Performance of distributed database application models using Java RMI

Java RMI/sup TM/ (remote method invocation) technology provides programmers with clean abstractions and simplified semantics for implementing parallel distributed programs on networks of heterogenous computing machines. This technology is being applied to many classes of applications in both the scientific/technical and business domains. From a performance perspective, is Java RMI technology a practical mode of expression for parallel distributed programs, and if so, what are the guidelines for architecting such programs? In this paper, we discuss the problem of expressing a parallel distributed program in Java and using Java RMI. To gauge the practicality of such an approach, we introduce a parametric benchmark based on artificially generated parallel distributed database programs. We then present an analysis of the observed performance of these programs on a network of workstations.