Remember SUNs motto: "The Network is the computer"

"Jini is possibly the most compelling reason to write in Java," says Sun (ex) CEO Scott McNealy. "The nice advantage is, if you can write in Java, you can write in Jini today."

S. Plamondon, "Jini, Sun's Magic Out of the Lamp", JavaWorld, February 1999, Available: online

Jini is a set of Java networking protocols intended to make Java-based devices or services network mobile. The Jini connection technology is presented as a new system architecture that brings to the network the facilities of distributed computing, network-based services, seamless expansion, reliable smart devices, and ease of administration. Jini connection technology requires the following:

• an infrastructure which operates as a dynamically distributed system
• a common language and implementation that enables low-overhead communication between distributed objects
• a lookup service (which identifies objects that supply those services)
• an add-in protocol which is implemented on each device--called the discovery/join protocol
• a subtract-out mechanism--providing resilience when a device is unplugged--which is called leasing

Jini is thus comprised of five new extensions to Java networking functionality: Discovery, Lookup, Leasing, Remote Events, and Transactions.

General Jini information.