Adaptors for protocol conversion

The use of adaptors for protocol conversion in heterogeneous data networks with layered architectures is proposed. An adaptor is a form of protocol converter enabling a peer component of one protocol to simulate a peer of a different protocol. Adaptors have several advantages over other conversion architectures, especially gateway-type converters: they avoid bottlenecks at network boundaries, and a message is translated twice at most on its way from one peer to the other; adaptors are well-suited for conversion among multiple protocols; and the definition of an adaptor as the quotient of known components is simpler than for other converters, making it simpler to compute an adaptor algorithmically or to verify one derived heuristically. The approach is illustrated with an example involving three different connection-management protocols.<
>