Jini and Rmi utilisation for a particulary case..

Question

I have to write a application which is going to connect our server to different hospitals infromatque system.
The application would provide a user interface in hospital side wich is going to make them able to send us a inventory file(fromated differently for each hospital with their own informatiqe system).
The application have also to change the the file format befor stored in our data-base(each information have to go to different table)
My supervisor ask me to look Jini and Rmi technologie for this application..
So far i read some information about both technologie..but still i'm wondering my self is Jini or Rmi have a real use in this case.
If your are masterd in those technologie and java networking device woud you help me up ?
Could you tell me if those technologie have to be realy use in this case or there is other solution with java programming.
Thank's
Astiage Ghassemian

Answer 1

Jini is a high level framework that a computer to easily locate a service provider in a network and get the service. So your case does not need such a framework because in your case, just like most of todays application, the service is provided only by your server and you know where it is and what it does. You just need something a one level lower than Jini that actually does the communication - RMI. Jini runs only top of any other lower level protocol including RMI. Detailed description of Jini:
Jini technology is an architecture for the construction of systems from objects and networks. The Jini architecture lets programs use services in a network without knowing anything about the wire protocol that the service uses. One implementation of a service might be XML-based, and another RMI-based, and a third CORBA-based. The client is, in effect, taught by each service how to talk to it. A service is defined by its programming API, declared as a Java programming language interface.
When a service is plugged into a network of Jini technology-enabled services and/or devices, it advertises itself by publishing a Java programming language object that implements the service API. This object's implementation can work in any way the service chooses. The client finds services by looking for an object that supports the API. When it gets the service's published object, it will download any code it needs in order to talk to the service, thereby learning how to talk to the particular service implementation via the API. The programmer who implements the service chooses how to translate an API request into bits on the wire using UPnP, RMI, CORBA, or a private protocol.
In other words, the Jini architecture uses objects that move around the network to make each service, as well as the entire network of services, adaptable to new strategies over time.