for clients to obtain access.

• A client application, which can run on the same machine as the server or on a remote machine. To connect to the object server via TCP/IP, client applications must use the IOM Bridge for COM or IOM Bridge for Java utilities provided with Integration Technologies. To request specific services from the object server, client applications use Application Program Interfaces (APIs), also known as distributed objects, that are provided with Integration Technologies.

• An LDAP server, which is a central repository that client and server software can access to obtain metadata (or configuration information) about the object server. For IOM Bridge server configurations, the metadata includes definitions for server objects and spawner objects. Optionally, the metadata can also include definitions for login objects and logical name objects (which define groupings of servers, spawners, and other associated objects.)

  Note: If your configuration is very simple (that is, consisting of only one or two servers and clients) and does not require strict security, you can use configuration files instead of an LDAP server to store the metadata for servers and spawners.

  Note: You can also supply the server parameters for the configuration directly in the application program.

How an IOM Bridge Server Works

In order for an IOM Bridge server to be available to clients, the spawner program must be running on the server machine. When a client application needs to access the object server, it uses Integration Technologies distributed objects to submit a request to the object spawner for a SAS workspace. To obtain information about the server (and for metadata, the spawner), the application either

• accesses metadata from the LDAP server.
• accesses metadata from the configuration file.
• imbeds the server information in the application program.

On receiving the request, the object spawner authenticates the user and launches an object server. The client then uses server configuration information from the LDAP server or configuration file to requests a workspace on the server.

After acquiring a workspace, the client application uses Integration Technologies distributed objects to issue one or more requests for SAS language services, data services, file services, or utilities. The SAS software processes these requests in the workspace and returns information to the client.

When the client application is finished using the server, it issues a request to close the workspace.