TIBCO iProcess Workspace and TIBCO iProcess Engine Network Communication
This section provides a brief overview of how the TIBCO iProcess Workspace and TIBCO iProcess Engine communicate with each other via the network.
The TIBCO iProcess Workspace makes Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) to the server using ports. This means the TIBCO iProcess Workspace makes calls to the TIBCO iProcess Engine to find out information such as what work queues and work items it needs to display. It also means that procedures can be started from one computer but actually be running on another computer on the network. There are a number of reasons why this might happen:
| • | The local computer is not able to provide the functionality required. |
| • | The requested service is shared amongst many clients but centralized arbitration, synchronization and communication is required. |
| • | To use the superior performance of a remote computer. |
| • | To balance the processing load across the network. |
Any program that offers functions that can be remotely accessed via RPC must have a unique RPC number. The RPC number for a service is either pre-defined (fixed) or allocated dynamically.
All RPC numbers need to be bound to network ports before remote clients can communicate with the RPC servers. This is because the port is the fundamental method of communication between computers.
The allocation of ports, similar to the allocation of RPC numbers, can be fixed or dynamic and is determined by the program providing the RPC service and the operating system. Therefore, it is important to know the distinction between RPC ports and numbers.