Dynamic component transfer

• US 20030158915A1
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Gebhart, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,440,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/462 Lookup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4806 Task transfer initiation or dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products. In one embodiment, a client server method includes storing components in a first server, storing a list of the components in a second server, requesting, by an application residing in a client, a component matching particular functioned requirements from the list, negotiating between the first server and the client, and executing the component in response to the negotiation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a network, storing components in a first server;

storing a list of the components in a second server;

requesting, by an application residing in a client, a component matching particular functional requirements from the list; and

determining where to execute the requested component according to resource information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining comprises comparing resource information in the first server with resource information in the client.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first server is a Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) server.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising executing the requested component in response to determining.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein resource information includes free disk capacity, processor speed operating system, installed applications and component size.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the resource information in the client is stored in a first Extensible Markup Language (XML) data structure and the resource information in the first server in stored as second XML data structure.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of components is described by Web Services Description Language (WSDL).

8. A client server method comprising:

storing components in a first server;

storing a list of the components in a second server;

requesting, by an application residing in a client, a component matching particular functional requirements from the list;

negotiating between the first server and the client; and

executing the component in response to the negotiation.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first server is a Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) server.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the list includes resource information pertaining to the first server.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein negotiating comprises:

comparing resource information contained in the client with resource information contained in the second server; and

in response to comparing, determining whether to execute the component on the client or on the first server.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the resource information in the client is stored in a first Extensible Markup Language (XML) data structure and the resource information in the first server in stored as second XML data structure.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein negotiating comprises correspondence between a first resource agent residing on the client and a second resource agent residing on the first server.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein registering is performed with the first server being a Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) server.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein registering is performed by describing a location of the component and an invocation of the component.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein searching comprises using a UDDI description in WSDL in the second server.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein returning a list further comprises performing a negotiation between client and first server.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein performing the negotiation comprises using resource information about the client computer and the first server.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein using resource information comprises reading a text structure.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein using resource information comprises reading the text structure as an XML structure.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein reading the XML structure comprises reading indications from the group selected from {removeability, size, language, language version, disk capacity, processor speed, operating system, details of applications}.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein performing the negotiation comprises at least one resource agent.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the resource agent comprises a server-side agent and a client-side agent.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the resource agent controls component execution.

27. The method of claim 13 wherein executing comprises accessing the matching component by a simple object access protocol (SOAP).

28. The method of claim 13 wherein executing comprises composing an application from a plurality of components from the component server.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein composing comprises starting from an application stub on the client.

31. The product of claim 29 wherein executing the component is in the client.

33. The product of claim 31 wherein the first server is a Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) server.

34. The product of claim 31 wherein negotiating comprises:

comparing resource information contained in the client with resource information contained in the second server; and

in response to comparing, determining whether to execute the component on the client or on the first server.

36. The product of claim 34 wherein registering is performed with the first server being a Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) server.

14. A method for automatically using computer software components by an application on a client computer that is connected to a computer network comprising:

deploying components on a first server;

registering the components in a second server;

requesting a particular component by sending a functionality specification of the particular component from the client computer through the application to the second server;

searching in the second server for register entries that match the functionality specification;

returning a list of matching components to the application; and

executing a matching component under control of the application.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein registering is performed by describing the component in a web service description language (WSDL).

30. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

in a network, store components in a first server;

store a list of the components in a second server;

request, by an application residing in a client, a component from the list; and

execute the component.

32. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

store components in a first server;

store a list of the components in a second server;

request, by an application residing in a client, a component from the list;

negotiate between the first server and the client; and

execute the component in response to the negotiation.

35. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

deploy components on a first server;

register the components in a second server;

request a particular component by sending a functionality specification of the particular component from the client computer with the application to the second server;

search in the second server for register entries that match the functionality specification;

return a list of matching components to the application; and

execute a matching component under control of the application.