marshalling/unmarshalling

In few words, "marshalling" refers to the process of converting the data or the objects inbto a byte-stream, and "unmarshalling" is the reverse process of converting the byte-stream beack to their original data or object. The conversion is achieved through "serialization".

The purpose of the "marshalling/unmarshalling" process is to transfer data between the RMI system.

Source: http://www.jguru.com/faq/view.jsp?EID=560072