Method and apparatus of selecting local or remote processing

• US 20020073146A1
• Filed: 12/12/2001
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Heilig, Joerg, Bauer, Mathias
• Granted Patent: US 7,281,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

A user is provided with the choice of selecting either a client or a server for providing either local or remote services on a data file, respectively, if both the server and the client have the resources for the desired service. The user may select the client or the server upon requesting a particular operation or service on a data file or may enter pre-selections according to which of the client or the server will be selected for execution of the operation. A client program and a server program for providing the service may be divided into at least two modules and the client and server may be selected for executing the first and second modules.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for one of local and remote processing of a data file at one of a client and a server, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a selection of one of a client and a server to perform an operation on the data file at one of the client and the server, respectively;

receiving an indication of a selection of one of said client and said server to perform said operation on the data file using one of a client program and a server program, respectively; and

performing said operation on the data file at said selected one of the client and the server using one of said client program and said server program, respectively.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data file is retrieved at the client when said client program is selected.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein information is transmitted on the selection of said server program to the server, and information is received on results of said operation at the server, when said server program is selected.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of detecting whether said client program is available at the client and said server program is available at the server.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting to the server an identifier of said server program and control information for controlling said operation, when said server is selected.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of instructing said selected one of said client program and said server program to switch to another of said client program and said server program during performance of said operation.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said providing step includes presenting at least one selection field on a client display unit and said indication in said receiving step is a user input corresponding to said selection of one of said client and said server.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving information on a pre-selection of one of the client and the server at an arbitrary point in time, wherein said pre-selection is one of the group comprising:

a global pre-selection for all data files and operations;

a pre-selection for a specific operation;

a pre-selection for a specific data file; and

a pre-selection for a specific operation in combination with a specific data file.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein said at least one selection field is one of buttons, a menu, a dialog box, and a roll-down window of a user interface at the client.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said client program includes a first client sub-component and a second client sub-component for a first sub-operation, said server program includes a first server sub-component and a second server sub-component for a second sub-operation;

wherein said operation includes said first and said second sub-operation; and

the method further comprises the steps of;

selecting one of said first client sub-component and said first server sub-component to perform said first sub-operation; and

selecting one of said second client sub-component and said second server subcomponent to perform said second sub-operation.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising at least one of the steps of:

transmitting instructions corresponding to said one of said first and said second sub-operation on the data file; and

receiving instructions corresponding to said one of said first and said second sub-operation on the data file.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operation includes at least one of the steps of:

visualizing the data file at the client including rendering the data file;

editing the data file; and

performing one of mathematical and logical operations on contents of the data file.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the data file is retrieved at the client when said client program is selected.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein information is transmitted on the selection of said server program to the server, and information is received on results of said operation at the server, when said server program is selected.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of detecting whether said client program is available at the client and said server program is available at the server.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of transmitting to the server an identifier of said server program and control information for controlling said operation, when said server is selected.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of instructing said selected one of said client program and said server program to switch to another of said client program and said server program during performance of said operation.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein said providing step includes presenting at least one selection field on a client display unit and said indication in said receiving step is a user input corresponding to said selection of one of said client and said server.

22. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of receiving information on a pre-selection of one of the client and the server at an arbitrary point in time, wherein said pre-selection is one of the group comprising:

a global pre-selection for all data files and operations;

a pre-selection for a specific operation;

a pre-selection for a specific data file; and

a pre-selection for a specific operation in combination with a specific data file.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein said at least one selection field is one of buttons, a menu, a dialog box, and a roll-down window of a user interface at the client.

24. The method according to claim 15, wherein said client program includes a first client sub-component and a second client sub-component for a first sub-operation, said server program includes a first server sub-component and a second server sub-component for a second sub-operation;

wherein said operation includes said first and said second sub-operation; and

the method further comprises the steps of;

selecting one of said first client sub-component and said first server sub-component to perform said first sub-operation; and

selecting one of said second client sub-component and said second server subcomponent to perform said second sub-operation.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising at least one of the steps of:

transmitting instructions corresponding to said one of said first and said second sub-operation on the data file; and

receiving instructions corresponding to said one of said first and said second sub-operation on the data file.

26. The method according to claim 15, wherein said operation includes at least one of the steps of:

visualizing the data file at the client including rendering the data file;

editing the data file; and

performing one of mathematical and logical operations on contents of the data file.

13. A method for one of local and remote processing of a data file at one of a client and a server, comprising the steps of:

providing a selection of one of a client program and a server program to perform an operation on the data file at one of the client and the server, respectively;

selecting said client program for performing said operation on the data file;

retrieving the data file at the client; and

performing said operation on the data file at the client.

14. A method for one of local and remote processing of a data file at one of a client and a server, comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication that upon being provided with a selection of one of a client program and a server program to perform an operation on the data file at one of the client and the server, respectively, that a user has selected the server program;

retrieving the data file at the server and performing said operation on the data file; and

transmitting a result of said operation from the server to the client.

15. A computer readable medium containing instructions that cause a data processing system to perform a method of performing one of local and remote handling of a data file at one of a client and a server, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a selection of one of a client program and a server program to perform an operation on the data file at one of the client and the server, respectively;

receiving an indication of a selection of one of said client program and said server program for performing said operation on the data file at said one of the client and the server, respectively; and

performing said operation on the data file at said selected one of the client and the server.

27. A data processing system for performing one of local and remote processing of a data file at one of a client and a server, respectively, the system comprising:

a client computer comprising;

a memory including a client program that provides a selection of one of a client program and a server program to perform an operation on the data file at one of the client and the server, respectively, that receives an indication of a selection of said client program for performing said operation on the data file at the client, retrieves the data file at the client and performs said operation on the data file at the client; and

a processor that runs said client program;

a server computer comprising;

a memory including a server program that receives an indication that upon being provided with a selection of one of a client program and a server program to perform an operation on the data file at one of the client and the server, respectively, that a user has selected the server program, that retrieves the data file at the server and performs said operation on the data file, and transmits a result of said operation from the server to the client; and

a processor that runs said server program; and

a network connecting said client computer and said server computer.

28. An apparatus for performing one of local and remote processing of a data file at one of a client and a server, the apparatus comprising:

means for providing a selection of one of a client program and a server program to perform an operation on the data file at one of the client and the server, respectively;

means for receiving an indication of a selection of one of said client program and said server program for performing said operation on the data file at said one of the client and the server, respectively; and

means for performing said operation on the data file at said selected one of the client and the server.

29. A method in a data processing system for one of local and remote processing of a data file at one of a client and a server, comprising the steps of:

displaying at the client an indication of an operation to be performed on the data file;

displaying at the client a selection of one of a local and a remote processing to perform said operation on the data file; and

receiving an indication at one of the client and the server that either one of said local and said remote processing has been selected to perform said operation on the data file.

30. A method in a data processing system for one of local and remote processing of a data file at one of a client and a server, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a representation to a user of an operation to be performed on the data file;

displaying a selection of one of a client and a server to perform said operation on the data file at one of the client and the server, respectively;

receiving an indication of a selection of one of said client and said server to perform said operation on the data file using one of a client program and a server program, respectively; and

performing said operation on the data file at said selected one of the client and the server using one of said client program and said server program, respectively.