ECE/CS 4984

Wireless and Mobile Systems Design

Spring 2003

Lecture 3
Middleware Fundamentals

Ing-Ray Chen
Copyright Reserved

Lecture Objectives
• Understand role of middleware
• Understand unique requirements of wireless and
mobile applications that middleware should address
• Understand mobile computational models and
functionality supported by various middleware
platforms

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 Sources
• S. Helal, “Pervasive Java,” IEEE Pervasive
Computing, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2002, pp. 82-85 and Vol. 1,
No. 2, 2002, pp. 85-89.
• C. Neable, “The .NET Compact Framework,” IEEE
Pervasive Computing, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2002, pp. 84-87.
• A. Tripath, “Challenges in designing next-generation
middleware systems,” Communications on the ACM,
Vol. 45, No. 6, June 2002, pp. 39-42.
• http://www.wapforum.org/ - for WAP
• http://www.wapforum.com/ - for WAP
• F.P. Coyle, Wireless Web, Addison-Wesley, 2001.

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Agenda
• Characteristics of mobile wireless applications
• Role of middleware
• Desirable functionality of mobile middleware
• Overview of mobile middleware for application
developments
• Building your first iPAQ applications with GUI using
the following middleware:
! Sun’s Java Wireless Toolkit and Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME)
! Microsoft’s Embedded Visual Tool (eVT) with application
wizards

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 Middleware for Mobile Application
Developments
• Client-server computational model:
! Wireless application protocol (WAP)
! Wireless web access
" Server: Microsoft’s Mobile Internet Toolkit (MIT)
" Client: Microsoft’s eMbedded Visual Tool, Sun’s Java 2
Micro Edition, Microsoft’s .NET Compact Framework
• Peer-to-peer and ad hoc computational model:
! Intel/Microsoft Universal Plug and Play (UPnP)
! Jini/J2ME
! Service Location Protocol (SLP)
• Pervasive (or ubiquitous) computing
! Context-sensitive middleware: Transparency vs. awareness
• Data services in wireless mobile environments

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Characteristics of Wireless and Mobile

Applications
• Resource-poor on mobile devices
! Limited memory/buffer space (no disk typically)
! Small screen
! Low processing capability
! Low battery power
• Locations of mobile devices are subject to frequent
changes due to mobility
• Limited and fluctuated wireless bandwidth
• Unreliable communication
• Forced or voluntary disconnection
! Disconnected operations (read/write) require system supports
on data caching, pre-fetching and integration.
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 Role of Middleware
• Middleware is defined as services
provided by a layer in between
the operating system and the Applications
applications
• Middleware provides an abstract User Profile and
interface that gives an application QoS Policy
developer a uniform view of low-
level operating systems and Middleware
networks Services and Protocols
• In wireless mobile environments,
middleware must be flexible to
enable adaptation to changes in Network and Operating
the underlying operating systems System Resources
and networks, and to changes in
application requirements
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Desirable Middleware Functionality

• Optimization – data compression
• Transformation – data format transformation to suit various
device specifications
! HTML pages to WML (for WAP 1.0) and vice versa
! SOAP/XML for web services: from XML to xHTML (for WAP 2.0 and
future i-mode) or cHTML (for existing i-mode phone devices)
• Security and privacy
• Mobility support
! Location transparency (ad hoc communication) vs. awareness
• Service discovery support
• Disconnected operation support
• Context-aware adaptability
! Status of the host device, the user, the surrounding environment,
and the interactions between the host device and other devices
• Platform independence – same program can be downloaded and
run over a wide variety of devices and platforms
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 WAP and Wireless Web Access
• Data transformation
! The WAP gateway performs
data transformation between
WML (or XHTML) and HTML
• Data compression Encoded Encoded
! Technique are used for dealing request Response
with images/graphics (WML)
• Adaptability
! User profile and device WAP Gateway
characteristics are stored in the
WAP gateway
• Security Request Response
! SEP (Secure Enterprise Proxy (e.g., HTTP) (e.g., HTML)
using 128-bit encryption) in
WAP 1.2
• Service discovery and mobility
support Web
! WAP’s “walled garden” – WAP
Server
gateways are provided by ISP
such as AOL

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J2ME – Java for Hand-Held Devices

