Java™ Network Programming and Distributed Computing [Paperback]

David Reilly (Author), Michael Reilly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0201710374 | ISBN-13: 978-0201710373 | Edition: 1

Java's rich, comprehensive networking interfaces make it an ideal platform for building today's networked, Internet-centered applications, components, and Web services. Now, two Java networking experts demystify Java's complex networking API, giving developers practical insight into the key techniques of network development, and providing extensive code examples that show exactly how it's done. David and Michael Reilly begin by reviewing fundamental Internet architecture and TCP/IP protocol concepts all network programmers need to understand, as well as general Java features and techniques that are especially important in network programming, such as exception handling and input/output. Using practical examples, they show how to write clients and servers using UDP and TCP; how to build multithreaded network applications; and how to utilize HTTP and access the Web using Java. The book includes detailed coverage of server-side application development; distributed computing development with RMI and CORBA; and email-enabling applications with the powerful JavaMail API. For all beginning to intermediate Java programmers, network programmers who need to learn to work with Java.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Java™ Network Programming and Distributed Computing is an accessible introduction to the changing face of networking theory, Java™ technology, and the fundamental elements of the Java networking API. With the explosive growth of the Internet, Web applications, and Web services, the majority of today’s programs and applications require some form of networking. Because it was created with extensive networking features, the Java programming language is uniquely suited for network programming and distributed computing.

Whether you are a Java devotee who needs a solid working knowledge of network programming or a network programmer needing to apply your existing skills to Java, this how-to guide is the one book you will want to keep close at hand. You will learn the basic concepts involved with networking and the practical application of the skills necessary to be an effective Java network programmer. An accelerated guide to networking API, Java™ Network Programming and Distributed Computing also serves as a comprehensive, example-rich reference.

You will learn to maximize the API structure through in-depth coverage of:

The architecture of the Internet and TCP/IP

Java’s input/output system

How to write to clients and servers using the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and TCP

The advantages of multi-threaded applications

How to implement network protocols and see examples of client/server implementations

HTTP and how to write server-side Java applications for the Web

Distributed computing technologies such as Remote Method Invocation (RMI) and CORBA

How to access e-mail using the extensive and powerful JavaMail™ API

This book’s coverage of advanced topics such as input/output streaming and multi-threading allows even the most experienced Java developers to sharpen their skills. Java™ Network Programming and Distributed Computing will get you up-to-speed with network programming today; helping you employ innovative techniques in your own software development projects.

The companion Web site, http://www.davidreilly.com/jnpbook, offers downloadable source code, a list of FAQs about Java networking, and useful links to networking resources.

0201710374B03012002

About the Author

David Reilly is a Sun™-certified Java programmer and author of the Java Network Programming FAQ. He writes frequently for Java publications and holds a BA in Software Engineering from Bond University, Queensland, Australia. David is also the editor of the Java Coffee Break online publication.

Michael Reilly is a software engineer and network programmer working in Brisbane, Australia. He holds a BA in Computer Science from Bond University.

0201710374AB03012002

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1 edition (April 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201710374
• ISBN-13: 978-0201710373
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #858,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple to understand, but I prefer a bit of complexity. . ., July 26, 2002

By 

Antonio A. Rodriguez "taserian" (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Java™ Network Programming and Distributed Computing (Paperback)

Most of my experience in network programming comes from W. Richard Stevens' "UNIX Network Programming", where there's lots of detail in the TCP/IP protocol, and using C to implement it. At the time, the professor teaching the course tried to provide us with comparable programs in Java, but not having a good Java networking book to consult from was a drawback to those segues.

This book serves as an excellent companion to Stevens' book, so that you can get the feel for how Java accomplishes networking capabilities. I still prefer the TCP/IP detail that Stevens' book provides, but that's mainly because I like the language independent concept of networking.

I created a small client2client messaging applet, sent it to a couple of friends for testing, and enjoyed how quickly and easily it was to get it working. Java abstracts a lot of the detail away from the user, since it was designed from the get-go to include networking capabilities, and this book uses those abstractions to its advantage. I'll probably want to get my hands dirty and see how much hands-on control I can get with Java sometime later.

(Reilly*2)'s book is a great way to just jump into network programming without getting your head too tangled with TCP/IP intricacies. This is not to say that the book doesn't cover those details, but it doesn't delve into them as deeply as Stevens' book does. In my view, that's a drawback to it being an absolute reference, but for many who just want to start developing client/server apps, this may be just what you're looking for.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good intro book, May 31, 2002

By 

uniq "uniq" (El Dorado Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Java™ Network Programming and Distributed Computing (Paperback)

This book is an introduction to four major areas: networking, Java language, Java network programming, and Java distributed computing. Dozens of published books are specifically dedicated to each of these topics in detail, but this book is trying to give a reader a taste of all these technologies at the same time.

The book is easy to read. Most of the material is clearly explained and illustrated. Code examples (demos) are clean and complete. The demos are not contrived, but present to the reader interesting implementations that may be reused and give a good idea of how programs that are commonly used may work (SMTP, POP clients, HTTP server, etc.). Each of the demos is followed by a detailed explanation that focuses on how the demo works.

I like the book, although I think that the chapters covering Java language programming are extraneous: if you don't know Java, you should learn it from Java language specific books first, and only then venture into the advanced topics of Java network and distributed programming.

The book reminds me somewhat of the classic "Unix Network Programming" by Richard Stevens, which was a must for any C/Unix programmer more than a decade ago.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Java Network Programming, April 30, 2002

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Java™ Network Programming and Distributed Computing (Paperback)

Do you already program in Java? Do you want to go
beyond building neat GUIs for applets or desktop
applications? Java has two great strengths. It was
built with graphical objects (widgets) being an
inherent part of the language. This is an immense
strategic advantage over earlier text-based languages
like C and C++. For graphics, those needed special
graphics libraries that were not part of the original
languages, and which varied from vendor to vendor and
between operating systems. The ease of use of Java
widgets led to its rapid gain of programmers'
mindshare. Indeed, if you look at a row of Java books
in a bookstore, you will see most packed with
attractive diagrams of cool graphics.

But there is a second great advantage of Java. It was
designed with Internet awareness from its inception. C
and C++, due to their earlier vintage, have to use
libraries that vary with the operating system. Java
gives you a consistent interface to network
programming, independent of the operating system. It
is to this exposition that this book from Addison-Wesley
is devoted. Written by two Queenslanders, it assumes
that you already know the rudiments of Java. This is not
a book for tyros. If you want to write a network client
(for example, a specialised mail reader), or a multiplayer
online game, or a software agent that trolls the Internet,
then this book can be very useful.

It describes how to use TCP sockets, UDP datagrams,
multithreading, HTTP and other topics. It expands on
CGI for building applets. For client-server
applications, it devotes entire chapters to servlets
and RMI (Remote Method Invocation). If you need to use
CORBA, maybe because you have some legacy code that
you want to write a Java program to interact with,
then you will find a chapter expounding on it.

If you have already been programming Java GUIs, then
this book will expose you to a more abstract class
of problems. There is no visual feedback from widget

layouts here. What feedback you get is from text-based
output. What you have to design against are problems
based on data flow across a network.

The authors have written clearly, and the code
examples are well done, illustrating simply the
desired concepts, without tangling you in the details.

The only slight critique I have is that there is no
comparative assessment of the network capabilities of
Java vis-a-vis C#/.NET. The latter pair is an even
newer language/programming environment that also has
networking built in. But this may be unfair and
straying from the book's scope. C# and .NET have just
been released by Microsoft, and it is not certain if
they will gain much traction. But if they do, you will
undoubtedly see many books arguing the relative
merits.