computer science

Sun RPC

Sun RPC is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sun RPC rather than just read about it. In short: Open Network Computing (ONC) Remote Procedure Call (RPC), commonly known as Sun RPC is a remote procedure call system. ONC was originally developed by Sun Microsystems in the 1980s as part of their Network File System project.

Key takeaways

Sun RPC belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sun RPC to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sun RPC from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Open Network Computing (ONC) Remote Procedure Call (RPC), commonly known as Sun RPC is a remote procedure call system. ONC was originally developed by Sun Microsystems in the 1980s as part of their Network File System project. ONC is based on calling conventions used in Unix and the C programming language. It serializes data using the External Data Representation (XDR), which has also found some use to encode and decode data in files that are to be accessed on more than one platform. ONC then delivers the XDR payload using either UDP or TCP. Access to RPC services on a machine are provided via a port mapper that listens for queries on a well-known port (number 111) over UDP and TCP. ONC RPC version 2 was first described in RFC 1050 published in April 1988. In June 1988 it was updated by RFC 1057. Later it was updated by RFC 1831, published in August 1995. RFC 5531, published in May 2009, is the current version. All these documents describe only version 2 and version 1 was not covered by any RFC document. Authentication mechanisms used by ONC RPC are described in RFC 2695, RFC 2203, and RFC 2623. Implementations of ONC RPC exist in most Unix-like systems. Microsoft supplied an implementation for Windows in their (now discontinued) Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX product; in addition, a number of third-party implementation of ONC RPC for Windows exist, including versions for C/C++, Java, and .NET (see external links). In 2009, Sun relicensed the ONC RPC code under the standard 3-clause BSD license, which was reconfirmed by Oracle Corporation in 2010 following confusion about the scope of the relicensing.

See also XDR – The grammar defined in RFC 1831 is a small extension of the XDR grammar defined in RFC 4506. DCE XML-RPC

References Birrell, A. D.; Nelson, B. J. (1984). "Implementing remote procedure calls". ACM Transactions on Computer Systems. 2: 39–59. doi:10.1145/2080.357392. S2CID 11525846.

Notes

External links RFC 5531 - RPC: Remote Procedure Call Protocol Specification Version 2 (current version) RFC 1831 - RPC: Remote Procedure Call Protocol Specification Version 2 (third published version) RFC 1057 - RPC: Remote Procedure Call Protocol Specification Version 2 (second published version) RFC 1050 - RPC: Remote Procedure Call Protocol Specification Version 2 (first published version) Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) — A tutorial on ONC RPC by Dr Dave Marshall of Cardiff University Introduction to RPC Programming — A developer's introduction to RPC and XDR, from SGI IRIX documentation. Sun ONC Developer's guide Netbula's PowerRPC for Windows (ONC RPC for Windows with extended IDL) Netbula's JRPC (ONC RPC for Java)(supports J2SE, J2ME and Android ONC/RPC Implementation of the University of Aachen (Germany) Remote Tea (LGPL Java Implementation) Remote Tea .Net (LGPL C# Implementation) Distinct Corporation's ONC RPC for Windows Linux Journal article on ONC RPC Java NIO based ONC RPC library

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sun RPC

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sun RPC claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sun RPC before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sun RPC ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sun RPC

In research: Sun RPC appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sun RPC in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sun RPC is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Application layer protocols, Internet Standards, Remote procedure call, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sun RPC outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sun RPC in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sun RPC means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sun RPC out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sun RPC in simple terms?

Why does Sun RPC matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sun RPC?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sun RPC.