• Platform independence
! The same byte-code Java application (e.g.,
a MIDlet created based on the MIDP API)
can be downloaded and executed by all
java-enabled devices
! Pre-verification at compile time to verify if Byte-code Java Applications
an application can run with J2ME’s KVM (e.g., MIDlets) dynamically
• Data compression delivered to mobile devices
! A MIDlet application comes with a JAD
metafile containing instructions for
uncompressing the application in
compressed JAR (Java Archive) format
• Security
! Java Card technology using public key
! A downloaded Java program must have a
legal digital signature to execute
• Service discovery
! JINI based on Java service objects

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 J2ME Architecture

• Profile layer: minimum

set of APIs available for
the specified underlying
configuration

Personal
• Configuration layer:
profile defining a minimum set
of JVM features and core
Mobile Information Java class libraries
Foundation profile
Device (MID) profile available on a particular
category of devices
Connected Device
Configuration
Connected, Limited
Device Configuration
• JVM layer (bottom layer)

C virtual machine Kilobyte Virtual Machine

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Setup J2ME/MIDP Runtime Environment

on iPAQ/Pocket PC
• Sun Microsystems has J2ME applications
released JVM with MIDP for
PDAs (with PalmOS), but is (MIDP)
not continuing development
of JVM for PocketPC (with
Windows CE). ME4SE
• To setup the J2ME (including J2ME emulator)
environment on iPAQ/Pocket
PC, you need to first install
the Jeode JVM that provides Jeode JVM
Personal Java 1.2 support.
(Personal Java)
• Then, a software package
called “me4se” that includes
a simulator for MIDP devices iPAQ/Pocket
based on Personal Java
needs to be installed. on Windows CE

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 HelloJ2ME – Hello World MIDlet
import javax.microedition.midlet.*;
import javax.microedition.lcdui.*;

public class HelloJ2ME extends MIDlet implements CommandListener

{
private Display display; private TextField tfHello;
private Command cmExit; private Form fmMain;
public HelloJ2ME()
{
//Get a handle to the display object
display = Display.getDisplay(this);
//Create the main form
fmMain = new Form("HelloJ2ME");
//Create the exit command button
cmExit = new Command("Exit", Command.SCREEN,1);
//Create a single-line text field 15 characters long with the label “ECE/CS 4984"
tfHello = new TextField(“ECE/CS 4984","Hello World!",15,TextField.ANY);
//Add the components to the form and set up the command listener
fmMain.addCommand(cmExit); fmMain.append(tfHello);
fmMain.setCommandListener(this);
}
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HelloJ2ME – Hello World MIDlet (cont.)

public void startApp()
{
//set fmMain as the active object
display.setCurrent(fmMain);
}
public void pauseApp() { /*app is being paused*/ }
public void destroyApp(boolean unconditional) { /*app is being ended*/ }
public void commandAction(Command c, Displayable s)
{
//click on the Exit button
if (c == cmExit)
{
//destroyApp must be called manually
destroyApp(false);
//ask the manager to end the app
notifyDestroyed();
}
}}
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 Build your First J2ME MIDlet Application
using Sun’s J2ME Wireless Toolkit
• Create a new project
“HelloJ2ME”
• Create a Java source file
using Notepad and put
the file under
C:\WTK104\apps\HelloJ2
ME\src
• Build HelloJ2ME
• Run HelloJ2ME on a
selected emulator
• Input: Can use the
keyboard on the PC
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Deploy and Run your First J2ME MIDlet

Application on an iPAQ
• To deploy the MIDlet onto an iPAQ,
package the MIDlet first
! Create a MIDlet package from
Project -> Package -> Create
Package using Sun’s J2ME
Wireless Toolkit
• Copy HelloJ2ME.jar created to the
iPAQ’s /Windows folder
• On the iPAQ, execute Jeode with
appropriate program arguments:
! -cp
/Windows/me4se.jar;/Windows/png
.jar;/Windows/HelloJ2ME.jar
org.me4se.MIDletRunner
HelloJ2ME
• Input: use stylus on the iPAQ or
use keyboard on a “Remote
Display Control” PC host

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 Microsoft’s .NET Compact Framework

