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Interoperability between domains is only possible if there is a well-defined mapping between the behaviors of the domains
being joined. Conceptually, a mapping mechanism or bridge resides at the boundary between the domains, transforming requests
expressed in terms of one domain’s model into the model of the destination domain. Note that the use of the term “bridge?
in this context is conceptual and refers only to the functionality which performs the required mappings between distinct domains.
There are several implementation options for such bridges and these are discussed elsewhere.
For full interoperability, it is essential that all the concepts used in one domain are transformable into concepts in other
domains with which interoperability is required, or that if the bridge mechanism filters such a concept out, nothing is lost
as far as the supported objects are concerned. In other words, one domain may support a superior service to others, but such
a superior functionality will not be available to an application system spanning those domains.
A special case of this requirement is that the object models of the two domains need to be compatible. This specification
assumes that both domains are strictly compliant with the CORBA Object Model and the CORBA specifications. This includes the
use of OMG IDL when defining interfaces, the use of the CORBA Core Interface Repository, and other modifications that were
made to CORBA. Variances from this model could easily compromise some aspects of interoperability.