Algon: From Interchangeable Distributed Algorithms to Interchangeable Middleware

In this paper we describe the structure of Algon in detail, with a distributed deadlock detection algorithm as the case study. We then extend the notion of separation of concerns by creating an addition layer in Algon, underneath which the middleware that runs on each node can be interchanged, for example from Java-RMI to CORBA. Challenges in the re-tooling of the system, related to multiple inheritance, exceptions and the automatic generation of stubs and skeletons in our implementation language, Java, were overcome in novel ways. Algon has the potential to be a framework with a long life, as it can adapt to new middleware, such as .NET.