Assignment 2

Due date

• Friday, October 20, 2000

Objectives

• Introduction to Jini^TM connection technology

• Introduction to distributed system architectures

Instructions

The Java Jini^TM connection technology is based on a simple concept: devices should work together. They should simply connect. Jini technology also introduces some exciting new concepts and capabilities. Jini is just one of a large number of distributed systems architectures, including industry-pervasive systems such as CORBA and DCOM. The availability of Jini connection technology in everyday appliances, products, technologies, and services is expected to revolutionize the way people work and play. Many companies are incorporating Jini? technology into their products.

One of the key objectives for this assignment is to learn as much as possible about Jini technology. In particular, after completing this assignment you should have a good understanding of the architecture of a software system that uses Jini technology.

You are to write a report that illustrates the architecture of a program that uses Jini technology. The report is intended for third year computer science. Thus, you can assume basic software engineering terms and knowledge.

Your report should address the following questions:

• What are the major static and dynamic components of a software system built using Jini middleware? What are the dependencies or relationships among these components?

• How do the major components interact?

• What are the "concerns that are separated" in this software systems? In other words, how is the software engineering principle "separation of concerns" implemented?

• How can such a software system evolve? Which components are expected to change regularly and which components are expected to be relatively stable over time?

The report should include diagrams (e.g., data flow or entity relationship diagrams). Deciding what kind and how many diagrams to draw, and at what level of abstraction, is critical for this assignment.

Hints

• Start early with this assignment.

• Main Jini? web site: http://www.sun.com/jini/.

• Another great Jini web site: http://www.artima.com/jini/resources/index.html

• Deciding what to include and exclude in this report is hard. Expect your report to evolve over time.

• Develop this report incrementally, that is, make several passes ove the entire report.

• The report should include the following parts: abstract; introduction; applications of Jini technology; the architecture of a generic Jini application; the architecture of a set of Jini applications working together; component descriptions; component interactions; separation of concerns; conclusions; glossary of key terms used in the architecture; and references, including web pages, used in your report.

What to turn in

The report should be written as an HTML document. You may include links to the documentation pages of the Jini web site. The length of the report, including diagrams and references, should not exceed 12 printed pages using a reasonable font size (i.e., 10-12 point for text and 14 point for headings).

Submit your assignement by e-mail to hausi@csr.uvic.ca.