Dynamic, real-time integration of software resources through services of a content framework

• US 20030055624A1
• Filed: 09/19/2001
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fletcher, James C., Lindquist, David B., Wanderski, Michael C., Wesley, Ajamu A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,343,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• 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 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products are disclosed for dynamically integrating software resources (such as web services and other back-end software resources) using the services of a content framework (such as a portal platform). A portlet model is leveraged to allow programmatic portlets to serve as proxies for web services, thereby extending portlets beyond their traditional visual role. A deployment interface and a system interface are described for these portlet proxies. The deployment interface is used for composing new web services, and a composition tool is described. The system interface allows for run-time management of the web services by the portal platform. The service provider for a particular function may be bound to the portlet proxy at development time or at run-time.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically integrating software resources in a computing network, comprising steps of:

using a portlet interface of a portlet to represent a collection of one or more software resources; and

using a portal platform to integrate the collection of software resources with other collections at run-time to carry out a software service.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of using a portlet interface further comprises the steps of:

defining a public interface of the portlet as an interface to the collection;

specifying the public interface in a service description document; and

registering the service description document in a registry.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of using a portlet interface further comprises the steps of:

defining a deployment interface for the portlet; and

specifying the deployment interface in the service description document.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of using a portlet interface further comprises the steps of:

defining a system interface for the portlet; and

specifying the deployment interface in the service description document.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of implementing deployment operations in the software resources of the collection, wherein the deployment operations implement the deployment interface.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of implementing management operations in the software resources of the collection, wherein the management operations implement the system interface.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of using the portlet interface comprises representing the collection as a portlet, and wherein the software resources may comprise other portlets as well as non-portlets.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the collection of software resources comprises a web service.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein software resources comprise at least one of web services, JavaBeans,™

and Enterprise JavaBeans™

.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein the service description document is specified in a markup language.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the markup language is Web Services Description Language (“

WSDL”

).

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein the registry is a network-accessible registry accessed using standardized messages.

13. A system for dynamically integrating software resources in a computing network, comprising:

means for using a portlet interface of a portlet to represent a collection of one or more software resources; and

means for using a portal platform to integrate the collection of software resources with other collections at run-time to carry out a software service.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the means for using a portlet interface further comprises:

means for defining a public interface of the portlet as an interface to the collection;

means for specifying the public interface in a service description document; and

means for registering the service description document in a registry.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the means for using a portlet interface further comprises:

means for defining a deployment interface for the portlet; and

means for specifying the deployment interface in the service description document.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the means for using a portlet interface further comprises:

means for defining a system interface for the portlet; and

means for specifying the deployment interface in the service description document.

17. The system according to claim 15, further comprising means for implementing deployment operations in the software resources of the collection, wherein the deployment operations implement the deployment interface.

18. The system according to claim 16, further comprising means for implementing management operations in the software resources of the collection, wherein the management operations implement the system interface.

19. The system according to claim 13, wherein the means for using the portlet interface comprises means for representing the collection as a portlet, and wherein the software resources may comprise other portlets as well as non-portlets.

26. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program code means for using the portlet interface comprises computer-readable program code means for representing the collection as a portlet, and wherein the software resources may comprise other portlets as well as non-portlets.

20. A computer program product for dynamically integrating software resources in a computing network, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising:

computer-readable program code means for using a portlet interface of a portlet to represent a collection of one or more software resources; and

computer-readable program code means for using a portal platform to integrate the collection of software resources with other collections at run-time to carry out a software service.

21. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the computer-readable program code means for using a portlet interface further comprises:

computer-readable program code means for defining a public interface of the portlet as an interface to the collection;

computer-readable program code means for specifying the public interface in a service description document; and

computer-readable program code means for registering the service description document in a registry.

22. The computer program product according to claim 21, wherein the computer-readable program code means for using a portlet interface further comprises:

computer-readable program code means for defining a deployment interface for the portlet; and

computer-readable program code means for specifying the deployment interface in the service description document.

23. The computer program product according to claim 21, wherein the computer-readable program code means for using a portlet interface further comprises:

computer-readable program code means for defining a system interface for the portlet; and

computer-readable program code means for specifying the deployment interface in the service description document.

24. The computer program product according to claim 22, further comprising computer-readable program code means for implementing deployment operations in the software resources of the collection, wherein the deployment operations implement the deployment interface.

25. The computer program product according to claim 23, further comprising computer-readable program code means for implementing management operations in the software resources of the collection, wherein the management operations implement the system interface.