Method and apparatus for distributed access to services in a network data processing system

• US 20020169881A1
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Published: 11/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Perks, Michael Albert, Nielsen, Mark David, Nogay, Patrick Edward, Fritsche, Kirk
• Application Number:
  US09/852,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20020169881A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer implemented instructions for accessing a client service in a data processing system. A pool of client services is managed by a server abstraction. A client service instance is assigned from the pool of client services in response to a request from a user application from a plurality of user applications. The user application request on the client service is invoked by the server abstraction. The result from the server service is returned to the user application by client service instance.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for accessing a client service, the method comprising:

managing a pool of connections to the client service;

responsive to a request from a user application from a plurality of user applications, assigning a client service from the pool of client service instances;

invoking the request on the client; and

responsive to receiving a response from the client service, returning the result to the user application.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

freeing the client service back to the pool after invoking the request on the client service.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

waiting for the response from the client service after the client service has been invoked; and

responsive to a timeout occurring while waiting for the response, returning a response to the user indicating that the timeout has occurred.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user application is a client application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the client service is an application programming interface to a server process.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the server process is located on a remote data processing system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pool of client services is used to access report services on a server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the response is returned immediately upon receiving the response.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a error message is returned to the user application after a period of time passes without receiving the response.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

placing the request in a queue if there are no free client services within the pool of client services.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular client service instance only accepts and processes one request at a time.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the server service is located on a remote data processing system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein requests are sent to the client service form the queue in a first-in-first-out basis.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the client service is used to access a server process in a server.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the client service is an application programming interface to a server process.

20. The data processing system of claim 19 further comprising:

freeing means for freeing the client service back to the pool after invoking the request on the client service.

21. The data processing system of claim 19 further comprising:

waiting means for waiting for the response from the client service after the client service has been invoked; and

responsive to a timeout occurring while waiting for the response, returning a response to the user indicating that the timeout has occurred.

22. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the user application is a client application.

23. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the client service is an application programming interface to a server process.

24. The data processing system of claim 23, wherein the server process is located on a remote data processing system.

25. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the pool of client services is used to access report services on a server.

26. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the response is returned immediately upon receiving the response.

27. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein a error message is returned to the user application after a period of time passes without receiving the response.

28. The data processing system of claim 19 further comprising:

placing means for placing the request in a queue if there are no free client services within the pool of client services.

29. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein a particular client service instance only accepts and processes one request at a time.

30. The data processing system of claim 27, wherein the server service is located on a remote data processing system.

33. The data processing system of claim 30, wherein the client service is used to access a server process in a server.

34. The data processing system of claim 30, wherein the client service is an application programming interface to a server process.

13. A method in a data processing system for accessing a client service, the method comprising:

receiving requests for the client service, wherein the client service is a single-threaded process;

queuing a new request if a current request has been invoked on the client service;

responsive to receiving a response to the current request from the client service, returning the result to a requester of the current request; and

invoking the new request on the client service.

17. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications unit connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes as set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to manage a pool of connections to the client service;

assign a connection from the pool of connections to the client service in response to a request from a client from a plurality of clients;

invoke the request on the client service using the connection; and

return the result to the user in response to receiving a response from the client service.

18. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications unit connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes as set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive requests for the client service, wherein the client service is a single-threaded process;

queue a new request if a current request has been invoked on the client service;

return the result to a requestor of the current request in response to receiving a response to the current request from the client service; and

invoke the new request on the client service.

19. A data processing system for accessing a client service, the data processing system comprising:

managing means for managing a pool of connections to the client service;

assigning means, responsive to a request from a user application from a plurality of user applications, for assigning a client service from the pool of client service instances;

invoking means for invoking the request on the client; and

returning means, responsive to receiving a response from the client service, for returning the result to the user application.

31. A data processing system for accessing a client service, the data processing system comprising:

receiving means for receiving requests for the client service, wherein the client service is a single-threaded process;

queuing means for queuing a new request if a current request has been invoked on the client service;

returning means, responsive to receiving a response to the current request from the client service, for returning the result to a requestor of the current request; and

invoking means for invoking the new request on the client service.

32. The data processing system of claim 31, wherein requests are sent to the client service form the queue in a first-in-first-out basis.

35. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for accessing a client service, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for managing a pool of connections to the client service;

second instructions, responsive to a request from a user application from a plurality of user applications, for assigning a client service from the pool of client service instances;

third instructions for invoking the request on the client; and

fourth instructions, responsive to receiving a response from the client service, for returning the result to the user application.

36. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for accessing a client service, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for receiving requests for the client service, wherein the client service is a single-threaded process;

second instructions for queuing a new request if a current request has been invoked on the client service;

third instructions, responsive to receiving a response to the current request from the client service, for returning the result to a requester of the current request; and

fourth instructions for invoking the new request on the client service.