Extensible mechanism for executing server side code

• US 20040193682A1
• Filed: 11/20/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yuen, Elson Siu Chung, Koo, Derek Tai-Wah, Francis, Timothy Marc, Deboer, Timothy Gerrit, Wosnick, Sheldon Bradley
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An extensible mechanism for executing code on one of one or more servers and in association with one of one or more client applications (i.e. “clients”). In accordance with a model of the extensible mechanism, the execution of server side code is partitioned into three stages, a view stage for determining the code for running, a server stage for determining the server to execute the code and a launcher stage to determine the client for interacting with the server to run the code. Lists of processing elements at each stage extensibly configure the mechanism to work with different types of server side code to be run, different servers to run the code and different clients with which to interact with the server running the code. By modeling the execution of server side code in stages and using lists of processing elements, the mechanism is easily extended to new code types, servers and launchers. The extensible mechanism can be plugged into or otherwise adapt another application, for example, an integrated development environment.

Claims

1. A method of executing server side code in a client server environment comprising:

processing an input object identifying code for executing on a server, said processing using a view list of at least one input object element, each input object element processing a type of code identified by the input object to output a deployable object;

processing the deployable object using a server list of at least one server element to determine a server for executing the code, each server element enabling the deployable object to execute on a particular server and outputting a launchable object; and

processing the launchable object using a launcher list of at least one client element to determine a client for launching the code on the particular server.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising launching the client determined in response to the launchable object and executing the code on the particular server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the view list, server list and launcher list is extensible to accommodate additional respective elements.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising maintaining at least one of the view list, server list and launcher list.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of maintaining comprises extending any of the view list, server list and launcher list.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of processing the input object comprises:

analysing the input object to determine an input object element for processing the input object; and

processing the input object using the determined input object element.

7. The method of claim 6 including processing user input to determine the input object element.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of processing the deployable object comprises:

analysing the deployable object to determine a server element for processing the deployable object; and

processing the deployable object using the determined server element.

9. The method of claim 8 including processing user input to determine the server element.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of processing the launchable object comprises:

analysing the launchable object to determine a client element for processing the launchable object; and

processing the launchable object using the determined client element.

11. The method of claim 10 including processing user input to determine the server element.

28. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium for instructing a computer system to perform a method in accordance with claim 1.

12. An extensible mechanism for executing server side code in a client server environment comprising:

a view mechanism for processing an input object identifying code for executing on a server and outputting a deployable object;

a server mechanism for processing the deployable object to determine a particular server for executing the code and to enable the deployable object to execute on the particular server, said second mechanism outputting a launchable object; and

a launcher mechanism for processing the launchable object to determine a client for launching the code on the particular server.

13. The extensible mechanism of claim 12 wherein said view mechanism comprises a view list of at least one input object element, each input object element processing a type of code identified by the input object for outputting the deployable object.

14. The extensible mechanism of claim 13 wherein said view list is extensible to accommodate additional respective elements.

15. The extensible mechanism of claim 12 wherein said server mechanism comprises a server list of at least one server element, each server element enabling the deployable object to execute on a particular server and processing the deployable object for outputting a launchable object.

16. The extensible mechanism of claim 15 wherein said server list is extensible to accommodate additional respective elements.

17. The extensible mechanism of claim 12 wherein said launcher mechanism comprises a launcher list of at least one client element, each client element enabling the launchable object to execute on a particular client for launching the code on the particular server.

18. The extensible mechanism of claim 17 wherein said launcher list is extensible to accommodate additional respective elements.

19. The extensible mechanism of claim 12 wherein said extensible mechanism is adapted to launch the client determined in response to the launchable object for executing the code on the particular server.

20. The extensible mechanism of claim 12 wherein at least one of said view mechanism, server mechanism, and launcher mechanism is extensible whereby said view mechanism is extensible to accommodate a plurality of code types, said server mechanism is extensible to accommodate a plurality of servers and said launcher mechanism is extensible to accommodate a plurality of clients.

21. The extensible mechanism of claim 12 wherein said view mechanism is adapted to analyze the input object to determine an input object element for processing the input object and process the input object using the determined input object element.

22. The extensible mechanism of claim 21 wherein said view mechanism is further adapted for processing user input to determine the input object element.

23. The extensible mechanism of claim 12 wherein said server mechanism is adapted to analyze the deployable object to determine a server element for processing the deployable object;

and process the deployable object using the determined server element.

24. The extensible mechanism of claim 23 wherein said server mechanism is further adapted for processing user input to determine the server element.

25. The extensible mechanism of claim 21 wherein said launcher mechanism is adapted to analyze the launchable object to determine a client element for processing the launchable object;

and process the launchable object using the determined client element.

26. The extensible mechanism of claim 25 wherein said launcher mechanism is further adapted for processing user input to determine the server element.

27. The extensible mechanism of claim 12 wherein said extensible mechanism is adapted to be integrated into an integrated development environment.

29. A computer readable media storing data and instructions readable by a computer system, said computer system executing an integrated development environment (IDE) for generating code for executing in a client server environment, said data and instructions defining an extensible mechanism for executing said code on a server that, when deployed on said computer system, adapts said IDE to

process an input object identifying code for executing on a server, said processing using a view list of at least one input object element, each input object element processing a type of code identified by the input object to output a deployable object;

process the deployable object using a server list of at least one server element to determine a server for executing the code, each server element enabling the deployable object to execute on a particular server and outputting a launchable object; and

process the launchable object using a launcher list of at least one client element to determine a client for launching the code on the particular server.

30. The computer readable media of claim 29 wherein said IDE is further adapted by said data and instructions for modifying at least one of the view list, server list and launcher list.

31. The computer readable media of claim 29 wherein said IDE is further adapted by said data and instructions to launch the client determined in response to the launchable object to execute the code on the particular server.

32. A method of maintaining an extensible mechanism for executing server side code in a client server environment comprising:

maintaining at least one of;

a view list of at least one input object element, each input object element processing a type of code identified by the input object to output a deployable object;

a server list of at least one server element to determine a server for executing the code, each server element enabling the deployable object to execute on a particular server and outputting a launchable object; and

a launcher list of at least one client element to determine a client for launching the code on the particular server.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of maintaining comprises at least one of:

generating a respective element for;

adding a respective element to;

configuring a respective element of; and

deleting a respective element from,

at least one of the view list, server list and launcher list.

34. The method of claim 32 comprising executing server side code using at least one of the view list, server list and launcher list.