Remote Method Invocation (RMI)

Session 11

Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11 / 1 of 14

Session Objectives
 Describe the Java Distributed Model

 Analyse RMI Architeture

 Discuss RMI packages

 Explain how to implement RMI

client and server
Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 2 of 14
 Distributed Application
 A Distributed application is an application whose
processing is distributed across multiple networked
computers.

 The various models that can be used for developing

distributed applications
 Distributed Component Object Model(DCOM)
 Common Object Request Broker Architecture(CORBA)

 Remote Method Invocation(RMI)

Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 3 of 14

 Remote Method Invocation (RMI)
The distributed object model used by Java allows objects
in one JVM to invoke methods of objects in a separate
JVM. This is known as RMI.

Java Virtual Machine Java Virtual Machine

Client Object TCP Server Object

Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 4 of 14

 RMI System Layers
 The RMI system consists of three layers in its
architecture:

 Stub/Skeleton Layer

 Remote Reference Layer

 Transport Layer

Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 5 of 14

 RMI Architecture
Java Virtual Machine Java Virtual Machine

Client Object Server Object ‘S’

Object ‘S’ Stub Object ‘S’ Skeleton

Remote Reference Remote Reference

Layer Layer
TransportLayer TCP TransportLayer

Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 6 of 14

 Remote Method Invocation API
 The five packages in RMI API are:
 java.rmi
 java.rmi.registry
 java.rmi.server
 java.rmi.activation
 java.rmi.dgc

We shall be examining the first three in detail

Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 7 of 14

 The java.rmi Package
 The java.rmi package declares
 The Remote interface

 The MarshalledObject class

 The Naming class

 The RMISecurityManager class

 A number of exceptions that are used with remote

method invocations
Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 8 of 14
 The java.rmi.registry Package
 The interfaces and class of the java.rmi.registry
package are used to handle remote objects by
name and also to register those remote objects

 The java.rmi.registry package provides

 The Registry interface

 The RegistryHandler interface

 The LocateRegistry class. Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 9 of 14

 The java.rmi.server Package
 The java.rmi.server package supports both client and
server aspects of RMI like a class implementation of
Remote interface, client stub and server skeleton
 Classes and Interfaces declared are :

 RemoteObject class  Skeleton interface

 RemoteServer class  RMIClassLoader class

 UnicastRemoteObject class  RMISocketFactory class

 RemoteStub class
Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 10 of 14
 Implementing RMI
 Implement RMI server
 Create Remote Interface
 Create a class that implements the remote interface

 Create stub and skeleton classes

 Copy Remote interface and stub to client

 Create and register remote objcet

 Implement the RMI client

 Call the remote interface by using the ‘lookup()’
method of the Naming class.

Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 11 of 14

 RMI flow - I

Client Virtual Machine Server Virtual Machine

Client Remote Object 1

Stub Skeleton Server

1. Server Creates Remote Registry Virtual Machine

2
object.
Remote Object
2. Server Registers Remote Registered
object with RMI registry
Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 12 of 14
 RMI flow - II

Client Virtual Machine Server Virtual Machine

Client Remote Object

Stub Skeleton Server

4
3
3. Client requests object from
Registry Virtual Machine
registry

Remote Object 4. Registry returns remote

Registered reference through interface
Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 13 of 14
 RMI flow - III

Client Virtual Machine Server Virtual Machine

7
Client Remote Object

5 6 Server
Stub Skeleton

5. Client invokes stub method

Registry Virtual Machine
6. Stub talks to skeleton
Remote Object
Registered 7. Skeleton invokes remote
object method.
Master Java - Level 2/ Session 11/ 14 of 14