Coordination Approaches for CIM
Moira C. Norrie, Martin Wunderli, Robert Montau, Uwe Leonhardt, Werner Schaad, Hans‐Jörg Schek · 1995
We propose a general architecture for Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) based on the coordination, rather than integration, of component systems. The coordination process is achieved through inter-system dependencies controlled by a central, global coordinator. Coordination, like integration, may be either data- or application-oriented. In the case of data-oriented coordination, multidatabase technologies may be exploited to maintain global data consistency. For application-oriented coordination, the global coordinator uses operational dependencies as a basis for the invocation of methods in remote systems. We examine each of these orientations in detail and then provide a comparison of approaches. Specifically, we describe two prototype systems developed in the context of the CIM/Z project.