Java Enterprise Best Practices

Distinguish Between Different Types of Remote Exceptions

Almost all RMI exceptions extend RemoteException. This can be very convenient because it makes generic code easier to write; you can simply catch RemoteException and be confident that you’ve caught all RMI-related exceptions. But it can also lead to programmer sloppiness. The different subclasses of RemoteException have very different meanings, and treating them generically is often a mistake.

Every RemoteException can be classified using four major attributes: what code throws it, when it will be thrown, why it will be thrown, and what this indicates about your application. Consider the following list, which classifies the nine most common remote exceptions along these axes.