Object management system and method for distributed object system

• US 20010032239A1
• Filed: 01/29/2001
• Published: 10/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Chaki, Yuuichirou, Sashino, Atsushi, Iwasaki, Motoaki
• Granted Patent: US 6,701,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

The invention offers a distributed object system that is provided with a load balancing feature and can easily be expanded by adding a new computer to the cluster of server-run computers. By the invention, objects are easily activated and deactivated and easy system service alteration is performed by renewing objects.

By request from a client, the object invocation unit 220-a or 220-b obtains object code and object data from the object access unit 310 in response to remote object invocation, executes the requested method, and requests the object access unit 310 to overwrite the object data. The object manager unit 320 activates or deactivates an object.

Claims

1. An object management method applicable to a distributed object system, the system comprising at least one client-run computer, at least one server-run computer, and at least one managing computer, the method comprising:

providing the at least one server-run computer with a load balancing feature,

obtaining object code and object data from the at least one managing computer in response to a remote object invocation from the at least one client-run computer,

executing a requested method of the object on the at least one server-run computer, and

performing object data overwrite on the at least one managing computer.

2. The method of

claim 1

, comprising at least one of activating objects and deactivating objects only on the at least one managing computer.

3. The method of

claim 1

, comprising performing serialized object invocation and method execution on the at least one server-run computer when a plurality of remote object invocations of a same object to execute a synchronized method of the object are issued from the at least one client-run computer.

4. The method of

claim 1

, comprising performing concurrent object invocation and method execution on the at least one server-run computer when a plurality of remote object invocations of a same object to execute a non-synchronized method of the object are issued from the at least one client-run computer.

5. The method of

claim 1

, comprising requesting the at least one managing computer to overwrite the object data and change the object data use flag when a write method is executed on the at least one server-run computer.

6. The method of

claim 1

, comprising performing both object data overwrite and object data use flag change on the at least one server-run computer when a read-only and non-synchronized method is executed on the at least one server-run computer.

7. The method of

claim 1

, comprising requesting the at least one managing computer to simply update the object data use flag when a read-only and synchronized method is executed on the at least one server-run computer.

8. The method of

claim 1

, comprising providing an object database containing catalog object and data and cart object and data.

9. A server-run computer, comprising:

an object invocation unit, and

a load balancing unit for selecting the server-run computer to perform a method execution task according to a load condition and for sending a request message to the object invocation unit of the selected server-run computer, wherein

the object invocation unit receives the request message from the load balancing unit, sends a request for object code and object data to a managing computer, receives object code and object data from the managing computer, executes the requested method, and sends object data fixed after method execution and a request for object data overwrite to the managing computer.

10. A managing computer, comprising:

an object access unit for receiving a request to obtain object code and object data from a server-run computer, obtaining object code from an object code table and obtaining object data from an object data table, sending the obtained object code and the obtained object data to the server-run computer, receiving object data fixed after method execution and a request for object data overwrite, and writing object data fixed after method execution over corresponding object data in the object data table, and

an object manager unit for receiving a command to activate an object from an object management user program, retrieving the object from a database of executable-formed objects, registering object code into an object code table wherein object codes are stored, and registering object data into an object data table wherein object data are stored, wherein

the object management user program provides at least one object activation command and at least one object deactivation command to the object manager unit, and wherein

the database of executable-formed objects comprising the objects are represented as executable programs.

11. A program for implementing an object management method applicable to a distributed object system, the distributed object system comprising at least one client-run computer, at least one server-run computer, and at least one managing computer, the program comprising a program for:

providing the at least one server-run computer with a load balancing feature,

obtaining object code and object data from the at least one managing computer in response to a remote object invocation from the at least one client-run computer,

executing a requested method of the object on the at least one server-run computer, and performing object data overwrite on the at least one managing computer.