Binding and service sessions

When one thing attaches to another it is called binding.

For a netlet to run it must be bound to a node. More precisely, the node must execute it by binding the netlet to it; the netlet is a useless lump of data until the netlet binds it. See the vertical arrows in Figure .

For one netlet to use a service provided by another it must bind to the service. The relationship created by the binding is called a service session. Note that when one netlet uses another they must both be on the same node. See the horizontal ``binds'' link in Figure . If a netlet downloads to provide services then it is also called an access point netlet. An access point netlet may act as a gateway to facilities beyond the node, or it may provide some or all those facilities itself.

So the summary so far: A node is a runtime Jtrix environment which can span several machines. Netlets are programs or program fragments which bind to each others' services. They must exist on the same node in order to bind.