Making calls outside the container

[Benjamin Weaver]

I'm new to EJBs and have the following question. Can I make a socket call to a remote server from within an EJB? For example, can I make such a socket call from within the onMessage() method of a MessageDrivenBean? Or delegate to an object that can make the socket call?

[Lasse Koskela]

You can, but the specification strongly suggests you not to. I wouldn't be too afraid of doing this as long as you know that you're breaking the spec and accept the possibility of side effects.

[Pradeep bhatt]

Socket clients are acceptable but not socket servers.
The EJB architecture allows an enterprise bean instance to be a network socket client, but it does not allow it to be a network server. Allowing the instance to become a network server would conflict with the basic function of the enterprise bean-- to serve the EJB clients.
[ August 28, 2003: Message edited by: Pradeep Bhat ]

[Lasse Koskela]

That's correct. I was too strict in my wording.

[Benjamin Weaver]

Thanks! This is all very useful. Indeed I had a socket client in mind. As you remark, a socket server would be a redundancy.