Netlet descriptor

XML that tells a node enough for it to bind a netlet.

Among other things it must tell the node where to get the code from, so it will contain either URLs for the netlet code, or the code itself, or a combination. See Figure .

This code, or its URL, allows the node to load the netlet. In binding it, the netlet's initialisation method will be called, but this may require some parameters. So a descriptor also contains a parameter object which it passes to the initialisation method.

Thus a descriptor contains code (or a URL for the code) plus an initialisation parameter, and this is enough to load and bind and a netlet.

The contents of a descriptor is signed to prevent tampering.

See also: signed argument, unsigned argument.

Figure: A netlet descriptor contains enough information to load and run a netlet. That includes the codebase (or references to it) and an initialisation object among other things.