Enterprise JavaBeans (Java Series) [Paperback]

Richard Monson-Haefel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1565928695 | ISBN-13: 978-1565928695 | Publication Date: September 8, 2001 | Edition: Second Edition

Enterprise JavaBeans (versions 1.1 and 1.0) is an important technology for server-side application development in Java. It offers a component architecture for developing distributed, multitiered enterprise applications. This model allows you to build complex, mission-critical systems using simple snap-together pieces that model individual business objects and processes. Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) greatly simplifies the process of development by automatically taking care of system issues like object persistence and transaction management.

This book provides a thorough introduction to EJB 1.1 and 1.0 for the enterprise software developer. It shows you how to develop enterprise Beans to model your business objects and processes. One powerful advantage of the EJB architecture is that it allows you to partition work appropriately between different parts of the system: the database provides persistence, your Beans model various business entities and the interactions between them, and your client application provides a user interface, but incorporates minimal business logic. The end result is a highly flexible system built from components that can easily be reused, and that can be changed to suit your needs without upsetting other parts of the system.

Enterprise JavaBeans, 2nd Edition teaches you how to take advantage of the flexibility and simplicity that this powerful new architecture provides.

This book covers:

• Enterprise JavaBeans 1.1 and 1.0
• Developing entity Beans and session Beans
• XML Deployment Descriptors
• Using the client-side API to use enterprise Beans
• Transaction Management
• Design Strategies
• Introduction to J2EE

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Thoroughly enhanced for the EJB 1.1 specification, Enterprise JavaBeans, 2nd Edition provides a great introduction to the world of server-side Java components. With plenty of material on EJB architecture and design, this new edition can serve as an authoritative resource for mastering today's bean standards.

Besides a general introduction to EJBs, the new edition of this book excels at highlighting the differences between the EJB 1.0 and 1.1 standards. Sample code is provided for both versions. For deployment, EJB 1.1 now relies on XML to define all bean resources and dependencies. For every sample bean, the author provides the XML, as well as the old-style Java code for EJB 1.0. There's also plenty of coverage of the new reliance on JNDI (the Java directory service) in EJB 1.1 and other late-breaking Sun standards, such as combining EJBs with servlets and JSPs for delivering dynamic Web content.

This text is organized as a tutorial to the major types of EJBs with full coverage of entity beans (for accessing databases) and session beans (for managing "conversations" with particular clients). The author covers all the bases here with numerous diagrams describing the life cycle of beans and how they cooperate with today's application servers. As in the first edition, sample beans for a cruise ship booking application let you see actual EJB code in action. Helpful appendices list all EJB APIs and other useful information (such as a list of current EJB vendors).

In all, the revised edition of Enterprise JavaBeans shows off the considerable strengths of the new EJB 1.1 standard. Suitable for any working Java programmer or IT manager, the clear presentation of the strategies and techniques for successful component design help make this book a smart choice for successful development with EJBs. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Overview of Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) v. 1.1 and 1.0, distributed objects, Component Transaction Monitors (CTMs), application servers and EJBs, resource management, EJB server setup, entity beans, session beans and workflow, the JNDI naming service, the life cycle of beans, container-managed and bean-managed persistence for entity beans, stateful and stateless session beans, deploying beans in JAR files (EJB 1.1 and 1.0 conventions), XML deployment descriptors, transaction basics (ACID properties and JTS), EJB security, design strategies and performance tips for EJBs, Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and EJBs, servlets and JSPs used with EJBs, sample beans, state and sequence diagrams for EJBs, and EJB API reference.

From the Author

Dear Reader,

This book is has complete coverage of EJB 2.0. The book also covers EJB 1.1, for readers still using legacy servers.

Over three years have gone into refining the content this book to ensure that it was technically accurate and a pleasure to read. Delivering content that meets these standards isn't easy, and while my name is on the cover, credit is shared with many people.

In addition to this book, we are making companion workbooks available that show how to download, install, and configure different servers so that you can run the books examples on different EJB products. Workbooks and example code are available for free download from OReilly.com for WebLogic 6.1, WebSphere 4.0 and other products.

Thank you for considering my book, Enterprise JavaBeans, 3rd Edition, and good luck in your career as a distributed object professional. It's an exciting field with unlimited challenges and rewards.

