TY - GEN
T1 - Simplifying Component Interaction with Actors and Databases
AU - Ke, Wei
AU - Hoi, Lap Man
AU - Siu, Ka Meng
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 IEEE.
PY - 2018/7/2
Y1 - 2018/7/2
N2 - Component-based software systems are of the majority nowadays. When it comes down to implementation, the interaction between components is just as important as the functionality itself. When invoking a function of a component, how to pass data arguments, how to receive return results, and when to expect a return are all the questions to ask. There are so many ways in which these can be done, that it introduces the complexity in the usability of a component. We present in this article an architecture for integrating heterogeneous components across different language and binary platforms, different processes and even different machines, based on a simple message passing mechanism - the actor model, and the sharing of common and global data structures only through databases. We show the simplicity and flexibility of this architecture by re-structuring a slot machine framework, which consists of components to drive modern and legacy hardware, follows a static workflow, and changes the visual appearance quite often. We argue that this architecture with restricted implementation choices can be used in a much broader range of software systems, helping produce software components that are more independent and easy to adopt.
AB - Component-based software systems are of the majority nowadays. When it comes down to implementation, the interaction between components is just as important as the functionality itself. When invoking a function of a component, how to pass data arguments, how to receive return results, and when to expect a return are all the questions to ask. There are so many ways in which these can be done, that it introduces the complexity in the usability of a component. We present in this article an architecture for integrating heterogeneous components across different language and binary platforms, different processes and even different machines, based on a simple message passing mechanism - the actor model, and the sharing of common and global data structures only through databases. We show the simplicity and flexibility of this architecture by re-structuring a slot machine framework, which consists of components to drive modern and legacy hardware, follows a static workflow, and changes the visual appearance quite often. We argue that this architecture with restricted implementation choices can be used in a much broader range of software systems, helping produce software components that are more independent and easy to adopt.
KW - actor model
KW - component architecture
KW - distributed system
KW - legacy system integration
KW - slot machine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063158422&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/UV.2018.8642132
DO - 10.1109/UV.2018.8642132
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85063158422
T3 - 4th IEEE International Conference on Universal Village 2018, UV 2018
BT - 4th IEEE International Conference on Universal Village 2018, UV 2018
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
T2 - 4th IEEE International Conference on Universal Village, UV 2018
Y2 - 21 October 2018 through 24 October 2018
ER -