Wizard API updated!
Tim Boudreau has released a new version of the Swing Wizard library (version 0.997) that fixes the WizardException bug reported in JavaWorld's recent Open Source Java Project profile. The article's examples have been reworked to test out the new, improved WizardException. Thanks, Tim, for this helpful fix!
Open Source Java Projects: The Wizard API

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RMI over IIOP

The new RMI-IIOP standard features easy programming combined with CORBA connections

By Akira, Andoh and Simon Nash, JavaWorld.com, 12/29/99

What is RMI over IIOP?

RMI over IIOP (RMI-IIOP hereafter), developed jointly by IBM and Sun, is a new version of RMI (Remote Method Invocation) for IIOP (Internet Inter-ORB Protocol) that combines RMI's easy programming features with CORBA's interoperability. This new version of RMI was officially released in June and made freely available from Sun's Web site (see the Resources section below for information on where you can download it). The Sun reference implementation runs on Windows 9x/NT and Solaris. It is a standard extension that supports both JDK 1.1.6 and the Java 2 Platform.

RMI and CORBA have developed independently as distributed-objects programming models. RMI, a foundation of the EJB and Jini technologies, was introduced as a Java-based, easy-to-use programming model for distributed objects. CORBA (the Common Object Request Broker Architecture), defined by the OMG (Object Management Group), is a well-known distributed-object programming model that supports a number of languages. The IIOP protocol connects CORBA products from different vendors, ensuring interoperability among them. RMI-IIOP is, in a sense, a marriage of RMI and CORBA.

For the purposes of this article, we assume that you are already familiar with the basics of CORBA. If you need further assistance in getting up to speed, there is a helpful link in the Resources section below.

Before RMI-IIOP

Look at Figure 1 below. The space above the central horizontal line represents the original domain of RMI; the lower region represents the world of CORBA and IIOP. These two separate worlds, having developed independently, have not historically been capable of communicating with each other. For example, RMI's native protocol, JRMP (Java Remote Method Protocol), cannot connect with other protocols.

Figure 1. Before RMI-IIOP



If the only programming language that you require in a new project is Java, the use of RMI and JRMP -- a combination referred to as RMI (JRMP) for the remainder of this article -- has traditionally been the best choice. Unlike CORBA, which requires use of the rather complicated Interface Definition Language (IDL), RMI (JRMP) offers easy programming for Java lovers. CORBA, on the other hand, allows for distributed-objects programming across different platforms and different programming languages. Developers need distributed-objects programming not only for new projects, but also for utilizing legacy software resources. Of course, legacy software is in most cases programmed in languages other than Java; in such situations, developers need CORBA, not RMI (JRMP).

Thus we have our central dilemma: RMI (JRMP) has the advantage of easy programming, whereas CORBA provides interoperability between multiple programming languages across various platforms. Unfortunately, however, there has not traditionally been a way to use both of these excellent technologies. This is shown by the chart in Figure 2, in which a circle stands for a situation in which a client can call a server, and an X stands for a case in which this is not possible

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