Providers allow communication between UCS and specific object models. They get the request from UCS Core and convert it to a request type that can be understood by the respective native components. They also convert the generic data types to specific data types based on their native component system.
The providers on NetWare are
UCS2UCX - to access UCX components
UCS2Java - to access Java classes and Java beans.
UCS2Rmt and UCS2Win - to access remote ActiveX controls that are present on the Windows machine.
UCX components are native components of NSN and are available in the form of NLMs. UCS2UCX provider creates an instance of a specific UCX component. It utilizes the UCX API exposed by the UCX Manager to instantiate an object, call a method, fetch a property and translate data types.
UCS forwards the request from a script to the provider to instantiate a Java object. UCS2Java creates an instance of the Java class or Bean available in the CLASSPATH.
UCS2Java makes use of the JNI (Java Native Interface) mechanism to route calls from language extensions to Java. UCS2Java is designed to handle both Java classes and Java Beans.
For accessing Java classes or Beans from scripting languages, you must have the Bean (JAR) files in the SYS:\JAVA\BEANS directory and also setup the path for UCS.JAR and the Beans in the CLASSPATH variable. The latter is also required for accessing UCS from Java. You could use a NetWare batch file, like the supplied UCS.NCF, to set the CLASSPATH variable.
UCS2Rmt and UCS2Win, form the Remote ActiveX Provider, which facilitates access of ActiveX controls, by allowing communication between NetWare and Windows NT/95 machines using standard protocols.
This provider works as a Master/slave model. The NetWare machine which sends the request acts as the master and the Windows machine hosting the controls is the slave.
The request from the scripts residing in the master is sent to the slave by UCS2Rmt. A Windows executable UCS2Win processes the request received from the server. The data transfer between the master and the slave is done through SOAP 1.1 (Simple Object Access Protocol). UCS2Win decodes the request and activates the specified ActiveX control and sends back the response to UCS2Rmt.
The HTTP Listener (UCS2WIN.EXE) is installed in the SYS:\PUBLIC\WIN32 directory. You need to run it on a Windows (95/NT) machine. When a script on the server side uses the Remote ActiveX Provider (UCS2RMT.NLM), it communicates with the HTTP Listener to access ActiveX Controls residing on the Windows machine. By default, the HTTP Listener runs on port 80. If you are running it on a different port, specify that port number in the script.
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