//host:port/name
 

where host is the host (remote or local) where the registry is located, port is the port number on which the registry accepts calls, and where name is a simple string uninterpreted by the registry. Both host and port are optional. If host is omitted, the host defaults to the local host. If port is omitted, then the port defaults to 1099, the "well-known" port that RMI's registry, rmiregistry, uses.

Binding a name for a remote object is associating or registering a name for a remote object that can be used at a later time to look up that remote object. A remote object can be associated with a name using the Naming class's bind or rebind methods.

Once a remote object is registered (bound) with the RMI registry on the local host, callers on a remote (or local) host can lookup the remote object by name, obtain its reference, and then invoke remote methods on the object. A registry may be shared by all servers running on a host or an individual server process may create and use its own registry if desired (see java.rmi.registry.LocateRegistry.createRegistry method for details).