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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);
}
