1.3.6 Registration

Registration is the process of making components known to a COMA server so that they will be represented in the catalog and can be configured. For example, registration might be part of an application-specific process for installing components on a machine. A server typically supports one or more implementation-specific registration mechanisms, which are invoked in response to local events and can also be exposed by the server through COMA.

A module is a file that a server uses to register one or more components. Once the components are registered, the module is used to instantiate the components. A module might contain component implementations or metadata that a server can use to find the implementations. It is important to note that modules are implementation-specific; in other words, a module that is supported by one COMA server will not necessarily be supported by other COMA servers.