• .NET CF (as part of .NET Framework) is based on

Microsoft’s Common Language Infrastructure (CLI)
standard
! Source code and complied binaries (in MSIL - Microsoft
Intermediate Language) can run across CLI-based
heterogeneous devices
! Microsoft’s common language runtime (CLR) is sort of like
Sun’s JVM for the reason of platform independence
• .NET CF allows smart devices to easily access
remote (server) data using the Internet standard
protocols such as XML-based SOAP and WSDL (Web
Service Description Language)
! XML Web services is central to Microsoft .NET framework
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.NET CF Architecture for dealing with

Device Heterogeneity
• On top of the host operating system
is the platform adaptation layer (PAL)
tailored for a specific platform
Applications
• Build on top of the PAL is the CLR
that runs MSIL and uses Just-in-time .NET
Windows forms, XML/SOAP
(JIT) compiler to convert MSIL to CF
web services, ADO.NET
native code
• On top of CLR is a set of CLI- CLI-compliant
compliant base class libraries that Base Classes Compiled
provide building block functionality Into
for all applications including basic CLR execution
MSIL
file I/O, networking and XML handling
• Available to applications in .NET CF
Platform Adaptation
are: windows forms library for JIT
windows CE, XML web services, and Layer (PAL) to
ADO.NET (the remote data-access native
technology available in Microsoft’s Host Operating System code
.NET framework)

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 Mobile Data Access in .NET CF

• ADO .NET (Active Data Object) lets

mobile applications access Microsoft
SQL Server 2000 on remote servers or
SQL Server CE
access a SQL Server CE locally on the
(CSI)
device
• Disconnected mode support: SQL caching synchronization
Server CE lets applications cache Internet
large volumes of data (tens of Internet Information
MBytes), read, and update in Server
disconnected mode (SSI)
• SQL Server CE provides
synchronization mechanisms for
changes made upon reconnection SQL Server

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Middleware Functionality in .NET CF

• Platform independence
! The same .NET MSIL-code application
can be downloaded and executed by CLR
enabled devices
• Optimization MSIL-code .NET Applications
! Proxy protocols can be designed to can be dynamically
delivered to CLR-enabled
optimize performance using techniques
such as forms differencing mobile devices

• Data Transformation: XML to HTML,

XHTML, cHTML, WML is transformed
automatically in .NET technology (at the
server end)
• Disconnected operations
! Data caching, pre-fetching and
synchronization available using Microsoft
SQL server 2000 on the remote server
and SQL CE on the local device
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 User Interface Design on Pocket PC
• User Interface design constraints
! A small, portrait-oriented, touch-sensitive screen
! User input with an input panel and the stylus (pointer)
" Single-tap: opening an item
" A tap and hold: displaying a pop-up menu or a tip
• Normally no “Close” button is necessary:
! Pocket PC automatically closes idle applications as more
memory is needed
• Normally no “Save” button is necessary:
! The pocket PC relies on application’s “autosave” to retain
user data, so no data loss would occur when switching
applications or powering down

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User Interface Design on Pocket PC

(cont.)
• System-level and
Start
navigation actions at
the top of the screen Navigation
! Start Menu, Navigation bar
Bar (top)
• Application-level and
editing actions at the
bottom of the screen
! Menu bar (also called
command bar)
! Input Panel Button: far
side of the command bar
Command
(menu) bar Input
Keyboard (on/off)
option
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 Pocket PC User Interface Controls
• Buttons • Combo boxes
• Check boxes • Up/Down controls
• Option buttons • Date/Time pickers
• Command bars • MonthCal controls
• Tool bars • List views
• ToolTips • Header controls
• Menus • Tree views
• Pop-up menus • Group Line Separators
• Message boxes • Scroll bars
• Property sheets • Sliders
• Tabs • Status bars
• Text boxes • Progress bars
• List boxes
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Microsoft’s Embedded Visual Tool

• Microsoft’s Embedded Visual Tool is an integrated
development environment (IDE) for creating mobile
applications and system components
• A wide range of processors and Windows CE based
platforms are supported with emulation:
! Pocket PC
! Palm-size PC
! Handheld PC
• Programming languages supported include
eMbedded Visual Basic® and eMbedded Visual C++®

