System and method for translating an asset for distribution over multi-tiered networks

• US 20030037173A1
• Filed: 09/04/2001
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Op40 Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Op40 Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Pace, Charles P., Chen, Shuang, Pizzorni, Paolo R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,685,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for translating an asset for distribution to a multi-tiered network node. An asset may represent network and/or application components (e.g., data, objects, applications, program modules, etc.) that may be distributed among the various resources of the network. In an embodiment, an asset has a logic/data section and an extended environment section. The logic/data section defines a function of the digital asset along with the asset'"'"'s type, while the extended environment section supports the function of the logic/data section within at least one source environment. The asset type is determined and a process asset adapter, associated with the asset type and a target environment, is selected. The asset is then translated into a processed asset having a processed extended environment section supporting the function of the logic/data section in the target environment.

Claims

1. A system for translating an asset into a target environment format, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, coupled to the processor, storing at least one asset, the asset having a logic/data section and an extended environment section, the logic/data section defining a function of the asset and an asset type and the extended environment section supporting the function of the asset in at least one source environment, the memory further storing instructions adapted to be executed by the processor to;

determine an asset type of the asset,

select a process asset adapter associated with the asset type and a target environment, and

translate the asset into a processed asset, the processed asset having a processed extended environment section supporting the function of the logic/data section in the target environment.

2. The system according to claim 1, further including instructions adapted to be executed by the processor to store the processed asset in the memory.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the target environment is a base environment deployed on a target system as at least one asset.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the source environment includes at least one of an Enterprise Information System, Windows 95, Windows NT, Weblogic, Unix, Linux, Websphere, iPlanet, and JBOSS.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the target environment includes at least one of Windows 95, Windows NT, Unix, Linux, JBOSS, Weblogic, Websphere, and iPlanet.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said selecting is based on at least one of the logic/data section, and the extended environment section.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said selecting is based on a descriptor associated with the target environment and a descriptor associated with the extended environment section.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the asset type is at least one of a session bean and an entity bean.

9. The system according to claim 8, further including instructions adapted to be executed by the processor to remove an EJB implementation from the logic/data section.

10. The system according to claim 9, further including instructions adapted to be executed by the processor to:

generate a plurality of EJB stubs and skeletons associated with the target environment;

generate at least one class required by the target environment to execute the asset, the class having at least one associated translated deployment descriptor; and

move the EJB stubs and skeletons and the translated deployment descriptor into the asset.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the EJB stubs and skeletons and the translated deployment descriptors are moved into the extended environment section of the asset.

12. The system according to claim 11, further including a cache memory.

13. The system according to claim 12, further including instructions adapted to be executed by the processor to store the processed asset in the cache memory.

14. The system according to claim 12, further including instructions adapted to be executed by the processor to create at least one EJB proxy that is moved into the asset.

15. A method for translating an asset into a target environment format, comprising:

determining an asset type of the asset, the asset having a logic/data section and an extended environment section, the logic/data section defining a function of the asset and an asset type and the extended environment section supporting the function of the asset in at least one source environment;

selecting a process asset adapter associated with the asset type and a target environment, and

translating the asset into a processed asset, the processed asset having a processed extended environment section supporting the function of the logic/data section in the target environment.

16. The method according to claim 15, further including storing the processed asset in the memory.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the target environment is a base environment deployed on a target system as an asset.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the source environment includes at least one of an Enterprise Information System, Windows 95, Windows NT, Weblogic, Unix, Linux, Websphere, iPlanet, and JBOSS.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the target environment includes at least one of Windows 95, Windows NT, Unix, Linux, JBOSS, Weblogic, Websphere, and iPlanet.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein said selecting is based on at least one of the logic/data section, and the extended environment section.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein said selecting is based on a descriptor associated with the target environment and a descriptor associated with the extended environment section.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein the asset type is at least one of a session bean and an entity bean.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising removing an EJB implementation from the logic/data section.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

generating a plurality of EJB stubs and skeletons associated with the target environment;

generating at least one class required by the target environment to execute the asset, the class having at least one associated translated deployment descriptor; and

moving the EJB stubs and skeletons and the translated deployment descriptor into the asset.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the EJB stubs and skeletons and the translated deployment descriptors are moved into the extended environment section of the asset.

26. The method according to claim 25, further including storing the processed asset in a cache memory.

27. The method according to claim 25, further including creating at least one EJB proxy that is moved into the asset.

28. A method for translating an asset for delivery to a multi-tiered network node, comprising:

determining an asset type associated with the asset;

selecting a process asset adapter associated with the asset;

retrieving a deployment descriptor from a data structure associated with the asset;

translating the deployment descriptor into a format associated with the node;

creating a plurality of class stubs and skeletons associated with the translated deployment descriptor; and

inserting the translated deployment descriptor and the plurality of class stubs and skeletons into the data structure associated with the asset.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the asset is an entity bean type.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the asset is a session bean type.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the data structure includes a logic/data part and an extended environment part.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the deployment descriptor is retrieved from the extended environment part.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the translated deployment descriptor and the plurality of class stubs and skeletons are inserted into the extended environment part.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein said selecting the process asset adapter is based on the logic/data part and the format associated with the node.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein said selecting the process asset adapter is based on the deployment descriptor retrieved from the extended environment part.

36. The method of claim 31, further including removing an enterprise Java bean implementation from the logic/data part.

37. The method of claim 36, further including generating a plurality of classes associated with the plurality of class stubs and skeletons.

38. A computer-readable medium that stores instructions for translating an asset for delivery to a multi-tiered network node, the instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to perform the steps of:

determining an asset type associated with the asset;

selecting a process asset adapter associated with the asset;

retrieving a deployment descriptor from a data structure associated with the asset;

translating the deployment descriptor into a format associated with the node;

creating a plurality of class stubs and skeletons associated with the translated deployment descriptor; and

inserting the translated deployment descriptor and the plurality of class stubs and skeletons into the data structure associated with the asset.

39. A system for translating an asset for delivery to a multi-tiered network node, comprising:

a processor;

a memory, coupled to the processor, storing instructions adapted to be executed by said processor to;

determine an asset type associated with the asset;

select a process asset adapter associated with the asset;

retrieve a deployment descriptor from a data structure associated with the asset;

translate the deployment descriptor into a format associated with the node;

create a plurality of stubs and skeletons associated with the translated deployment descriptor; and

insert the translated deployment descriptor and the plurality of stubs and skeletons into the data structure associated with the asset.

40. A system for translating an asset into a target environment format, comprising:

means for determining an asset type of the asset, the asset having a logic/data section and an extended environment section, the logic/data section defining a function of the asset and an asset type and the extended environment section supporting the function of the asset in at least one source environment;

means for selecting a process asset adapter associated with the asset type and a target environment, and

means for translating the asset into a processed asset, the processed asset having a processed extended environment section supporting the function of the logic/data section in the target environment.

41. A system for translating an asset for delivery to a multi-tiered network node, comprising:

means for determining an asset type associated with the asset;

means for selecting a process asset adapter associated with the asset;

means for retrieving a deployment descriptor from a data structure associated with the asset;

means for translating the deployment descriptor into a format associated with the node;

means for creating a plurality of class stubs and skeletons associated with the translated deployment descriptor; and

means for inserting the translated deployment descriptor and the plurality of class stubs and skeletons into the data structure associated with the asset.