Call on extensible RMI
Remote Method Invocation (RMI) has become a standard communication mechanism between remote Java objects. In spite of that popularity, the lack of a robust security framework has hindered RMI's acceptance for wide-area distributed computing. The latest RMI framework, Jini Extensible Remote Invocation (JERI), introduced as part of the Jini 2.0 release, features a powerful, highly configurable RMI security mechanism. This article presents an extensible RMI overview and demonstrates JERI's configuration features.
Frank Sommers, December 2003

Jini Starter Kit 2.0 tightens Jini's security framework
Security for distributed systems based on mobile Java code is the theme of Sun Microsystems' new Jini Starter Kit, JSK 2.0. JSK 2.0 incorporates three new specifications: a new programming model and infrastructure for Jini services, a new implementation of Java RMI (Remote Method Invocation), and several changes to existing Jini tools and utilities. This article introduces JSK 2.0's security-related features.
Frank Sommers, May 2003

Jini's relevance emerges, Part 2
In Part 2 of this interview, Sun Microsystems Fellow and Chief Engineer Rob Gingell compares the ability of Web services and Jini to deal with network failure and system change. He also discusses polyarchic systems, intellectual property, the JDK's role in relation to Jini, and Liberty Alliance.
Frank Sommers, August 2002

Jini's relevance emerges, Part 1
JavaWorld columnist Frank Sommers talks with Sun Microsystems' Fellow and Chief Engineer Rob Gingell. In Part 1 of this interview, Gingell discusses the role of Jini in Sun's new software organization; the relationship between Jini, Web services, and the Sun ONE (Open Network Environment) initiative; and the rationale for document-centered Web services versus mobile object systems. (4,600 words; August 16, 2002).
Frank Sommers, August 2002

Java's secret weapon
Set in the backdrop of JiniFest 2002, the Jini community's first technology showcase, this article revisits the original Jini vision, surveys Jini's progress since the technology's introduction in 1998, and suggests the roles Jini might play in Java's future.
Frank Sommers, August 2002

Serve clients' specific protocol requirements with Brazil, Part 6
In this conclusion to his series on Brazil, Rinaldo Di Giorgio demonstrates how to use the following technologies with the Brazil toolkit: Jini, BeanShell, and the Java API for XML Messaging (JAXM). You can also use Brazil with many other technologies, including Xalan-Java, servlets, Velocity, and LDAP (the lightweight directory access protocol); Di Giorgio shows you how to get started with those as well. He'll also discuss the larger purpose of this series: to demonstrate how to use Brazil to support new technologies and APIs in ways that API developers might not have considered. For example, you would not commonly consider using the above technologies in a Web server. By understanding how these technologies work, you can better determine the right tool for your job.
Rinaldo Di Giorgio, July 2002

Unleash mobile agents using Jini
Mobile agents are ubiquitous in today's software applications—from e-commerce to network management to data warehousing. Mobile agent developers implement these solutions in Java for several reasons: First and foremost, Java's built-in object-oriented language features are conducive to agent technology. Second, developers can be extremely productive using Java. Essentially, Java provides tools that simplify and expedite complex software development tasks.
Jason Byassee, June 2002

Jini-talk with Jim Waldo
Frank Sommers and Bill Venners recently caught up with Jini architect Jim Waldo at JavaWorld's San Francisco office. In this interview, Waldo talks about the impact of mobility on distributed systems, Jini as a tool to reengineer the corporate MIS infrastructure, the importance of type systems, and the semantic Web.
Frank Sommers With Bill Venners, November 2001

Jini-like discovery for RMI
Not yet on the Jini bandwagon? Despite its powerful mechanisms, Jini has yet to be accepted in mainstream Java development. Until that happens, developers need to find better Remote Method Invocation (RMI) solutions. This article walks you through a Jini-like discovery mechanism for your RMI development.
Philip Bishop and Nigel Warren, November 2001

Survival of the fittest Jini services, Part 3
The Jini Transaction Specification defines a transaction coordinator for the two-phase commit (2PC) protocol, as well as a default transaction semantics guaranteeing ACID properties. This article explains the default transaction semantics based on the two-phase locking (2PL) protocol, and offers guidelines for its implementation in services based on activatable RMI objects.
Frank Sommers, October 2001

Jini in the age of reusable applications
Ted Achacoso, CTO of GroupServe, discusses the increasing need for network-aware business applications in the enterprise. He suggests that Jini can help enterprise developers in that endeavor, and, in particular, help developers of Web services.
Bill Venners, October 2001

Survival of the fittest Jini services, Part 1
In the near future, Frank Sommers argues, all information capable of digital capture will be recorded, and made available via the Web in the form of active, persistent objects. The primary consumers of this information will be machines (software), which will let people intelligently use increasingly larger portions of that vast resource. This will motivate the industry to develop dependable methods of software-to-software interaction on the network, where unreliable components will be eliminated automatically, resulting in the survival of the fittest services. This article is the first in a four-part series on designing and deploying highly dependable Jini services. (6,000 words)
Frank Sommers, April 2001

Browse user interfaces for Jini services
The ServiceUI specification developed by the Jini.org community defines a suggested procedure for attaching user interfaces to Jini services. In this article, Jeffrey Peden -- a new contributor to the Jiniology column -- introduces you to a simple ServiceUI-based example service. Then he shows you how to build an application for browsing and launching user interfaces for Jini services.
Jeffrey Peden, March 2001

Object mobility in the Jini environment
The more capable a software package, the more installation and configuration it typically requires. Jini promises to reverse this trend by locating objects on the network based on their functionality or object type, and then letting clients download the objects and code needed to interface with these services. New Jiniologycolumnist Frank Sommers provides background to the use of mobile objects in Jini, and describes the Java class loading and object serialization architectures that make mobile code possible. He then offers a tutorial on setting up Jini services so that you can make your code available for download by clients. (5,000 words)
Frank Sommers, January 2001

Sun lets Jini Starter Kit 1.1 out of the bottle
JavaWorld author Frank Sommers caught up with Jim Waldo, Jini architect and Sun Microsystems Distinguished Engineer, via telephone. In this interview, Waldo discusses the Jini 1.1 release and Jini's role in enterprise systems, offers advice on introducing business-specific APIs into Jini, and gives insight into scaling Jini down to the smallest devices and up to worldwide networks. (5,000 words)
Frank Sommers, December 2000

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