CPE 4001 Distributed Programming using Java

Introduction

This assignment is basically the same as assignment one, but with a change of middleware. Instead of using sockets, you should use ONC, RMI, CORBA, SOAP, Jini or JXTA (or a combination). Most of the work you have done for assignment one should be reusable for this assignment - as long as your design and classes for assignment one follow O/O principles.

The Chapstick shopping centre is one of Australia's largest shopping centres and hosts a large number of shops of different kinds. Chapstick already has an extensive Web site, but is contemplating moving towards an online system to support ecommerce activities.

The shopping centre has exactly the same requirements as for the first assignment, but now wishes to experiment with other middleware technologies.

This assignment has graded levels. The simplest version will be given a Pass if done satisfactorily, but to gain higher grades more features will have to be added.

Details

You will need to implement a client and one or more servers, using a protocol at a higher level than sockets. This could be ONC, RMI, CORBA, SOAP, JXTA or some other protocol.

The client will need to be able to make the following requests to the Chapstick central server:

• What types of shops are currently in the shopping mall? The response should be a list such as: Men's apparel, Giftware, Toys/Games, etc.
• For a given shop type, what shops of that type are in the mall?
• Where is a particular shop located? This should be in "map coordinates" such as F15
• For a particular shop, what is its catalogue? The result should be a list of items sold by the shop and the price of each item
• Buy an item from a shop. The purchase request should include some credit card information
• Errors should be handled appropriately

Deliverables

You should hand in the following

• A statement of which level of assessment you are aiming at, and the parts you have completed
• A specification of all messages between client and server(s). This specification should include enough details about message formats that someone else could implement a client or server (in any language, not just Java) to handle the messages
• Finite state transition diagrams where appropriate
• UML diagrams showing the classes and their linkages
• Hard-copy listings of all classes for each client and server
• Electronic copies of all classes for each client and server
• Instructions about how to install and run each client and server

You will be asked to demonstrate your system during a tutorial.

Assignment levels

General comments:

• Whatever level you reached for the first assignment can be reused for the second assignment
• The quality of classes and of code for methods will be assessed. Comments about poor design or poor implementation from the first assignment will be expected to be fixed
• The levels discussed below are based on different middleware technologies. If you want to add one of the optional topics from assignment one which was not present in your version of assignment one, then you can add this to assignment two and increase the level that way. Note that some of these options will be hard: e.g. adding encryption to CORBA is not easy, and even harder for RMI.

Pass level

The following will get a Pass level

• Use of Sun's RPC/ONC for communication between one of the clients and servers; or
• Use of CORBA for communication between one of the clients and servers; or
• Use of RMI for communication between one of the clients and servers; or
• Use of SOAP for communication between one of the clients and servers

Extra level

The specification given above will gain a Pass grade if done satisfactorily. Higher grades will be given on completion of additional functionality. Each additional function will gain an extra grade (to a maximum of HD). The additional functions are

Multiple middleware

Each extra type of middleware used for communication between any client/server pair will gain an extra level. For example, if you have used RMI between a client and ChapStick, then use of CORBA between ChapStick and one shop and SOAP between ChapStick and another shop will count as two extra levels

Mixing middleware

Mixing two middleware technologies on one communication leg, such as:

• RMI and CORBA, with a bridge between them; or
• Using RMI over IIOP, with RMI on one side and CORBA on the other

Each mix will gain an extra level

Jini

Using Jini for dynamic service discovery will gain an extra level

JXTA

Using JXTA for peer-to-peer will gain an extra level

Group size

This assignment (and the next one) may be done in a group of two. While you may do this assignment individually, the marking scheme will be the same as for a group of two. You are encouraged to work in a group, with each partner doing one side each of the protocol, in order to discover the value of clear protocol specification.

Due date

The assignment is due by 4pm, Friday 21 October, the end of week 13. You can actually hand it in by 12 noon, Monday 24 October, but if you do that then you accept that this intrusion into the exam period is by your own choice.