What replaces RMI?

[Robert Mazur]

I read an article recently that referred to RMI in a way like,
"<something> is as old-school and a replaced technology as RMI
is....."

Well, curious...what replaced RMI?

I have a web server app that fetches data from a database machine not
exposed to the internet (typical I suppose). I was planning to build
a gui verison of the app instead and need to fetch from the same data
source remotely. Seeing the database box is not "reachable directly"
from the internet I figured I would use RMI and have a few objects on
the web server box access the database and give back data to the
remote client.

Is this "the old way" of doing it? What is the new way? Having the
objects on the web server build XML and give that back instead?

Rob

 

[Chris Smith]

I read an article recently that referred to RMI in a way like,
"<something> is as old-school and a replaced technology as RMI
is....."

Well, curious...what replaced RMI?

Nothing, really... but there are numerous remote call technologies that
fill gaps surrounding RMI, making it less appealing than it was to
stretch RMI to fit circumstances for which it's not directly suited.
Some if these include web services -- which are more portable between
languages than RMI -- and EJBs -- which extend RMI to add a hodgepodge
mix of features like security and data persistence.

I have a web server app that fetches data from a database machine not
exposed to the internet (typical I suppose). I was planning to build
a gui verison of the app instead and need to fetch from the same data
source remotely. Seeing the database box is not "reachable directly"
from the internet I figured I would use RMI and have a few objects on
the web server box access the database and give back data to the
remote client.

Is this "the old way" of doing it? What is the new way? Having the
objects on the web server build XML and give that back instead?

Using web services would be a newer way of doing it. It's more
difficult, though, so the question is whether the chance of wanting to
build a non-Java client is worth the extra complexity. I'd tend to
favor RMI is less exposed environments, as it seems from your
description that it would be entirely sensible for someone that's not
you to provide an alternative interface to the information provided by
your server.

--
www.designacourse.com
The Easiest Way to Train Anyone... Anywhere.

Chris Smith - Lead Software Developer/Technical Trainer
MindIQ Corporation

 

[Berlin Brown]

Nothing, really... but there are numerous remote call technologies that
fill gaps surrounding RMI, making it less appealing than it was to
stretch RMI to fit circumstances for which it's not directly suited.
Some if these include web services -- which are more portable between
languages than RMI -- and EJBs -- which extend RMI to add a hodgepodge
mix of features like security and data persistence.




Using web services would be a newer way of doing it. It's more
difficult, though, so the question is whether the chance of wanting to
build a non-Java client is worth the extra complexity. I'd tend to
favor RMI is less exposed environments, as it seems from your
description that it would be entirely sensible for someone that's not
you to provide an alternative interface to the information provided by
your server.

soap?

 

[Chris Smith]

soap?

Yes, that is a possibility.

--
www.designacourse.com
The Easiest Way to Train Anyone... Anywhere.

Chris Smith - Lead Software Developer/Technical Trainer
MindIQ Corporation