Jiro clarifies SUN’s open intentions

1999-07-14

Yesterday, SUN announced the launch of its Jiro initiative, which aims to provide a cross-platform standard for the management of storage devices. So what’s it all about?

Essentially, Jiro refers to the provision of a set of Java APIs for storage management such that applications can access storage resources directly, regardless of what operating system is being run. Jiro does not provide storage management functionality (such as that from Veritas), nor does it affect the underlying storage protocols or architectures. Rather, it acts as a middle layer, enabling applications to work with resources without having to reinvent code.

Jiro runs on the Java Virtual Machine, and this is how it retains its machine independence. Jiro also depends on Jini, the SUN directory initiative, for a number of services including discovery of storage resources.

It would probably be a little harsh to accuse SUN of sinister motives, but J-based software standards would seem to be moving into domains far removed from the original ambitions of Java. The JVM is essentially a stripped down, free operating system: through JVM extensions such as Jini and Jiro, plus application support through the Enterprise Java Bean specification, Java is starting to encroach on areas which are worth a lot of money to certain players. Such facilities, it could be argued, reduce the need for an operating system to a device-specific microkernel – maybe they don’t yet, but there is every reason that they will in the future.

In fact, the net result of Java-based “open standards” is to encourage commoditisation of operating system software and hence to reduce its relevance. This, clearly, increases focus on both the developed applications and the underlying hardware. SUN’s market is clearly the latter; it is fascinating to see how many applications vendors are also buying into this vision. Consider this: Microsoft were sued for modifying Java to encourage use of their own operating system. But can Microsoft sue a standards body (which is the ultimate home of the Java-based family) for promoting “standards” which directly encroach on its own territory? Of course it can’t. While we welcome the arrival of cross-platform resource management from the application development standpoint, we would do well to remember that there is more than one way to rule the IT world, and SUN’s aspirations are no different to anyone else’s.

(First published 14 July 1999)