Core Jini (Sun Microsystems Press Java): Amazon.co.uk: W. Keith Edwards: Books

Amazon.co.uk Review

Newly enhanced with the latest standards from Sun, Core Jini, 2nd Edition, provides an in-depth and authoritative resource for building state-of-the-art distributed systems based on Jini v. 1.1. Aimed at the experienced Java developer seeking to apply this technology in the field, this book mixes a high-level guide to what Jini is and how it works with plenty of practical code examples to help get you started.

The first part of Core Jini describes what Jini is, including its design philosophy and how it provides robust distributed systems for devices like printers, scanners, and digital cameras. Suitably upbeat about Jini's prospects in the marketplace, the author delivers an insider's perspective on how Jini solves many of the problems of earlier distributed computing. The first hundred pages will help anyone understand Jini and are especially ideal for programmers (or managers) who want to see what this standard is all about.

The rest of the text (over 800 pages) provides a practical tutorial that puts Jini to work, starting with a "Hello World" example. Subsequent chapters cover essential areas of Jini functionality, such as discovery, leasing, and the join protocol. Besides providing actual source code, the book does a good job of showing how to compile and run each example program. (This information is particularly necessary with Jini, where even for testing, programs run in separate pieces in a small distributed system.) Core Jini teaches you the most common programming strategies for Jini (relying on higher-level APIs and built-in features), and also shows the lower-level APIs in separate sections for the more advanced reader who wants to know more.

Armed with this new edition, any Java developer can learn to take advantage of this late-breaking technology from Sun. In all, this title is a comprehensive and well-presented tutorial to an exciting, new standard that will allow future consumer and computing devices to communicate using Java. --Richard Dragan

Amazon.co.uk Review

While Jini promises to be a potential rival to CORBA and DCOM for general distributed development, the focus of Core JINI is on using the technology to connect peripherals to networks via Java.

Traditional problems found in distributed computing--and how Jini overcomes them--are tackled first. After this overview comes a simple "Hello World" example as well as a solid guide to setting up and running the Jini tools. Then the book delves into Jini specifics starting with "discovery" (which allows devices to find Jini services on the fly). The book explains in detail how Jini services advertise themselves using both multicast and unicast protocols.

Jini services are "leased" by clients; a section on Jini's leasing protocol shows the details from both the server- and client-side. All of the requirements for a 'well-behaved' Jini service are summarized, along with a complete example for a print service. Core JINI gives the working Java developer all necessary technical information to get this done. --Richard Dragan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

5 star

4 star

3 star

2 star

1 star

7 reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars

Write a customer review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

thick and heavy, but surprisingly readable 27 Oct 2003

By Frank Carver VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

At just over 6cm (2.5 inches), it's a thick, heavy, book and the spine bends alarmingly as you read it. Despite this it's surprisingly readable, but I wouldn't want to carry it about with me.

This book covers Jini 1.1, and takes great pains to spell out everything you need to do compile and run the examples, as well as listing the code. It's comforting to see complete command lines for Windows and Unix in every case. There are code listings for all of the major areas and a couple of non-trivial worked examples but for a book this size there is not a lot of code. A working knowledge of Java and at least a passing acquaintance with RMI is assumed, but you don't need to know any Jini.

Most of the book is given over to a detailed discussion of the standard Jini services, and how to use them. Each service is covered at two levels - using the basic APIs and using Sun's supplied utility classes. There is also a lot of discussion of the complexities inherent in distributed systems, and how to use Jini to build robust, scalable "self-healing" networks. Scattered through the text are "Core Notes" which offer more detail or different perspectives on the material, and these are always interesting.

Too big for a reference, but a detailed and well-structured book to get you up to speed on Jini quickly and efficiently.

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Provides both excellent introduction and in-depth learning 28 Jan 2000

By A Customer

I found "Core Jini" to be very well written, the depth of technical explaination was perfectly complemented by the skillful use of analogy and example.

I found the breadth of coverage to be just right - whether you're an inquisitive first time Jini user or a developer requiring reference, you'll be able to pick this book up.

Excellent and comprehensive coverage 22 Aug 1999

This book did an excellent job of explaining what I had considered to be a complicated technology. While not suitable for a Java novice, if you've got the skills and the interest to learn this important technology, this book is the best place to start.