README (ants)
Contents
This directory contains the node runtime and key abstract classes
that are extended to use the network. Node extensions and
applications should not reside in this package. Classes of particular
note are:
- Node, the active node runtime, which
evaluates capsules.
- NodeCache, the node cache of protocol
specific state that is eventually flushed if not refreshed.
- NodeSecurityManager, the
security manager that is used to check that capsule code does not
invoke sensitive node methods.
- Channel, the base class for channels
used to connect nodes, which encodes and decodes capsules as it sends
and receives them.
- UDPChannel, the channel that connects
nodes via UDP tunnels.
- ConfigurationManager, the
manager for starting local node configurations from a configuration
file.
- Capsule, the base class for user
developed capsules.
- Protocol, the base class for user
developed protocols.
- Application, the base class for
user developed applications.
- Extension, the base class for user
developed node extensions.
- TypeID, the fingerprint identifying
capsule and protocol types.
- Method, the data structure that collects
a type of capsule with its code, identifiers, and other sundry
information.
- CodeGroup, the data structure that
collects the method objects and other sundry information for all of
the type of capsules in a code group.
- CodeCache, the cache of demand loaded
code, containing method and codegroup objects.
- DLBootstrapCapsule, DLRequestCapsule, DLResponseCapsule, the demand loading protocol.
- DLClassLoader, the loader that
restricts the classes to which capsule code can link.
- DataCapsule, DataProtocol, the capsule and protocol
providing standard routing and data delivery.
- Xdr, the base class providing external data
representation routines for use by capsules.