Configuring distributed systems in a Java-based environment

Two advances in system design over the past decade are brought together to enhance the process of building distributed systems. Component-based programming separates the construction of computational units from their configuration into complex systems. An accepted technique for configuring components is to use an architectural description language such as Darwin. The resulting system then runs on an environment such as Regis. Java then emphasises the presence of the network, and thereby facilitates large scale distributed programming. The design, implementation and assessment of Jaden, a runtime environment written in and based on Java, which will support component-based programming are presented. Though most of the functions of Darwin´s Regis environment are present in Jaden (Java-based distribution environment), its internal structure is very different. Results show that using Java´s built-in networking makes for a simpler system with controllable system overhead and good scalability properties