Synchronization of components in heterogeneous systems

• US 10,212,225 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Tom C., Cooper, Steven, Pett, Roger, Truong, Trong
• Primary Examiner(s): Tokuta, Shean
• Application Number:
  US14/945,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A process for automatic version synchronization of dependent components running on heterogeneous systems. In response to receiving a communication using a predetermined protocol through a network at a host, it is determined whether required client code is not present on the client. In response to a determination required client code is not present on the client, a required version of the client component is requested at the host. One or more loadable modules are located at the host bound with a host component that represents the client component. An object comprising the one or more loadable modules is sent to the client, wherein the client receives, loads and runs the object as a new component to communicate with the host component at a latest level.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing components of heterogeneous systems, said method comprising:

in response to receiving, by one or more processors of a computer system, a communication using a predetermined protocol through a network, determining, by the one or more processors, whether client code identified in the communication is not present on a client computer;

in response to a determination that the client code identified in the communication is not present on the client computer, making a request, by the one or more processors, to a host computer for a latest version of a client component pertaining to the client code identified in the communication;

locating, by the one or more processors, one or more loadable modules at the host computer bound with a host component, wherein the one or more loadable modules include an object representing the client component;

retrieving, by the one or more processors, from the one or more loadable modules, the object representing the client component;

sending, by the one or more processors, the object to the client computer, wherein the client computer is configured to receive, load and run the object as a new client component to communicate with the host component at a latest level of the client component;

building, by the one or more processors, a host component binary with a set of additional components bound to host component binary, wherein the additional components are not native to the host computer, and represent binary parts of a corresponding client component;

generating, by the one or more processors, an encoding during compilation of the additional components, wherein the encoding transforms the client component into the object with an array populated with data of the client component; and

building, by the one or more processors during link time, the object into the one or loadable modules tightly bound with the host component binary, wherein the one or more loadable modules is one of one or more separate modules, or directly linked into the host component binary in accordance with a host operating system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is an initial handshake between the client component and the host component, said initial handshake identifying a required level of the client component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is an initial handshake between the client component and the host component, said initial handshake identifying a required level of the client component, and at least one of a hardware platform and an operating system variant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said retrieving the object comprises:

the host component locating the object that represents the client component, wherein a single variant of the client component exists using a required level of the client component wherein the host component comprises a set of objects for other client computers, and wherein each object of the set of objects is specific to a respective other client computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein there are several incompatible clients, wherein the initial handshake includes a version and a client type, and wherein the host component includes objects for all clients.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more loadable modules are pseudo load modules of a same predetermined type having a same set of predetermined characteristics as a normal load module, but the one or more loadable modules tightly bound with the host component binary are non-executable on the host operating system.

7. A computer program product, comprising one or more computer readable hardware storage devices having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code containing instructions executable by one or more processors of a computer system to implement a method for synchronizing components of heterogeneous systems, said method comprising:

in response to receiving, by the one or more processors, a communication using a predetermined protocol through a network, determining, by the one or more processors, whether client code identified in the communication is not present on a client computer;

in response to a determination that the client code identified in the communication is not present on the client computer, making a request, by the one or more processors, to a host computer for a latest version of a client component pertaining to the client code identified in the communication;

locating, by the one or more processors, one or more loadable modules at the host computer bound with a host component, wherein the one or more loadable modules include an object representing the client component;

retrieving, by the one or more processors, from the one or more loadable modules, the object representing the client component;

sending, by the one or more processors, the object to the client computer, wherein the client computer is configured to receive, load and run the object as a new client component to communicate with the host component at a latest level of the client component;

building, by the one or more processors, a host component binary with a set of additional components bound to host component binary, wherein the additional components are not native to the host computer, and represent binary parts of a corresponding client component;

generating, by the one or more processors, an encoding during compilation of the additional components, wherein the encoding transforms the client component into the object with an array populated with data of the client component; and

building, by the one or more processors during link time, the object into the one or loadable modules tightly bound with the host component binary, wherein the one or more loadable modules is one of one or more separate modules, or directly linked into the host component binary in accordance with a host operating system.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the communication is an initial handshake between the client component and the host component, said initial handshake identifying a required level of the client component.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the communication is an initial handshake between the client component and the host component, said initial handshake identifying a required level of the client component, and at least one of a hardware platform and an operating system variant.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein said retrieving the object comprises:

the host component locating the object that represents the client component, wherein a single variant of the client component exists using a required level of the client component wherein the host component comprises a set of objects for other client computers, and wherein each object of the set of objects is specific to a respective other client computer.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein there are several incompatible clients, wherein the initial handshake includes a version and a client type, and wherein the host component includes objects for all clients.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the one or more loadable modules are pseudo load modules of a same predetermined type having a same set of predetermined characteristics as a normal load module, but the one or more loadable modules tightly bound with the host component binary are non-executable on the host operating system.

13. A computer system, comprising one or more processors, one or more memories, and one or more computer readable hardware storage devices, said one or more hardware storage device containing program code executable by the one or more processors via the one or more memories to implement a method for synchronizing components of heterogeneous systems, said method comprising:

in response to receiving, by the one or more processors, a communication using a predetermined protocol through a network, determining, by the one or more processors, whether client code identified in the communication is not present on a client computer;

in response to a determination that the client code identified in the communication is not present on the client computer, making a request, by the one or more processors, to a host computer for a latest version of a client component pertaining to the client code identified in the communication;

locating, by the one or more processors, one or more loadable modules at the host computer bound with a host component, wherein the one or more loadable modules include an object representing the client component;

retrieving, by the one or more processors, from the one or more loadable modules, the object representing the client component;

sending, by the one or more processors, the object to the client computer, wherein the client computer is configured to receive, load and run the object as a new client component to communicate with the host component at a latest level of the client component;

building, by the one or more processors, a host component binary with a set of additional components bound to host component binary, wherein the additional components are not native to the host computer, and represent binary parts of a corresponding client component;

generating, by the one or more processors, an encoding during compilation of the additional components, wherein the encoding transforms the client component into the object with an array populated with data of the client component; and

building, by the one or more processors during link time, the object into the one or loadable modules tightly bound with the host component binary, wherein the one or more loadable modules is one of one or more separate modules, or directly linked into the host component binary in accordance with a host operating system.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the communication is an initial handshake between the client component and the host component, said initial handshake identifying a required level of the client component.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the communication is an initial handshake between the client component and the host component, said initial handshake identifying a required level of the client component, and at least one of a hardware platform and an operating system variant.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said retrieving the object comprises:

the host component locating the object that represents the client component, wherein a single variant of the client component exists using a required level of the client component wherein the host component comprises a set of objects for other client computers, and wherein each object of the set of objects is specific to a respective other client computer.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein there are several incompatible clients, wherein the initial handshake includes a version and a client type, and wherein the host component includes objects for all clients.

18. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the one or more loadable modules are pseudo load modules of a same predetermined type having a same set of predetermined characteristics as a normal load module, but the one or more loadable modules tightly bound with the host component binary are non-executable on the host operating system.