Customer Reviews

java(TM).rmi: The Remote Method Invocation Guide

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When first looking at the book, I was a bit disappointed from its small size. However, after reading just a couple of pages, I immediately realized that this book is excellent.

I had some prior experience with rmi and this book has certainly improved my understanding of it. It also covers the serialization and I gained much knowledge from it.

The only downside is the lack of full code samples.
Thus beginners to rmi might find it a little annoying.

I find it very rare to come across new Java books that significantly deepen my knowledge on a topic. This is such a book and it is the first book I have come across that provides real insight and knowledge on Java RMI and indeed remote objects generally. In the past this fundamental API has been fortunate to get covered in a few pages if at all in the so-called Enterprise Java books. Yet many problems with modern enterprise applications can be traced back to a lack of understanding of remote objects. It is obvious that the author has written this book from a background of deep practical experience.
Don't be fooled by the small size of the book - it is certainly no lightweight in useful content - it is concise and to the point - there is no fluff to wade through to find the real nuggets of wisdom in this book - just the most extensive treatment of this subject you will find anywhere.

This is the best book on RMI that I have come across and I personally own 4 RMI books (about 10 if you count books that aren't solely on RMI). Contrary to a previous reviewer, this is NOT a beginners book. Beginners should get a more verbose RMI tutorial-like book. This is an advanced reference with very few examples, but it covers topics that you just can't find anywhere else, and furthermore, presents the topics in a detailed, to the point, lucid manner.

There is no better RMI book for the advanced RMI developer who is wishing to learn the "under the hood" workings of RMI.

However, this book is not for beginners. If you don't already have a firm understanding of Java, you will become lost pretty quick.

I say this not as a complaint, because this book is exactly what I was looking for. I just say it as a warning to those who are looking for a little more hand holding than this book offers.

This book is a well-written guide on fundamental RMI. It is concise and thorough, and treats advanced aspects of the subject with a very relaxed but diligent air.

RMI programming can be simple if one avoids the pitfalls and doesn't venture out very far. When you need to know the subtleties of object serialization or mobile code deployment, however, the specifications aren't always complete and accurate, and most tutorials seem only to warm over areas the spec has covered, or show "one way that it definitely works."

This guide sets out to "re-document" RMI and raise awareness of its important (often subtle) aspects. In some cases the book even corrects Sun's papers, effectively (and diplomatically). It's invaluable as a refresher or reference. If it contained example code to verify its assertions, it would be hands-down the only RMI book to bother purchasing.

I bought this book because of its high rating among RMI developers. I was disappointed, becuase the book doesn't contain a single comprehensive example. I found it hard to learn without example.

I have several books on RMI and looking for more. This is one in my collection and my least favorite. It is too reference-like, which you can find enough of on the developer's networks. Most notably it lacks continuity; it is basically a huge outline where each paragraph is the most concise definition for that topic. It makes a great reference for the experienced.

This is an excellent book on RMI. If you know Java, and want to learn RMI, then this book is just for you. It's technical, well-written, sound and still current.

Technical. The authors concentrate on reporting many technical details, explaining the workings of the RMI. The characteristics are listed and then explained in detail. The authors back their claims with references to the Java and RMI specifications. The authors present small and to the point examples. The books answers many intriguing questions on how or why certain details work in a specific way.

Well-written. The language is precise, easy to follow and free of useless talk. The reasoning is clear. The material is well organized.

Sound. The book covers many advanced RMI topics such as firewalls, advanced naming and interaction with CORBA. It covers more than I needed to learn.

Still current. Even though the book is pretty old, it's still current! I tried the examples, tested the information successfully. So far I encountered only one problem related to stubs with servers not derived from UnicastRemoteObject.

All in all, this is a great book to help you learn and understand RMI.

While XML has provided a way to exchange strongly typed data between running appplications, Java's Remote Method Invocation technology has been a winner as a lightweight mechanism to perform fully fledged distributed object computing. The problems with RMI are firstly that the learning curve about remote object technology has not been made simpler by the introduction of RMI by SUN, which is understandable. Secondly RMI itself has been very poorly documented from the outset and up to this point nothing had changed in this regard. The book java.rmi changes all of this. It is a tour de force. Whether you want to understand network and distributed computing in general, you want to begin writing RMI programs and need clear insights into how best to proceed, or you are very experienced with the technology and you have been getting by these past few years with your grab-bag of work-arounds; for all concerned salvation is at hand. You should get hold of a copy of this book, in a clear and insightful fashion it addresses all of those needs. This book will be a major factor in re-invigorating the RMI technology as it will make distributed computing accessible to a far wider audience than just corporates with large budgets for expensive middleware infrastructure.

This is the best and the most advanced book on java rmi PERIOD.IMO this should be your second book on rmi.