Handling Heterogeneity in Connector Generation

A software connector is an abstraction capturing interactions among components. Apart from middleware independence, connectors provide additional services (e.g. adaptation, synchronization, etc.). They play a major role in heterogeneous deployment (i.e. building applications from components implemented in different component models) where they are invaluable for solving distribution and overcoming incompatibilities stemming from coexistence of different component models and middleware. However, to make the use of connectors in heterogeneous deployment possible, it is imperative to have means of generating them automatically. In this paper, we show how to create an extensible connector generator with features needed for heterogeneous deployment. The work is based on our experience with designing and implementing such an extensible connector generator for SOFA, Fractal and EJB component models.