I'm Miguel Angel Llado, a Java programmer and Network Administrator. First, sorry for my english. I have visited your web page about Jdbc and I found it very useful and so interesting. In your web page, you put a link to a Java driver client/server solution to access remote databases. This software is called RmiJdbc. I have tried this software and I found it very useful (well, like your web page). But I found a big problem in RmiJdbc web site: the installation notes about RmiJdb are poor. I would like to explain you (if you are interested) and other people (you can publish my notes if you want) the correct installation and examples to use the RmiJdbc driver. It follows:
Well, that's all. I hope this helps. For more information, please e-mail me: Miguel Angel Llado . If something is wrong, I'm guilty. Congratulations for your web page.

Regards,

Miguel Angel
**********************************************
ICCE-Ciberaula
Miguel Angel Llado Caballero 
Network Administrator - UNIX Systems
Telephon Number: +34 1 725 72 00
**********************************************

Note: I've made a couple of changes to Miguel's letter, in the hope of making things clearer. -- Kurt B.

1. Set Up Machine for Database Access and Register Database Database Access (ODBC):

This instructions are explained in the JDBC web page.

2. Set Up JDBC and JDBC-ODBC

This is also described on the page referred to above.

3. Install RmiJdbc

Download RmiJdbc software. This software comes in two formats: gzip compressed and jar archive. If you download gzip file, uncompress it with gzip -d . If you download the jar file you don't need to uncompress it. Create a new directory in your hard drive. e.g., c:\classes. Copy RmiJdbc.jar in to it.

4. Update Your CLASSPATH, or Move RmiJdbc.jar into your current CLASSPATH

To your classpath, open the Windows NT Control Panel, open the System folder, and then choose the Enviroment tab. Set your CLASSPATH to this value (remember, the CLASSPATH must define complete path of your classes, including JDK classes; this is very important):

.;[JDK bin absolute path]\..\classes;[JDK bin absolute path]\..\lib\classes.zip;c:\clases\RmiJdbc.jar

You don't need restart Windows NT, but you must close your DOS window and open it again to reflect classpath changes.

5. Launch rmiregistry

Now, you are prepared to launch RmiJdbc server driver. First, open an MS-DOS console, change  to then JDK "bin" directory and run rmiregistry.exe.   Nothing apparently happens. Don't worry, the registry is updated.

6.  Launch RmiJDBC server

Open another MS-DOS window, go into JDK bin directory and type:

java RmiJdbc.RJJdbcServer sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver

7.  Install RMIJdbc on Clients

After you build this example, you can launch it using java.exe or appletviewer.exe in other machines connected to the database host on your local lan or the internet. But, remember: you need have RmiJdbc.jar in the classpath of these machines.

In Netscape, you need copy RmiJdbc.jar in Netscape directory, in \program\java\classes, in client machine. The database server, along with the applets, must be on an http server and the class files must be there.

Alternately, you can include the RMIJdbc classes with your class files, so that they are downloaded to the browser whenever your applet is downloaded.   This is slower (the file is about 900 K).   Remember you must use the ARCHIVE attribute of the applet tag to use a JAR file.   (ARCHIVE=RMIJdbc.jar)

A programmer I've worked opened up the RMI jar file and removed only the bare essentials needed for the client.  That jar file is at this location.    It should eliminate the need to put RmiJDBC.jar into the browser's class directories.    Note:  this JAR file appears to work, but it has not been heavily tested, nor is it an official part of RmiJDBC.  --kurt b.

Note:
the RmiJdbc Server uses internet names resolution, so be sure that your LAN has a DNS server. If it doesn't, add the LAN client names and the name of database server to the host file of database server, and add the same to host file of client machine. If you don't do this, the data access can take a loooong time.

What follows is a simple example application and a sample applet for testing RmiJDBC .    The RmiJDBC site contains a sample, also.   A somewhat more elaborate example included in these files:
 rjdemormi.java
 RmiJDBCDemo.html
 RmiDemo.jar .

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import java.sql.*;

class test {
  static public void main(String args[]) {
     Connection con;
     Statement sentence;
     ResultSet result;
     System.out.println("Starting Program...\n");
     try {
        Class.forName("RmiJdbc.RJDriver").newInstance();
     } catch (Exception e) {
       System.out.println("Can't load Rmi Driver.");                     
       return;
     }
     try {
       // Database URL. Tested with MS-Access 97.
       String url = "jdbc:odbc:test";

      // Database Host. IP number or Internet name, and port number.
      // RmiJdbc server installs it own in port 1099. You can change
this starting the server like this:
      // java RmiJdbc.RJJdbcServer -port [your port number]
sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver
       String rmiHost = new String("//myhost:1099");

       // Connection.
       con = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:rmi:" + rmiHost + "/" +
url, "", "");

       sentence = con.createStatement();
       try {
       result = sentence.executeQuery("SELECT * FROM TestTable");      
                                      
       while (result.next()) {
       String field1 = result.getString("TestField1");
       String field2 = result.getString("TestField2");
       System.out.println(field1 + " " + field2);
       }
       } catch (SQLException e) {};
     } catch (Exception e) {
       System.out.println("Something bad happen: " + e);
       return;
     }
   }
  }

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import java.sql.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.applet.Applet;

public class testapplet extends Applet {

     Connection con;
     Statement sentence;
     ResultSet result;
     String field1;
     String field2;
     TextArea status;
     Label comment;

  public void init() {

     comment = new Label("Database Results:");
     status = new TextArea("Launching program...\n", 10, 35);     
          setLayout(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.CENTER));
     add(comment);
     add(status);

     status.appendText("Connecting Database.\n");

     try {
       Class.forName("RmiJdbc.RJDriver").newInstance();
     } catch (Exception e) {
       //estado.appendText("Error: " + e);
       // above changed by kurt b. to:
       status.appendText("Error: " + e);
       return;
     }
     try {
        // Database URL.
       String url = "jdbc:odbc:test";

      // Database Host. IP number or Internet name, and port number.
      // RmiJdbc server installs it own in port 1099. You can change this starting the server like this:
      // java RmiJdbc.RJJdbcServer -port [your port number] sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver
      
       String rmiHost = new String("//myhost:1099");

       // Connection..
       con = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:rmi:" + rmiHost + "/" +  url, "", "");
       sentence = con.createStatement();
       try {
       result = sentence.executeQuery("SELECT * FROM TestTable");
       while (result.next()) {
          field1 = result.getString("TestField1");
          field2 = result.getString("TestField2");
          status.appendText(field1 + " " + field2 + "\n");
       }
       } catch (SQLException e) {};
     } catch (Exception e) {
       status.appendText("Error: " + e);
       return;
     }
   } // init            
 
}
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