PEPt - A Minimal RPC Architecture

We present a high-level RPC architecture. Although RPC systems seem quite varied they actually share the same fundamental building blocks. We examine the operation of several technologies (e.g., SOAP/HTTP, RMIIIOP) to show what they have in common, namely four main blocks that we call PEPt: Presentation, Encoding, Protocol and transport. Presentation encompasses the data types and APIs available to a programmer. Encoding describes the representation of those data types on the wire. Protocol frames the encoded data to denote the intent of the message. Transport moves the encoding + protocol from one location to another. The PEPt architecture allows one to understand, use and implement RPC-systems by providing a simple but comprehensive framework in which to place finer-grained details. It may also serve as the basis for RPC infrastructure reuse between seemingly disparate systems. The PEPt architecture enables an RPC system to adaptively change encodings, protocols and transports.