Remote Access to EJB on GlassFish

Enterprise Java Beans support local and remote client views. A local client view is suitable when the client and bean run in the same JVM, while a remote client view is required when the client connects from another JVM or from a distributed environment.

Local and Remote EJB Views

Create the GlassFish Environment

Create the EJB Application

Create a new project directory for the EJB module and the remote client files.

Create the Stateless Session Bean

package com;

import javax.ejb.Stateless;

@Stateless
public class EJBTest implements EJBTestRemote {

    @Override
    public String getName(String name) {
        return "name is: " + name;
    }
}

Create the Remote EJB Interface

package com;

import javax.ejb.Remote;

@Remote
public interface EJBTestRemote {
    public String getName(String name);
}

Build the EJB module and package it as an .ear archive.

Create the Remote Client

The client creates an initial naming context, connects to the GlassFish server through its Public IP, looks up the remote interface, and invokes the getName() method.

package ejbclient;

import com.EJBTestRemote;
import java.util.Properties;
import java.util.logging.Level;
import java.util.logging.Logger;
import javax.naming.InitialContext;
import javax.naming.NamingException;

public class Main {

    private static InitialContext ic;

    public void loadProperties(String h, String p) {
        try {
            Properties props = new Properties();

            props.setProperty(
                "java.naming.factory.initial",
                "com.sun.enterprise.naming.SerialInitContextFactory"
            );
            props.setProperty(
                "java.naming.factory.url.pkgs",
                "com.sun.enterprise.naming"
            );
            props.setProperty(
                "java.naming.factory.state",
                "com.sun.corba.ee.impl.presentation.rmi.JNDIStateFactoryImpl"
            );
            props.setProperty("org.omg.CORBA.ORBInitialHost", h);
            props.setProperty("org.omg.CORBA.ORBInitialPort", p);

            ic = new InitialContext(props);
        } catch (NamingException ex) {
            Logger.getLogger(Main.class.getName())
                  .log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
        }
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            new Main().loadProperties(
                "{GlassFish_Public_IP}",
                "23700"
            );

            EJBTestRemote bean =
                (EJBTestRemote) ic.lookup("com.EJBTestRemote");

            System.out.println(bean.getName("Jelastic"));
        } catch (NamingException ex) {
            Logger.getLogger(Main.class.getName())
                  .log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
        }
    }
}

Deploy and Test the Application

Expected Result

The remote Java client connects to GlassFish through its Public IP, resolves the remote EJB interface through JNDI, calls the session bean method, and receives the server response.

Important Notes

• Use a local interface when the client and bean run inside the same JVM.
• Use a remote interface when the client connects from another JVM.
• Replace {GlassFish_Public_IP} with the real Public IP of the GlassFish node.
• Ensure that the required EJB client libraries are available in the remote client project.
• Open the required network port only to trusted sources.
• The example uses the older javax.ejb package names shown in the source documentation.

Common Issues and Solutions