Definitions for "Session Bean"
An enterprise bean that is created by a client and that usually exists only for the duration of a single client-server session. A session bean performs operations, such as calculations or accessing a database, for the client. While a session bean may be transactional, it is not recoverable should a system crash occur. Session bean objects can be either stateless or they can maintain conversational state across methods and transactions. If a session bean maintains state, then the EJB container manages this state if the object must be removed from memory. However, the session bean object itself must manage its own persistent data.
An Enterprise JavaBean which has the following characteristics. Executes in relation to a single client. Optionally handles transaction management according to property settings. Optionally updates shared data in an underlying database. Is relatively short-lived. Is not guaranteed to survicve a server crash.
a logical extension of the client program that runs on the server and contains information specific to the client
a simple Java class that implements its business interface, annotates its type, and can be easily unit tested outside the container via a test framework