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 Build Your First Pocket PC Application
with GUI using Microsoft’s eVC++ (1)
• Building a Pocket PC application with GUI:
! Use the eVC++ IDE Application Wizard to create the shell
of your application instead of from scratch
! Use the Resource Editor to create menus and resources,
such as dialog boxes
! Use “drag and drop” to put UI controls in your
application and fill in the event code for control actions
• Running your GUI application
! Select project configuration
" Run/debug in the emulation environment
" Release/deploy the project to Pocket PC
! Set the active WCE configuration
" Choose platform/device: WIN32 WCE/Pocket PC
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Build Your First Pocket PC Application

with GUI using Microsoft’s eVC++ (2)
• Create a
project
from
eVC++
• Select the
MFC
AppWizard
(exe) to
create
executable From Pocket PC SDK
files

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 Build Your First Pocket PC Application
with GUI using Microsoft’s eVC++ (3)
• Types of
Applications:
! Single
Document with
Doc List
! Single
Document
Interface (SDI)
! Dialog based
• All are forms-
based
! Dialog-based
is the simplest

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Build Your First Pocket PC Application

with GUI using Microsoft’s eVC++ (4)
• A single document
interface (SDI), forms-
based application allows
only one instance of a
particular form to run at a
time. However, it is
possible to run different
forms at the same time by
selecting a new form from
the “New” command
! “New”, “Edit”, “Tools”
menus in the menu bar are
created automatically
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 Build Your First Pocket PC Application
with GUI using Microsoft’s eVC++ (5)
• When a single document with
Doc List application is created,
a Doc List control is also added
to the UI
• All Folders also lets you see
files that are saved in the root
of the My Documents folder.
The folders shown in the menu
are subfolders of My
Documents
• “New”, and “Tools” menus are
created automatically in the
menu bar by the AppWizard
! The developer then insert code
into event handler routines
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Build Your First Pocket PC Application

with GUI using Microsoft’s eVC++ (6)
• Use the “drag
and drop”
feature to add text
UI controls to
button
the main
dialog of your
application
• Change
properties of
controls:
! Caption
! ID
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 Build Your First Pocket PC Application
with GUI using Microsoft’s eVC++ (7)
• Add event-
handling code
to UI controls
in response to
input, e.g., to button
a text control,
or to a button
control, etc.
• Double click
on a control to
bring up the
code insertion
interface

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eVC++ Example – A Standalone

Stock Quote Client
void CLab3Dlg::OnGo()
{
CListBox * resList = (CListBox *)GetDlgItem(IDC_RESULTS); // display in a listbox
CEdit * symbol = (CEdit *)GetDlgItem(IDC_SYMBOL ); // user input in an edit box
CString strSymbol ; // hold stock entered by the user
char buf[40]; // hold randomly generated stock quote

// get the stock symbol entered by user from the edit box
symbol->GetWindowText(strSymbol) ;
// generate a stock price in the range of 20*(1+[-10%,10%])
sprintf( buf, "%6f", 20 *(1 + (rand() % 20 -10)/100.0));
// insert the result into the list box for display
resList->InsertString(0, strSymbol + “\t” + CString(buf) );
}
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 Debugging and Deployment in eVC++

• Applications can be debugged locally using an

emulator and then deployed remotely on the device
• Local debugging
! Run the application on an emulator

• deployment
! Deploy and run the application on the iPAQ

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Local Debugging on Emulation vs.

Remote Execution on Device
Emulator VS. iPAQ

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 J2ME Code for the Standalone Stock
Quote Application
import javax.microedition.midlet.*;
import javax.microedition.lcdui.*;
import java.util.*;
import javax.microedition.io.*;

public class lab3_j2me extends MIDlet implements CommandListener {

Form mainForm = new Form ("StockQuotes");
TextField symbolField = new TextField ("Symbol","A001",5, TextField.ANY);
StringItem resultItem = new StringItem ("", "");
Command getCommand=new Command ("Get", Command.SCREEN, 1);

public lab3_j2me () {
mainForm.append (symbolField);
mainForm.append (resultItem);
mainForm.addCommand (getCommand);
mainForm.setCommandListener (this);
}

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J2ME Code for the Standalone Stock

Quote Application (Cont.)
public void startApp ()
{ Display.getDisplay (this).setCurrent (mainForm); }

public void pauseApp () { }

public void destroyApp (boolean unconditional) { }

public void commandAction (Command c, Displayable d)

{
// build request string
String symbol = symbolField.getString ();
resultItem.setLabel ("Price of " + symbol);
resultItem.setText (" " + Integer.toString((int)symbol.charAt(0)) );
}
}

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