Obtain remote interface using PortableRemoteObject

Question

Hello,
I have sample code from "Applying Enterprinse JavaBeans" book.
Plan plan = (Plan)PortableRemoteObject.narrow(
it.next(), Plan.class);
... plan.getPlanInfo() ...
here:
Plan is a remote interface of the entity bean (e.g.. MyPlanBean).
getPlanInfo() is one of the business methods in Plan.
In this case, the remote interface is obtained by using PortableRemoteObject.narrow(...). could anyone explane the creation using the concept of life cycle of an entity bean instance? That means if any ejbCreate() methods or any callback methods are involved in the creation or not?
Thanks.

Answer 1

I am not sure if you are doing the right thing.
The home interface represents the life-cycle methods of the component (create, destroy, find) while the remote interface represents the business method of the bean.
Clients use the bean's home interface to obtain references to the bean's remote interface. Following is the life-cycle of
entity bean creation:
1. Client invokes create() on home object
2. Home object allocates a bean from the free pool
3. Home object passes on the create args to the ejbCreate(..)
in the bean
4. the bean inserts a row into the database table
5. the bean returns the primary key of the row to the home object
6. The container creates an EJB object for the bean and populates
it with the primary key
7. The home object calls the ejbPostCreate() on the bean
8. The home object returns the remote reference to the EJB
object back to the client
9. Client now makes business calls to the bean instance.
No bean instance is associated with the EJB object
10. EJB object communicates to the container that a bean
instance is needed
11. The container allocates a bean instance from the pool
and associates it with the EJB object (ejbActivate() is called)
12. home object invokes the ejbLoad method on the bean to
tell it to load itself(BMP) or to tell it that it has just been
loaded (CMP)
13. the bean uses the primary key stored in the EJB object to load the approp row's data from the database
14. EJB object dispatches the client's business method call to the
bean
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Sun-DTS