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Andy Riedel and Ken Scott
 

Dr. Jeffrey M. Capone
Pramod Immaneni (left)
Aligo Inc.

 

Keeping mobile data and applications in sync with Java


A server-side application requires that that you connect a client device to a network for all transactions. Today, users increasingly employ distributed clients with intermittent connectivity, such as cellular phones and PDAs to access multiple server-side applications and data. Such clients (referred to as disconnected clients), need applications that can operate offline and connect to the server only when necessary. The client and the server need to share data for such applications so that it can be available to the client even when it is offline.

 
When you share data between two or more applications you must synchronize (or merge) the shared data. Synchronization refers to the reconciliation of changes among multiple instances of the data according to a set of rules dictating which instance wins. In this example, either the client data wins or the server data wins.
 
The article applies to intermediate to senior level Java and J2EE developers.
 
Sample files
Before you begin, download the code examples for this tutorial.
Windows   Macintosh
Download the sample file offline_java.zip (9K)   Download the sample file offline_java.sit (9K)

 
 
This article covers the following topics:
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Understanding synchronization
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Creating an offline synchronization framework
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Using the framework
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Finishing up: final suggestions and considerations
 
 
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About the authors
Dr. Capone is a nationally known Java expert who has spent the past decade researching wireless applications.  As Aligo's CTO, Dr. Capone leads the technology development and is principal architect of the innovative M-1 Server.  Before Aligo, he was an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University and Director of the Network Engineering and Wireless Telecom Lab.  Dr. Capone is a recipient of the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and sits on numerous technical committees, including the Java Community Process (JCP) JSR-127 Expert Group.  He is a regular speaker at wireless and Java conferences, and a frequent contributor to publications such as Java Developer's Journal.

Pramod Immaneni is a software architect at Aligo, where he designs and develops mobile solutions for the company.  He most recently architected Aligo's unique end-to-end Java mobile synchronization solution. With six years of networking experience and an emphasis on wireless networks, Immaneni has developed applications such as voice and video conferencing over both wired and wireless networks.  He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from IIT Madras and Arizona State University, respectively.