System and method for enabling graphic applications in an interactive programming model

• US 20010047417A1
• Filed: 12/21/2000
• Published: 11/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Murphy, Thomas E. Jr., Krissell, Daniel L., Stevens, Jeffrey S., Orzel, Francine M., Hartmann, Richard G., Rieth, Paul F.
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units

Abstract

Graphics enabled applications run on a text-based host server by allowing a client application running at a workstation to inform the server of this session (1) that it, the client application, is graphics capable and (2) the IP address and port(s) it is waiting on; and then by having the server set capability indicia, such as RAWT attributes, in the operating system for this session to indicate the (1) the client is graphics enabled, (2) the IP address and port(s) it is waiting on, (3) optionally, the path to an application to be automatically launched.

Claims

1. A data processing system, comprising

a text-based host including a workstation server;

a workstation including a graphics capable client;

a graphics application on said host;

said client being operable for negotiating a connection with said host on a first port;

said client being further operable for informing said workstation server that said workstation is graphics enabled and that said graphics capable client is waiting on a second port;

said workstation server being operable for establishing a connection to said second port for communication between said graphics application and said graphics client.

2. The data processing system of

claim 1

, said workstation further including a graphical user interface for interfacing between a user and said graphics capable client on behalf of said graphics application.

3. The data processing system of

claim 2

, said client being a Telnet-based client, said graphical application being a Java graphical application, and further comprising:

a Java Virtual Machine for executing said graphics application;

a windowing toolkit responsive to IP address and port attributes from said Telnet-based client for establishing at least two independent connections to the IP address of said workstation, at least one of said independent connections being from said Java Virtual Machine to said graphics enabled client.

4. The data processing system of

claim 3

, further comprising a Java Virtual Machine and virtual device support for a plurality of client and hardware configurations, thereby providing application platform independence for a plurality of workstation architectures.

5. The data processing system of

claim 4

, further comprising:

a plurality of graphical applications for performing language and work management functions;

said Java Virtual Machine and virtual device support providing language and work management functions simultaneously for a plurality of workstation clients.

6. The data processing system of

claim 5

, said text-based host providing a centralized store and support for a plurality of text-based applications and graphics-based applications.

7. The data processing system of

claim 6

, said applications including applications for executing backup and recovery processes.

8. The data processing system of

claim 6

, said text-based host further providing for centralized upgrading of said applications applicable to all workstations without requiring routine upgrading of hardware or software of said workstations.

9. The data processing system of

claim 6

, said text-based host providing a single source for application service providers, including consulting, leasing, and marketing text based and graphical applications.

10. The data processing system of

claim 2

, said text-based host providing support for thin clients having graphical capability.

11. A data processing system, comprising:

a text based host system;

a Java virtual machine on said text based host system for executing both text based and graphical applications;

a workstation server on said host system for connecting said host system to a plurality of ports at a client workstation, at least one of said ports interfacing a graphical client and another of said ports interfacing a Telnet-based client.

12. System for executing multimedia applications on a text based host for input/output with respect to a multimedia enabled workstation, comprising:

a library of multimedia enabled applications;

a Telnet-based client for negotiating a connection with said host on a first enabled port and informing said host that said workstation is multimedia enabled and a multimedia enabled client at said workstation is listening on at least one second port for multimedia application data;

said host selectively for establishing a multimedia connection from a virtual machine executing a selected application to said second port on the client for presentation of a multimedia application interface at said multimedia enabled client.

13. System for executing multimedia applications on a text based host for input/output with respect to a multimedia enabled workstation, comprising:

a library of multimedia enabled applications;

a server for negotiating a connection with a Telnet-based client at said workstation on a first enabled port and receiving from said Telnet-based client indicia specifying that said workstation is multimedia enabled and a multimedia enabled client at said workstation is listening on at least one second port for multimedia application data; and

said host selectively for establishing a multimedia connection from a virtual machine executing a selected application to said second port at said workstation for presentation of a multimedia application interface at said multimedia enabled client.

14. Method for executing multimedia applications on a text based host for input/output with respect to a multimedia enabled workstation, comprising the steps of:

negotiating a connection with a Telnet-based client at said workstation on a first enabled port;

receiving from said Telnet-based client indicia specifying that said workstation is multimedia enabled and a multimedia enabled client at said workstation is listening on at least one second port for multimedia application data; and

selectively establishing a multimedia connection from a virtual machine executing a selected application to said second port at said workstation for presentation of a multimedia application interface at said multimedia enabled client.

15. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps executing multimedia applications on a text based host for input/output with respect to a multimedia enabled workstation, said method steps comprising:

negotiating a connection with a Telnet-based client at said workstation on a first enabled port;

receiving from said Telnet-based client indicia specifying that said workstation is multimedia enabled and a multimedia enabled client at said workstation is listening on at least one second port for multimedia application data; and

selectively establishing a multimedia connection from a virtual machine executing a selected application to said second port at said workstation for presentation of a multimedia application interface at said multimedia enabled client.

16. A computer program for executing the steps comprising:

negotiating a connection with a Telnet-based client at said workstation on a first enabled port;

receiving from said Telnet-based client indicia specifying that said workstation is multimedia enabled and a multimedia enabled client at said workstation is listening on at least one second port for multimedia application data; and

selectively establishing a multimedia connection from a virtual machine executing a selected application to said second port at said workstation for presentation of a multimedia application interface at said multimedia enabled client.