Aspectizing server-side distribution

Abstract

We discuss how a collection of domain-specific and domain-independent tools can be combined to "aspectize" the distributed character of server-side applications, to a much greater extent than with prior efforts. Specifically, we present a framework that can be used with a large class of unaware applications to turn their objects into distributed objects with minimal programming effort. Our framework is developed on top of three main components: AspectJ (a high-level aspect language), XDoclet (a low-level aspect language), and NRMI (a middleware facility that makes remote calls behave more like local calls). We discuss why each of the three components offers unique advantages and is necessary for an elegant solution, why our approach is general, and how it constitutes a significant improvement over past efforts to isolate distribution concerns.