Application interface to a media server and a method of implementing the same

• US 20030070001A1
• Filed: 11/14/2002
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Silva, George Francis, Belknap, William Russell, Kozina, Gerald Edward, Nguyen, Tram Thi Mai
• Granted Patent: US 6,732,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/126 and has means for transferring I/O instructions and statuses between control unit and main processor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

According to the present invention, a media manager is provided which incorporates an application program interface (API) for converting high-level generic commands into device-level commands for output to a media device. The inventive media manager includes a high-level command processor which decodes the high-level generic commands and device-specific code mapping modules which convert the high-level generic commands decoded by the high-level command processor into device-level commands. Each of the device-level commands is output from one of the device-specific code-mapping modules to a corresponding one of the media devices.

The present invention also encompasses a method of implementing an application program interface (API) for media devices. The method includes receiving high-level generic commands from a computer application, converting the high-level generic commands into device-level commands, and outputting each of the device-level commands to one of the media devices.

The present invention also encompasses a computer program product including a computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes means for decoding high-level generic commands, means for converting the high-level generic commands into device-level commands, and means for outputting each of the device-level commands to a corresponding one of the media devices.

The present invention further encompasses a common application program interface (API) which converts high-level generic commands received from a computer application into device-level commands which are output to a plurality of media devices including media servers which stores media objects. The common API includes a plurality of individual APIs which each perform a specific function.

Claims

1. A media manager which incorporates an application program interface (API) for converting high-level generic commands into device level commands for output to a plurality of media devices, said media manager comprising:

a high-level command processor which decodes the high-level generic commands; and

a plurality of device specific code mapping modules which convert the high-level generic commands by said high-level command processor into device level commands, each of the device-level commands being output from one of the plurality of device specific code mapping modules to a corresponding one of the plurality of media devices.

2. The media manager defined by claim 1, wherein said high-level command processor includes a plurality of individual APIs which correspond to the common API, the individual APIs each handling a specific function.

3. The media manager defined by claim 1, further comprising a device interface which receives each of the device level commands output from the plurality of device specific code mapping modules and outputs each of the device-level commands to a corresponding one of the plurality of media devices.

4. The media manager defined by claim 2, wherein said each of said media devices comprises a media archive and at least one media server, each of said media devices storing media objects.

5. The media manager defined by claim 4, wherein said media archive and media server are included in a multimedia data storage system including a digital library.

6. The media manager defined by claim 4, wherein said individual application program interfaces represent member functions associated with classes which define objects representing media servers and objects representing a logical description of a physical format of a media object.

7. The media manager defined by claim 1, wherein said plurality of device-specific code-mapping modules convert high-level generic commands into specific actions and convert the specific actions into device level commands.

8. A method of implementing an application program interface (API) for a plurality of media devices comprising:

receiving a plurality of high-level generic commands from a computer application;

converting the plurality of high-level generic commands into device-level commands; and

outputting each of the device level commands to one of the media devices.

9. The method defined by claim 8, wherein said converting comprises converting the plurality of high-level generic commands using a plurality of individual APIs which each perform a specific function.

10. The method defined by claim 8, wherein said converting comprises converting the plurality of high-level generic commands into specific actions;

and converting the specific actions into device-level commands.

11. The method defined by claim 8, wherein each one of the high-level generic commands is received along with a media device type identifier;

wherein prior to said converting, it is determined whether the media device type corresponds to one of the media devices; and

wherein each of the device level commands is output to a corresponding one of the plurality of media devices which is of the media device type.

12. A computer program product including a computer-readable medium, comprising:

means for decoding high-level generic commands;

means for converting the high-level generic commands into device-level commands; and

means for outputting each of the device-level commands to a corresponding media devices.

13. The computer program product defined by claim 12, wherein said means for converting converts high-level generic commands into specific actions and converts said specific actions into the device-level commands.

14. A common application program interface (API) which converts high-level generic commands received from a computer application into device-level commands which are output to a plurality of media devices including media servers which store media objects, said common API comprising a plurality of individual APIs which each perform a specific function.

15. The common application program interface defined by claim 14, wherein said plurality of individual APIs comprise first and second groups of individual APIs, the first group of individual APIs corresponding to a first group of member functions associated with a class defining objects which represent media servers, the second group of individual APIs corresponding to a second group of member functions associated with a class defining objects which represent a logical description of a physical format of media objects.

16. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a CLOSE API which closes an open media object.

17. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a CLOSE_SESSION API which closes an open session.

18. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a COPY_MEDIA API which copies a media object from one of the media servers to another one of the media servers.

19. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a DELETE API which removes a media object from one of the plurality of media servers.

20. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises an EVENT_HANDLER API which conditionally receives control for handling asynchronous events.

21. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises an EVENT_MASK API which returns a current event mask.

22. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a GET_META_DATA API which builds and return a meta data file.

23. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a GET_MEDIA_STATUS API which obtains a status of a media object.

24. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises an INIT_SERVER API which initializes a client library of a media manager containing the common API.

25. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a LIST_MEDIA_GROUPS API which obtains a list of names corresponding to configured groups of media objects.

26. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a LIST_MEDIA_NAMES API which obtains a list of the names of media objects associated with a particular media group of media objects.

27. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises an OPEN API which returns an instance of the second class which is then used to read or write data from or to a media object, respectively.

28. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises an OPEN_SESSION API which opens a session to one of the media servers.

29. The common application program interface defined by claim 20, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a REGISTER_CALL_BACK API which registers the EVENT_HANDLER API with a media manager which corresponds to the common application program interface.

30. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a C_SERVER API which is a constructor used to create an instance of the first class for a type of media server corresponding to at least one of the media servers.

31. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises a D_SERVER API which is a default destructor used to destroy an instance of the first class for a specific server type of media server corresponding to at least one of the media servers.

32. The common application program interface defined by claim 20, wherein the first group of individual APIs comprises an UN_REGISTER_CALL_BACK API which un-registers an application event handler.

33. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the second group of individual APIs comprises a DESTAGE API which transfers a media object from one of the media servers to a media archive.

34. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the second group of individual APIs comprises a GET_MEDIA_ATTRIBUTE API which obtains media attributes of a media object.

35. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the second group of individual APIs comprises a GET_MEDIA_STATUS API which obtains the status of a media object.

36. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the second group of individual APIs comprises a LOAD API which copies an existing media object to a media device.

37. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the second group of individual APIs comprises a READ API which reads data of a media object.

38. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the second group of individual APIs comprises a RETRIEVE API which retrieves a media object from one of the media servers.

39. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the second group of individual APIs comprises a SEEK API which sets a current byte position within a media object.

40. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the second group of individual APIs comprises a SET_MEDIA_ATTRIBUTES API which sets media attributes of a media object.

41. The common application program interface defined by claim 15, wherein the second group of individual APIs comprises a WRITE API which writes data to a media object.