from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
Object Request Broker
ORB
<programming> (ORB) Part of the {OMG} {CORBA} specification,
an ORB's basic function is to pass {method} invocation
requests to the correct {objects} and return the results to
the caller.
To achieve this the ORB must be able must be able to identify
and locate objects, handle connections from invoker and the
data returned from methods. Communication between the ORB and
applications are achieved through {IDL} stubs and skeletons
whilst the OMG has specified {IIOP} as the protocol through
which ORBs may communicate with each other. Using IIOP, an
ORB may request method invocations from a remote object.
(2003-11-21)