public boolean sendKeepAlive(){
  try {
    if (!isConnected())     return false;
    _requestPacket.set(LRMIRuntime.DUMMY_OBJECT_ID,0,new Object[]{},true,false,_dummyMethod,-1,OperationPriority.REGULAR,_serviceVersion);
    _writer.writeRequest(_requestPacket);
    return true;
  }
 catch (  Throwable t) {
    if (_logger.isLoggable(Level.FINE)) {
      String exMessage="LRMI over NIO broken connection with ServerEndPoint: " + getConnectionURL();
      _logger.log(Level.FINE,exMessage,t);
    }
    return false;
  }
}

public boolean sendKeepAlive ( ) { try { if ( ! isConnected ( ) ) return false ; _requestPacket . set ( LRMIRuntime . DUMMY_OBJECT_ID , 0 , new Object [ ] { } , true , false , _dummyMethod , - 1 , OperationPriority . REGULAR , _serviceVersion ) ; _writer . writeRequest ( _requestPacket ) ; return true ; } catch ( Throwable t ) { if ( _logger . isLoggable ( Level . FINE ) ) { String exMessage = "LRMI over NIO broken connection with ServerEndPoint: " + getConnectionURL ( ) ; _logger . log ( Level . FINE , exMessage , t ) ; } return false ; } }
sends a dummy one way request to the server - to check if it ' s alive
