Section 1.6. Other Enterprise APIs

1.6. Other Enterprise APIs

We have decided not to include several enterprise APIs in this nutshell book, for a variety of reasons. In most cases, it was due to prioritizing space for other tools that we felt were more important to a larger population of readers.

In the area of web services, the Java API for XML Registries (JAXR) provides a standard API for interacting with web service registries implemented using UDDI or ebXML, standard web service registry protocols. JAXR is not covered here, because despite the initial enthusiasm over web services and the current maturity of basic web service tools and APIs, the practice of creating web service registries remains a relatively niche concern. Large organizations creating broad service-oriented architectures (SOAs) may find effective use for UDDI and ebXML registries, but for many contexts, web services talking SOAP and described using WSDL are enough, so we've kept our coverage to JAX-RPC and SAAJ. Readers are encouraged to consult Java Web Services by Dave Chappell and Tyler Jewell (O'Reilly) for details on using JAXR.

The Java Management Extensions (JMX) provide a standard framework for creating distributed management and monitoring capabilities. The things being managed and monitored could be applications, devices, external services, or any critical enterprise capability. We've omitted JMX and related standards like the J2EE Management specification from the book because of their somewhat narrow domain of use. Full details on JMX can be found in Java Management Extensions by J. Steven Perry (O'Reilly).

Enterprise systems can be global not only in terms of server locations but also in terms of user population. Web applications, by definition, are potentially accessible worldwide, and in some cases it is important to consider the need to internationalize and localize your applications. Internationalization refers to the ability of systems to behave properly when used with different languages and display standards. Localization refers to the ability of an application to adjust itself to local conditions, such as time zone and personal display preferences. In the interest of space, we do not discuss the topics of internationalization or localization of Java applications (enterprise or otherwise). The interested reader, however, should refer to Java Internationalization by Andy Deitsch and David Czarnecki, the Java Servlet and JSP Cookbook by Bruce W. Perry, or Java Servlet Programming by Jason Hunter, all from O'Reilly.