Suppose you have an application (generated with GX.NET) using a 3tiers architecture.
The objects at the client, using "remoting", connect with a factory running at the application server. This application server returns "remote references" to the objects.
First at all, the client "asks" for a remote reference to the factory.
The factory returns this reference to the client, and then the client executes this remotely this object.
This mechanism (activating object remotely) is known as CAO - Client-Activated Objects.
More information about CAO
Only with specific functions like serverdate() the mechanism used is SAO - Server-Activated Objects.
More information about SAO