Directory Integrator, Version 7.1.1
The structure of the local and remote interfaces is identical. The text below refers to the names of the Java interfaces only and is valid for the interfaces from both the local (com.ibm.di.api.local) and remote (com.ibm.di.api.remote) Server API Java packages.
The entry point to the Server API is the SessionFactory interface (com.ibm.di.api.local.SessionFactory for local use and com.ibm.di.api.remote.SessionFactory for remote use).
The SessionFactory interface provides two methods createSession() and createSession(Username, Password). They create an API session for the user/entity that calls it and returns an object of type Session. It is this Session object that provides further access to the calls of the Server API.
Through the Session object one can get Server information or stop the Server itself, existing Config Instances can be obtained or new Config Instances can be loaded and created from scratch. Some of the calls of the Session object will return other Server API objects - for example startConfigInstance(String aConfigUrl) will return a ConfigInstance object. The ConfigInstance object gives access to the configuration data structure, to AssemblyLines running in the Config Instance as well as calls for starting new AssemblyLines. Some of its calls will also return Server API objects. startAssemblyLine(String aAssemblyLineName), for example, returns an AssemblyLine object that you can use to query and perform different operations on the AssemblyLine.
To summarize, the Session object is the one that gives access to the hierarchy of Server API objects. All Server API calls are either invoked directly on the Session object or they are invoked on objects retrieved directly or indirectly through the Session object.