Dynamic service discovery

• US 10,019,598 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Van Vechten, Kevin J., Sorresso, Damien Pascal, Hagy, Richard L., Krstic, Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Application Number:
  US14/871,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20160125194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/468 Specific access rights for resources, e.g. using capability register
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

When an application is launched, a framework scanning module scans a plurality of frameworks linked against by the application to generate a list of available services. When the application makes a request of a particular service, a service verification module compares the requested service to the list of available services and if the requested service is found in the list of available services, sends a signal to the application, the signal allowing access to the requested service for the application. Otherwise, access to the requested service is denied.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically discovering services using linked frameworks, the method comprising:

scanning a framework, by a data plan processing system, to generate a list of services available to an application;

receiving, at a service verification module, a request for a service from the application;

comparing, by the service verification module, a requested service to the list of services available to the application;

in response to the comparing, denying, to the application, access to the requested service unless the requested service is found in the list of services available to the application;

determining, by an application launch tool, whether a designation of the requested service is a global instance, or a per-application instance;

in response to the designation being the global instance, allowing the application launch tool to access an already existing instance; and

otherwise, allowing the application launch tool to instantiate a new instance if the designation is the per-application instance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the requested service is an application defined service stored with the application; and

if the requested service is an application defined service, adding the application defined service to the list of services available to the application.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

loading the requested service into memory and sending a signal to the application, the signal allowing access to the requested service for the application in response to finding the requested service in the list of services available to the application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application accesses the service by making a corresponding application programming interface (API) call.

5. A system of dynamically discovering services using linked frameworks, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing;

a framework scanning module that scans a framework to generate a list of services available to an application; and

a service verification module that;

receives a request for a service from the application;

compares the requested service to the list of services available to the application and deny, to the application, access to the requested service unless the requested service is found in the list of services available to the application;

determine, by an application launch tool, whether a designation of the requested service is a global instance, or a per-application instance;

in response to the designation being the global instance, allowing the application launch tool to access an already existing instance; and

otherwise, allowing the application launch tool to instantiate a new instance if the designation is the per-application instance.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the service verification module is further configured to:

determine if the requested service is an application defined service stored with the application; and

if the requested service is an application defined service, add the application defined service to the list of services available to the application.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the service verification module is further configured to:

load the requested service into memory and send a signal to the application allowing access to the requested service in response to a determination that the requested service is in the list of services available to the application.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the application accesses the requested service by making a corresponding application programming interface (API) call.

9. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing instruction for dynamically discovering services using linked frameworks, which when executed cause a date processing system to perform a method comprising:

scanning a framework to generate a list of services available to an application;

receiving, at a service verification module, a request for a service form the application;

comparing, by the service verification module, the requested service to the list of services available to the application;

in response to the comparing, denying, to the application, access to the requested service unless the requested service is found in the list of services available to the application;

determining, by an application launch tool, whether a designation of the requested service is a global instance, or a per-application instance; and

in response to the designation being the global instance, allowing the application launch tool to access an already existing instance; and

otherwise, allowing the application launch tool to instantiate a new instance if the designated is the per-application instance.

10. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

determining if the requested service is an application defined service stored with the application; and

if the requested service is an application defined service, adding the application defined service to the list of services available to the application.

11. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

loading the requested service into memory and sending a signal to the application, the signal allowing access to the requested service for the application in response to finding the requested service in the list of services available to the application.

12. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the application accesses the service by making a corresponding application programming interface (API) call.

13. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing instructions for dynamically discovering services using linked frameworks, which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a list of services within a framework, the list of services including services identified as available to an application;

receiving, at a service verification module, a request for a service from the application;

comparing, by the service verification module, the requested service to the list of services available to the application;

in response to the comparing, denying, to the application, access to the requested service unless the requested service is found in the list of services available to the application;

determining, by an application launch tool, whether a designation of the requested service is a global instance, or a per-application instance;

in response to the designation being the global instance, allowing the application launch tool to access an already existing instance; and

otherwise, allowing the application launch tool in instantiate a new instance if the designation is the per-application instance.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium as in claim 13, the method additionally comprising loading the requested service into memory and sending a signal to the application, the signal allowing access to the requested service for the application in response to finding the requested service in the list of services available to the application.