How does a client use the javax.transaction package?

Created Dec 14, 1999

Jerry Smith

Typically, a client that needs to perform multiple operations within a transactional unit simply obtains a UserTransaction object and uses its services. These services include:

begin()
commit()
getStatus()
rollback()
setRollbackOnly()
setTransactionTimeout()

In addition, of course, the client must deal with exceptions such as NotSupportedException, RollbackException, and others, and potentially, the status codes defined in the Status interface.

The following interfaces prescribe services that are used by application servers, for example, an EJB server, in communicating with and requesting services from a JTS transaction manager:

Synchronization
Transaction
TransactionManager

In general, there is no reason for a client to use these three interfaces. When an application employs these services, it has, by definition, crossed the line from client to application server. Middleware (application servers) exist for a reason, primarily to serve as an intermediary between lightweight clients and dedicated servers, for example, a database server. If a client needs the services of a JTS transaction manager, and these services are not provided by an existing application server, the client probably needs to be factored into a thin client(s) plus an application server. That is, the distributed application needs to implement a custom application server that insulates distributed clients from low-level transactional details.