The state of Jini technology - JavaWorld
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The state of Jini technology
The state of Jini technology
By: By Bill Day
Educate yourself on the latest Jini technology developments
ini technology, announced by Sun in January 1999, represents a fundamental shift in the way we do distributed computing.
This article brings you up to date on the latest Jini technology-related technical developments and offers a list of the sessions now in full swing at the JavaOne Developer Conference in San Francisco.
For a real-world example of the ease-of-use Jini technology brings to networked devices, read the sidebar, " Jini technology primer ."
Jini technology: The details
Jini technology helps developers address the fundamental difficulties of distributed computing. These difficulties center around the fact that distributed systems are vulnerable to network latency and concurrency problems, complexities in memory management, and inevitable partial failures. (One example might be the crash of a network router, which breaks a large network into two subnets. How would each subnet of machines continue its work if all the machines had, prior to the crash, been working on a single distributed computation?)
Jini technology addresses the difficulties of distributed computing with a simple set of interfaces that are well-specified and open to implementation by any member of the Java community.
Jini technology primer
Jini technology is a relatively new Java-based technology for distributed computing. Publicly debuted by Sun Microsystems in January 1999, Jini technology has made a lot of advances and already has gained widespread interest and acceptance in the months since its launch.
Jini technology gives real-world ease-of-use a boost for many types of networked devices. For example, consider the steps needed to install and configure a new VCR today versus installation of a VCR into the Jini-enabled home entertainment system of the future.
In a traditional VCR system today, the consumer must
Plug in the VCR, running cables to TV and other equipment
Use TV controls to tune to the channels available from the VCR; many consumers have problems with this step
Set the clock on the VCR so that programmable recording will work; many consumers give up before getting past the dreaded blinking 12:00
With Jini, the consumer's life will be dramatically simplified. All he or she will have to do is plug in the VCR, both power and networking.
After the consumer plugs in the VCR, everything else will happen automatically, as follows:
The VCR announces its presence to the Jini network
The TV automatically requests the VCR's interface and configures its channels accordingly
The VCR automatically requests the clock interface provided by the home miniserver and sets its time
Just as it frees consumers to do more interesting things than fuss with programming their audiovideo equipment, Jini can automate a number of enterprise system administration duties, freeing sysadmins to do more interesting work, as well.
Jini technology is built on top of the Java 2 platform application environment. It uses core Java platform functionality to provide a reliable, portable, and ultimately simple-to-use distributed computing model.
In terms of the Java platform, Jini technology takes advantage of the following:
The inherent security provided by the Java technology's robust and publicly tested security model
The portability of Java technology bytecode, provided by the widespread availability of Java virtual machines (JVMs)
The mobility of Java objects, provided by object serialization and remote method invocation (RMI)
Jini technology enables spontaneous networks of devices and software services to assemble themselves into working groups known as federations of clients and services, without the need for intervention by system administrators. The Java language's ability to move entire objects, both data and code, allows Jini technology-based systems to deal reliably with partial failures and network issues. Distributed memory management is taken care of using underlying RMI functionality, and concurrency and latency issues become tractable with Jini technology's distributed event support, leasing, and transaction capabilities.
To fully understand the inner workings of Jini technology, you will need to understand the details of its infrastructure, its programming model, and some of the basic services that are available. Specifically, you will want to learn more about the following:
Discovery service
Lookup service
Extended security model
Leasing
Distributed event model
Transactions
JavaSpace service
Transaction Manager service
Where can you find out more about the above elements? At the JavaOne Developer Conference, of course! The following section tells you where to find out more about the Jini technology at the show.
Jini technical information at the JavaOne Developer Conference
Looking at the conference schedule, the JavaOne event promises to deliver a wealth of technical information about developing distributed computing applications and services using Jini technology. The conference's Jini technology track offers technical sessions throughout the week, as well as several Jini technology-focused Birds-of-a-Feather (BOF) sessions.
The JavaOne conference schedule currently includes the following Jini technology technical sessions:
Using Jini Technology as the Integrating Architecture for Next Generation Battlefield Systems . (Isn't that title simply too interesting to pass up?!?). Thursday June 17, 1999, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., Ballroom, Sheraton Palace Hotel.
Code Mobility and Dynamic Composition Using Jini Technology . Thursday, June 17, 1999, 5:15 to 6:45 p.m, Ballroom, Sheraton Palace Hotel.
Jini Architecture Overview . Friday June 18, 1999, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Hall A, Moscone Conference Center.
The Jini Technology Lookup Service . Friday June 18, 1999, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Hall A, Moscone Conference Center.
The Jini Programming Model . Friday June 18, 1999, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., Hall A, Moscone Conference Center.
JavaSpaces Technology: Applications and Future Directions . Friday June 18, 1999, 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., Hall A, Moscone Conference Center.
The following sessions and BOFs have already occurred, but you can still find slides and information from the sessions on the Sun home page. See Resources :
Jini Technology Technical BOF . Tuesday, June 15, 1999, 8:00 to 9:00 p.m., Room B2, Marriott Hotel.
Jini Technology and Storage Devices . Wednesday June 16, 1999, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Room A3, Marriott Hotel.
Tip: You can use the JavaOne conference MySchedule tool to pick the sessions you're interested in and build a personalized schedule for the conference. If you have a Palm III (or newer) organizer, you can even upload your personalized schedule once you get to the JavaOne conference.
For updates, be sure to check the conference program distributed at the event. Also, be aware that technical information relating to Jini technology will be imparted in sessions on RMI, Java consumer device technologies and development, and others. Up-to-date information will be available at the JavaOne conference Web site while the conference is in progress (see Resources ).
Conclusions
Jini technology is built on top of the Java 2 platform application environment and makes use of the core Java platform functionality to provide a distributed computing model that's reliable, portable, and easy to use. The JavaOne conference offers a number of valuable opportunities to educate yourself on the ins and outs of Jini technology.
Jini technology will succeed to the extent that this new technology, combined with the now-in-progress community model of development, succeeds. Join the community today and let's make it happen!
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