/*
 * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS HEADER.
 * 
 * Copyright 1997-2007 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.
 * 
 * The contents of this file are subject to the terms of either the GNU
 * General Public License Version 2 only ("GPL") or the Common Development
 * and Distribution License("CDDL") (collectively, the "License").  You
 * may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain
 * a copy of the License at https://glassfish.dev.java.net/public/CDDL+GPL.html
 * or glassfish/bootstrap/legal/LICENSE.txt.  See the License for the specific
 * language governing permissions and limitations under the License.
 * 
 * When distributing the software, include this License Header Notice in each
 * file and include the License file at glassfish/bootstrap/legal/LICENSE.txt.
 * Sun designates this particular file as subject to the "Classpath" exception
 * as provided by Sun in the GPL Version 2 section of the License file that
 * accompanied this code.  If applicable, add the following below the License
 * Header, with the fields enclosed by brackets [] replaced by your own
 * identifying information: "Portions Copyrighted [year]
 * [name of copyright owner]"
 * 
 * Contributor(s):
 * 
 * If you wish your version of this file to be governed by only the CDDL or
 * only the GPL Version 2, indicate your decision by adding "[Contributor]
 * elects to include this software in this distribution under the [CDDL or GPL
 * Version 2] license."  If you don't indicate a single choice of license, a
 * recipient has the option to distribute your version of this file under
 * either the CDDL, the GPL Version 2 or to extend the choice of license to
 * its licensees as provided above.  However, if you add GPL Version 2 code
 * and therefore, elected the GPL Version 2 license, then the option applies
 * only if the new code is made subject to such option by the copyright
 * holder.
 */
package com.sun.enterprise.admin.event;

/**
 * Dispatches an event to a target. Each server instance has an event
 * multicaster. This allows each server instance including the domain
 * admin server to send events bi-directionally. This works as a fat 
 * pipe or a bus between the server instances.
 *
 * <p> Event dispatcher only knows how to propagate an event between 
 * remote VMs. In other words, it is not responsible for making the 
 * actual delivery of the event with in the sever instance.
 *
 * @author Nazrul Islam
 * @since  JDK1.4
 */
public interface EventDispatcher {

    /**
     * Dispatches an event from one event multicaster to another based 
     * on the destination type in the event. If the destination is a cluster
     * or a group, it will send event to all running server instances in the
     * group.
     *
     * @param    event    notification event
     * @return   response from the listener
     */
    public AdminEventResult dispatch(AdminEvent event);
}