// This may look like C, but it's really -*- C++ -*-

//=============================================================================
/**
 *  @file   Endpoint.h
 *
 *  $Id$
 *
 * Endpoint interface, part of TAO pluggable protocol framework.
 *
 *
 *  @author Marina Spivak <marina@cs.wustl.edu>
 */
//=============================================================================


#ifndef TAO_ENDPOINT_H
#define TAO_ENDPOINT_H
#include "ace/pre.h"

#include "tao/corbafwd.h"

#if !defined (ACE_LACKS_PRAGMA_ONCE)
# pragma once
#endif /* ACE_LACKS_PRAGMA_ONCE */

/**
 * @class TAO_Endpoint
 *
 * @brief Defines the Endpoint interface in the Pluggable Protocol
 * framework.
 *
 * Lightweight encapsulation of addressing information for a
 * single acceptor endpoint.  In other words, Endpoint represents
 * a single point of contact for the server, and is the smallest
 * unit of addressing information necessary for a client to connect
 * to a server.
 * A Profile contains one or more Endpoints, i.e., knows of
 * one or more ways to contact server(s).
 */
class TAO_Export TAO_Endpoint
{
public:
  /// Constructor.
  TAO_Endpoint (CORBA::ULong tag,
                CORBA::Short priority = -1);

  /// Destructor.
  virtual ~TAO_Endpoint (void);

  /// IOP protocol tag accessor.
  CORBA::ULong tag (void) const;

  /// <priority_> attribute setter.
  void priority (CORBA::Short priority);

  /// <priority_> attribute getter.
  CORBA::Short priority (void) const;

  // = Abstract methods to be implemented by concrete subclasses.

  /// Return true if this endpoint is equivalent to <other_endpoint>.  Two
  /// endpoints are equivalent iff their port and host are the same.
  virtual CORBA::Boolean is_equivalent (const TAO_Endpoint *other_endpoint) = 0;

  /// Endpoints can be stringed in a list.  Return the next endpoint in
  /// the list, if any.
  virtual TAO_Endpoint *next (void) = 0;

  /**
   * Return a string representation for the address.  Returns
   * -1 if buffer is too small.  The purpose of this method is to
   * provide a general interface to the underlying address object's
   * addr_to_string method.  This allows the protocol implementor to
   * select the appropriate string format.
   */
  virtual int addr_to_string (char *buffer, size_t length) = 0;

  /// This method is used when a connection has been reset, requiring
  /// the hint to be cleaned up and reset to NULL.
  virtual void reset_hint (void) = 0;

  /// This method returns a copy of the corresponding endpoints by
  /// allocation memory
  virtual TAO_Endpoint *duplicate (void) = 0;

  /// Return a hash value for this object.
  virtual CORBA::ULong hash (void) = 0;
private:

  // Endpoints should not be copied.
  ACE_UNIMPLEMENTED_FUNC (TAO_Endpoint (const TAO_Endpoint&))
  ACE_UNIMPLEMENTED_FUNC (void operator= (const TAO_Endpoint&))

  /// IOP tag, identifying the protocol for which this endpoint
  /// contains addressing info.
  CORBA::ULong tag_;

  /**
   * CORBA priority of the acceptor this Endpoint is representing.
   * This is part of TAO 'prioritized endpoints' architecture, and is
   * currently used for RTCORBA only.
   */
  CORBA::Short priority_;
};

#if defined (__ACE_INLINE__)
# include "tao/Endpoint.i"
#endif /* __ACE_INLINE__ */

#include "ace/post.h"
#endif  /* TAO_PROFILE_H */