I am just starting to learn how to use RMI, and I have a question. I have the following directory structure:
compute.jar
client
|
org\examples\rmi\client
|--> ComputePi // client main
|--> Pi // implements Task
org\examples\rmi\compute
|--> Compute // interface
|--> Task // interface
server
|
org\examples\rmi\engine
|--> ComputeEngine // server main, implements Compute
org\examples\rmi\compute
|--> Compute // interface
|--> Task // interface
Here's the main method in the ComputePi class:
if (System.getSecurityManager() == null) {
System.setSecurityManager(new SecurityManager());
}
try {
String name = "Compute";
// args[0] = 127.0.0.1, args[1] is irrelevant
Registry registry = LocateRegistry.getRegistry(args[0], 0);
Compute comp = (Compute) registry.lookup(name);
Pi task = new Pi(Integer.parseInt(args[1]));
BigDecimal pi = comp.executeTask(task);
System.out.println(pi);
}
catch (Exception e) {
System.err.println("ComputePi exception:");
e.printStackTrace();
}
Here's the main method in the ComputeEngine class:
if (System.getSecurityManager() == null) {
System.setSecurityManager(new SecurityManager());
}
try {
String name = "Compute";
Compute engine = new ComputeEngine();
Compute stub = (Compute) UnicastRemoteObject.exportObject(engine, 0);
Registry registry = LocateRegistry.getRegistry();
registry.rebind(name, stub);
System.out.println("ComputeEngine bound.");
}
catch (Exception e) {
System.err.println("ComputeEngine exception: ");
e.printStackTrace();
}
Here's the executeTask method, also in the ComputeEngine class:
public <T> T executeTask(Task<T> task) throws RemoteException {
if (task == null) {
throw new IllegalArgumentException("task is null");
}
return task.execute();
}
The RMI registry and server start up just fine. Here are the params for the server:
C:\Users\Public\RMI\server>set CLASSPATH=
C:\Users\Public\RMI\server>start rmiregistry
C:\Users\Public\RMI\server>java -Djava.rmi.server.codebase="file:/C:/Users/Public/RMI/compute.jar" -Djava.rmi.server.hostname=127.0.0.1 -Djava.security.policy=server.policy org.examples.rmi.engine.ComputeEngine
Here are the params for the client:
C:\Users\Public\RMI\client>java -Djava.rmi.server.codebase="file:/C:/Users/Public/RMI/compute.jar" -Djava.security.policy=client.policy org.examples.rmi.client.ComputePi 127.0.0.1 45
However, I get the following exception when I try to run the client:
java.rmi.ServerException: RemoteException occurred in server thread; nested exception is:
java.rmi.UnmarshalException: error unmarshalling arguments; nested exception is:
java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: org.examples.rmi.client.Pi
at sun.rmi.server.UnicastServerRef.dispatch(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.Transport$1.run(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.Transport$1.run(Unknown Source)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at sun.rmi.transport.Transport.serviceCall(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport.handleMessages(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler.run0(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler.run(Unknown Source)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(Unknown Source)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.StreamRemoteCall.exceptionReceivedFromServer(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.StreamRemoteCall.executeCall(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.server.UnicastRef.invoke(Unknown Source)
at java.rmi.server.RemoteObjectInvocationHandler.invokeRemoteMethod(Unknown Source)
at java.rmi.server.RemoteObjectInvocationHandler.invoke(Unknown Source)
at $Proxy0.executeTask(Unknown Source)
at org.examples.rmi.client.ComputePi.main(ComputePi.java:38)
Caused by: java.rmi.UnmarshalException: error unmarshalling arguments; nested exception is:
java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: org.examples.rmi.client.Pi
at sun.rmi.server.UnicastServerRef.dispatch(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.Transport$1.run(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.Transport$1.run(Unknown Source)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at sun.rmi.transport.Transport.serviceCall(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport.handleMessages(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler.run0(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler.run(Unknown Source)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(Unknown Source)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: org.examples.rmi.client.Pi
at java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(Unknown Source)
at java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(Unknown Source)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at java.net.URLClassLoader.findClass(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.Class.forName0(Native Method)
at java.lang.Class.forName(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.server.LoaderHandler.loadClass(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.server.LoaderHandler.loadClass(Unknown Source)
at java.rmi.server.RMIClassLoader$2.loadClass(Unknown Source)
at java.rmi.server.RMIClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.server.MarshalInputStream.resolveClass(Unknown Source)
at java.io.ObjectInputStream.readNonProxyDesc(Unknown Source)
at java.io.ObjectInputStream.readClassDesc(Unknown Source)
at java.io.ObjectInputStream.readOrdinaryObject(Unknown Source)
at java.io.ObjectInputStream.readObject0(Unknown Source)
at java.io.ObjectInputStream.readObject(Unknown Source)
at sun.rmi.server.UnicastRef.unmarshalValue(Unknown Source)
... 11 more
But if I add the Pi.class file to the server directory:
server
|
org\examples\rmi\engine
|--> ComputeEngine // server main, implements Compute
org\examples\rmi\compute
|--> Compute // interface
|--> Task // interface
org\examples\rmi\client
|--> Pi // same as Pi for client
The program works. My question is, does Pi.class really need to be on the server for my program to work? My understanding is (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that I send an instance of that class to the server, and the server would know what to do with it, i.e. it doesn't care about the implementation. Can someone explain how RMI is working in my case? I really appreciate it. Thanks!
You are trying to send a serialized object of a class that is unknown to the server.
When you execute:
Pi task = new Pi(Integer.parseInt(args[1]));
BigDecimal pi = comp.executeTask(task);
The server doesn't really know what is Pi. And since the Pi class is a part of your API, it should be loaded on server, too.
When I have an application that needs to execute something remotely, using for example RMI, Spring Remoting or similar, I divide my project in 3 projects: API, Server and Client. The API project will have all interfaces and model classes relevant to the functionality (this project will result in a jar, and is more or less like your computer JAR). The server will import the API JAR, will implement the interfaces and make the service available through an Remote layer (like you did with your server), and the client as you did with your client.
When you work with serialization, the class itself must be known by both sides. What is then transferred is the state of the objects in order to rebuild it on the other side.
Serialization is the mechanism used by RMI to pass objects between JVMs, either as arguments in a method invocation from a client to a server or as return values from a method invocation.
A bit of Serialization on RMI By William Grosso (October 2001). And here a bit more info.