Thread: Java Applet executed by IE 7 browser

I have had experience in coding with old programming languages only.

My colleagues are using IE 7 in Win XP (32 bit) PCs environment to access an application system, and the application system which was developed with JBOSS technology is currently running in a J2EE architecture.

Now, when sending a html page to the application system/server by IE 7, there is a need to access a dispensing machine which can be controlled by sending commands to it via a serial communication port. It means that each PC will have it's own dispensing machine, and it is expected to write commands to the appropriate serial communication port for controlling purpose.

I'm performing a preliminary exploration of an appropriate solution. The initial thinking is to consider a JAVA applet for the client PC. I search a lot in the internet, but I cannot find an explicit answer. Can somebody confirm whether IE 7 can execute server-side program which can pass parameters to the JAVA applet & then activate it. If yes, I find two libraries for accessing serial port in the internet, namely JSSC (Java Simple Serial Connector) and JavaComm (RXTX). Which one should I use for programming ? what other issues should be considered by us during the development and implementation stages ? What other references should be read by me ? I study a book, and it informs me that the developed applet should be digitally signed with certificate by tools such as JarSigner tool. Is it correct ?


Thank you for your help in advance.

Originally Posted by copeg

You can do port communications directly via java: Trail: Custom Networking (The Java™ Tutorials) , the code responsible for the communication can be included within an applet to let the applet communicate to a remote server - the applet must be signed

Copeg, thank you for your reply. Does port communication mean usage of socket ? Please confirm. Thanks.