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Programming Stand-alone Clients

# Overview of Stand-alone Clients

In the context of this document, a stand-alone client is a client that has a runtime environment independent of WebLogic Server. (Managed clients, such as Web Services, rely on a server-side container to provide the runtime necessary to access a server.) Stand-alone clients that access WebLogic Server applications range from simple command line utilities that use standard I/O to highly interactive GUI applications built using the Java Swing/AWT classes. The following sections provide an overview:

- RMI-IIOP Clients
- BEA T3 (RMI) Clients
- CORBA Clients
- Client Types and Features

# RMI-IIOP Clients

IIOP can be a transport protocol for distributed applications with interfaces written in Java RMI. For more information, see:

- Developing a J2EE Application Client (Thin Client)
- WebLogic JMS Thin Client
- Developing a J2SE Client
- Developing a WLS-IIOP Client

For more information, see "Using RMI over IIOP" in Programming WebLogic RMI.

# BEA T3 (RMI) Clients

A T3 client is a Java RMI client that uses BEA's proprietary T3 protocol to communicate with WebLogic Server.

For more information, see:

- Developing T3 Clients
- "Using WebLogic RMI with T3 Protocol" in Programming WebLogic RMI.

# CORBA Clients

If you are not working in a Java-only environment, you can use IIOP to connect your Java programs with Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) clients and execute CORBA objects. IIOP can be a transport protocol for distributed applications with interfaces written in Interface Definition Language (IDL) or Java RMI. However, the two models are distinctly different approaches to creating an interoperable environment between heterogeneous systems. When you program, you must decide to use either IDL or RMI interfaces; you cannot mix them.WebLogic Server supports the following CORBA client models:

- Developing a CORBA/IDL Client
- Developing Clients for CORBA Objects
- Developing a WebLogic C++ Client for a Tuxedo ORB

# Client Types and Features

The following table lists the types of clients supported in a WebLogic Server environment, and their characteristics, features, and limitations.

Table 2-1 WebLogic Server Client Types and Features

Client | Type | Language | Protocol | Client Class Requirements | Key Features
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
J2EE Application Client (Thin Client) (Introduced in WebLogic Server 8.1) | RMI | Java | IIOP | `wlclient.jar` JDK 1.4 and higher | Supports WLS clustering. Supports many J2EE features, including security and transactions. Supports SSL. Uses CORBA 2.4 ORB. See Developing a J2EE Application Client (Thin Client).
JMS Thin Client (Introduced in WebLogic Server 8.1) | RMI | Java | IIOP | `wljmsclient.jar` `wlclient.jar` JDK 1.4 and higher | Thin client functionality WebLogic JMS, except for client-side XML selection for multicast sessions and JMSHelper class methods. See WebLogic JMS Thin Client.
T3 | RMI | Java | T3 | `weblogic.jar` | Supports WLS-Specific features. Fast, scalable. No CORBA inter-operability. See Developing T3 Clients.
J2SE | RMI | Java | IIOP | no WebLogic classes | Provides connectivity to WLS environment. Does not support WLS-specific features. Does not support many J2EE features. Uses CORBA 2.3 ORB. Requires use of `com.sun.jndi.cosnaming`. CNCtxFactory. See Developing a J2SE Client.
WLS-IIOP (Introduced in WebLogic Server 7.0) | RMI | Java | IIOP | `weblogic.jar` | Supports WLS-Specific features. Supports SSL. Fast, scalable. Not ORB-based. See Developing a WLS-IIOP Client.
CORBA/IDL | CORBA | Languages that OMG IDL maps to, such as C++, C, Smalltalk, COBOL | IIOP | no WebLogic classes | Uses CORBA 2.3 ORB. Does not support WLS-specific features. Does not support Java. See Developing a CORBA/IDL Client.
C++ Client | CORBA | C++ | IIOP | Tuxedo libraries | Interoperability between WLS applications and Tuxedo clients/services. Supports SSL. Uses CORBA 2.3 ORB. See Developing a WebLogic C++ Client for a Tuxedo ORB.
Tuxedo Server and Native CORBA client | CORBA or RMI | C++ | Tuxedo- General- Inter-Orb-Protocol (TGIOP) | Tuxedo libraries | Interoperability between WLS applications and Tuxedo clients/services. Supports SSL and transactions. Uses CORBA 2.3 ORB. See Developing Clients for CORBA Objects.