System and method for a distributed shell in a Java environment

• US 20040049535A1
• Filed: 09/10/2002
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Volkov, Alexei, Jacobs, Allan S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,085,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals

Abstract

An invention is disclosed for a distributed shell for use in a distributed computer environment. The distributed shell includes a shell server, which is located on a server computer system. The shell server processes commands for distribution to particular client computer systems of the distributed computer system. In addition, the distributed shell includes a plurality of shell clients. Each shell client is executed on a separate client computer system and is in communication with the shell server. In operation, the shell server selects a particular shell client to perform a task or tasks in response to receiving a command. The tasks are then sent to the selected shell client and the shell client executes the task.

Claims

1. A distributed shell for use in a distributed computer environment, comprising:

a shell server located on a server computer system, the shell server being capable of processing commands for distribution to particular client computer systems; and

a plurality of shell clients, each shell client executed on a separate client computer system, each shell client being in communication with the shell server,

wherein the shell server selects a particular shell client to perform a task in response to receiving a command, and wherein the selected shell client executes the task.

2. A distributed shell as recited in claim 1, wherein the shell server includes a parser unit that processes received commands into specific tasks to be performed using a shell client.

3. A distributed shell as recited in claim 2, wherein the shell server includes a command delivery unit that delivers tasks to selected shell clients.

4. A distributed shell as recited in claim 3, wherein the command delivery unit creates a command object based on data received from the parser unit, and wherein the command object is transmitted to a shell client.

5. A distributed shell as recited in claim 3, wherein the shell server includes a synchronization unit that facilitates task synchronization.

6. A distributed shell as recited in claim 5, wherein the synchronization unit facilitates task synchronization based on filtered output received from shell clients.

7. A distributed shell as recited in claim 6, wherein each shell client includes a synchronization filter that filters task output and provides the filtered task output to the synchronization unit.

8. A distributed shell as recited in claim 1, wherein the distributed shell includes an output collection unit that facilitates centralized output collection to a particular storage system.

9. A distributed shell as recited in claim 8, wherein the output collection unit receives output data from each shell client and transmits the output data to the particular storage system.

10. A distributed shell as recited in claim 8, wherein the output collection unit instructs each shell client to transmit output data to the particular storage system.

11. A method for processing commands in a distributed shell environment, comprising the operations of:

receiving a command at a shell server located on a server computer system, the shell server being capable of processing commands for distribution to particular client computer systems, wherein the command indicates a task to perform;

selecting a shell client to perform the task, the selected shell client being one of a plurality of shell clients each executed on a separate client computer system, wherein each shell client is in communication with the shell server; and

transmitting the command to the selected shell client, wherein the selected shell client executes the task.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the operation of processing the received command into at least one specific task to be performed using a shell client.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising the operation of generating a command object based on the received command and transmitting the command object to a shell client.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising the operation of providing task synchronization based on filtered output received from shell clients.

15. A method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the operation of receiving output data at the shell server from each shell client and transmitting the output data to a particular storage system.

16. A method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the operation of instructing each shell client to transmit output data to a particular storage system.

17. A shell server for use in a distributed shell environment having a plurality of shell clients, comprising:

a parser unit that processes received commands into specific tasks to be performed using a shell client;

a command delivery unit in communication with the parser unit, the command delivery unit capable of creating a command object based on data received from the parser unit, and transmitting the command object to a selected shell client;

a synchronization unit that facilitates task synchronization based on filtered output received from shell clients.

18. A shell server as recited in claim 17, wherein the shell server further includes an output collection unit that facilitates centralized output collection to a particular storage system.

19. A shell server as recited in claim 18, wherein the output collection unit receives output data from each shell client and transmits the output data to the particular storage system.

20. A distributed shell as recited in claim 18, wherein the output collection unit instructs each shell client to transmit output data to the particular storage system.