Yours truly,

Richard Monson-Haefel Author of Enterprise JavaBeans, 3rd Edition (O'Reilly 2001) Co-Author of Java Message Service (O'Reilly 2000) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 489 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; Second Edition edition (September 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565928695
• ISBN-13: 978-1565928695
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,880,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

135 of 141 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good to the last drop!, April 18, 2000

By 

David Holts (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enterprise JavaBeans (Java Series) (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Every chapter was excellent.

The book starts with a chapter that explains distributed objects, components, server-side components, and transaction monitors in a way that makes total sense and is fun to read.

The next couple of chapters give you an in-depth look at the EJB architecture removing all the mystery from the technology -- these chapters are pure gold.

Chapters 3 through 7 show how to develop stateless, stateful, CMP and BMP entity beans. These chapters explain how to write beans and how to use them. The examples are very excellent.

Chapter 8 is a very long but necessary chapter on transactions and how they work in EJB. I'm glad they saved this for after Chapters 3 -7 because it's complicated.

Chapter 9 is a priceless Design Strategies chapter that gives you more punch in the first 10 pages then most books give in 100. Even experienced EJB developers will learn new tricks from this chapter.

Chapter 10 is on XML deployment descriptors. This is an excellent reference and the way its organized makes it much simpler to understand.

Chapter 11 covers J2EE. It's short but excellent. The author tells you exactly how EJB fits into J2EE, which is all I wanted to know.

Appendix A - D are an invaluable reference for developers. They include a complete class reference, UML state diagrams and charts, vendor listing and finally a summary of the changes from EJB 1.0 to EJB 1.1.

This is the best EJB book available and will continue to be the best for a long time. Its too solid and too well organized not to be.

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best EJB book, April 19, 2000

By 

Walter Greenspan (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enterprise JavaBeans (Java Series) (Paperback)

I've read two EJB books and this is, by far, the best one. I started with Ed Romans book, which I never finished because I quickly realized the author knows very little about distributed computing. I found refuge in the Monson-Haefel book, which I found to be concise, detailed, and extremely well written. Richard Monson-Haefel is man who obviously knows his business. The book starts out with a basic chapter on distributed computing. I didn't need it, but it was probably the best introduction to the subject I've ever read. Novices will love it. The rest of the book gives you a unique insight to the inner workings of EJB servers while keeping the language straightforward so that everyone can understand it. Everything is covered including entity, session, transactions, and J2EE. I give this book my highest recommendation.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading, September 29, 2000

By 

David Washington (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enterprise JavaBeans (Java Series) (Paperback)

We have been using this book on a large EJB project and have been very happy with it. Monson-Haefel addresses the most complex parts of the EJB platform with a style that makes the book enjoyable to read and EJB fairly easy to learn.

The first three chapters of the book explain the purpose, architecture, and implementation of EJB servers. This really helps our people to understand what was going on under the hood and why beans behave the way they do. Without this material, EJB would be a mysterious black box. We now understand EJB at it lowest levels, which makes our people more productive.

The rest of the book provides a detailed explanation of how to develop each kind of bean (stateless, stateful, and entity beans) using an example application. As the book proceeds it builds on the example increasing the complexity incrementally. What's especially appealing is that example is not so large that it's distracting. The book is very focused and the examples add rather then detract from the book.

One of the books greatest strengths is the way it covers Enterprise JavaBeans in detail. Chapter 8, for example, goes into detail about transactions, database locking, isolation levels, and how transactions are propagated. In addition, the same chapter explains how exceptions impact transactions -- a very real issue when developing large-scale projects.

There is also a great chapter on "design strategies" which introduces ideas like the business interface and bulk accessors. While these designs strategies are invaluable to our project, we would like to see a lot more of them. In particular a section on design patterns in EJB would be very helpful. Hopefully this kind of material will be added in a future edition.

EJB is fairly complex, so a good book like this one is a gold mine. We now have about 20 developers working on our EJB project. Every time we add a developer to our project, they are handed a new copy of this book and told to read it. Without out this book most of our new developers would be hopelessly lost. If you are going to use EJB in your project, then you absolutely must have this book -- its essential.