bonobo-activation-server

bonobo-activation-server [OPTION…]

--oaf-slave-id=ID
    Set slave ID for this activation instance

--oaf-ior=IOR
    Specify IOR for OAF daemon communication

--keep-running
    Prevent shutdown after last slave exits

--oafd-ior=IOR
    IOR of external OAF daemon to register with

--display=DISPLAY
    X11 display to connect to

--sm-client-id=ID
    Session manager client ID

--replace
    Replace any existing running server

--version
    Display version information

--usage
    Show brief usage summary

-?, --help
    Display full help

The bonobo-activation-server is a daemon from the Bonobo framework, a CORBA-based component model for GNOME 2.x. It handles dynamic activation and registration of Bonobo components, enabling inter-process communication via CORBA. Components register with the server, which activates them on demand when requested by clients.

Launched typically by session managers or desktop environments, it maintains a registry of available components and their implementations. It supports slave processes for activations and integrates with the OAF (Object Activation Framework) daemon.

Key functions include IOR (Interoperable Object Reference) management for CORBA objects, session management integration, and options for persistence or replacement of running instances. Primarily used in legacy GNOME applications for embedding components like viewers or editors.

Deprecated in modern GNOME (3+), replaced by D-Bus and GIO for service activation. Still found in some older software or chroots.

Deprecated; do not use in new projects. May fail in Wayland or containerized environments without X11 forwarding.

0 on success, non-zero on errors like CORBA failures or invalid options.
Server runs indefinitely unless --keep-running is absent and slaves exit.

Uses ~/.oaf-s sơ for user registry; system-wide in /usr/share/oaf.

Introduced in late 1990s with Bonobo for GNOME 1.2+, peaked in GNOME 2.x (2002-2011). Deprecated post-GNOME 2.30 (2011); libbonobo unmaintained since ~2014.

oafd(8), bonobo-activation-notify(1)