Architecture for enabling business components to access middleware application programming interfaces (APIs) in a runtime environment

• US 20060129560A1
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: High, Robert H. Jr., Adams, Greg D., Schmidt, Marc-Thomas, McGee, Jason Robert, Beisiegel, Michael, Brodsky, Stephen Andrew, Delfino, Jean-Sebastien Michel, Nally, Martin Paul, Niblett, Peter David, Ferguson, Donald F.
• Application Number:
  US11/013,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20060129560A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

Provided is an architecture for enabling business components to access middleware components in a runtime environment. A business container hosts business components and services to enable communication between the business components. A plurality of infrastructure components expose interfaces and methods to the business components, wherein the exposed interfaces and methods have names descriptive of a business domain for which the business applications are written. The infrastructure components implementation of the interfaces and methods exposed to the business components include calls to the middleware application programming interfaces (APIs) to invoke middleware APIs to cause middleware operations.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a business container hosting business components and services to enable communication between the business components;

providing a plurality of infrastructure components, wherein the infrastructure components expose interfaces and methods to the business components, wherein the exposed interfaces and methods have names descriptive of a business domain for which the business applications are written; and

providing middleware application programming interfaces (APIs), wherein the infrastructure components implementation of the interfaces and methods exposed to the business components include calls to the middleware APIs to invoke middleware APIs to cause middleware operations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one middleware container, wherein at least one middleware API invoked by the infrastructure components executes in the middleware container.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the business components access the middleware APIs through the infrastructure components, and wherein the business components do not include any direct calls to the middleware APIs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the business container, infrastructure components, and middleware APIs all execute in a runtime environment, and wherein the business container provides a runtime environment for the business components.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the business components do not directly call any services and interfaces outside of the business container, wherein the business components call infrastructure components, and wherein the called infrastructure components call middleware APIs and other services in the runtime environment external to the business container.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the business components include calls to the infrastructure components to access data from a first middleware API, further comprising:

selecting a second middleware API from which to access the data requested by the business component;

coding the infrastructure components to include calls to the selected second middleware APIs to access the data on behalf of the business components previously accessed through the first middleware API, wherein the names of the interfaces used to invoke the infrastructure components to call the second middleware API are the names of the interfaces use to call the infrastructure component to interact with the first middleware API.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the business components include calls to the infrastructure components to access a first set of middleware APIs external to the business container, further comprising:

selecting a second set of middleware APIs to perform operations for the business components that are currently performed by a first set of middleware APIs; and

coding the infrastructure components to include calls to the second set of middleware APIs to perform the operations requested by the business components previously performed by the first set of middleware APIs, wherein the names of the interfaces called by the business components to invoke the infrastructure components to call the second set of middleware APIs are the same names used to invoke the infrastructure components to call the first set of middleware APIs.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable medium accessible to the processor and including;

0

(i) a business container hosting business components and services to enable communication between the business components;

(ii) a plurality of infrastructure components, wherein the infrastructure components expose interfaces and methods to the business components, wherein the exposed interfaces and methods have names descriptive of a business domain for which the business applications are written; and

(iii) middleware application programming interfaces (APIs), wherein the infrastructure components implementation of the interfaces and methods exposed to the business components include calls to the middleware APIs to invoke middleware APIs to cause middleware operations.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer readable medium further includes:

at least one middleware container, wherein at least one middleware API invoked by the infrastructure components executes in the middleware container.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the business components access the middleware APIs through the infrastructure components, and wherein the business components do not include any direct calls to the middleware APIs.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the business container, infrastructure components, and middleware APIs all execute in a runtime environment executed by the processor, and wherein the business container provides a runtime environment executed by the processor for the business components.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the business components do not directly call any services and interfaces outside of the business container, wherein the business components call infrastructure components, and wherein the called infrastructure components call middleware APIs and other services in the runtime environment external to the business container.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the business components include calls to the infrastructure components to access data from a first middleware API, wherein a developer services the code by performing operations comprising:

selecting a second middleware API from which to access the data requested by the business component;

coding the infrastructure components to include calls to the selected second middleware APIs to access the data on behalf of the business components previously accessed through the first middleware API, wherein the names of the interfaces used to invoke the infrastructure components to call the second middleware API are the names of the interfaces use to call the infrastructure component to interact with the first middleware API.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the business components include calls to the infrastructure components to access a first set of middleware APIs external to the business container, wherein a developer services the code by performing operations comprising:

selecting a second set of middleware APIs to perform operations for the business components that are currently performed by a first set of middleware APIs; and

coding the infrastructure components to include calls to the second set of middleware APIs to perform the operations requested by the business components previously performed by the first set of middleware APIs, wherein the names of the interfaces called by the business components to invoke the infrastructure components to call the second set of middleware APIs are the same names used to invoke the infrastructure components to call the first set of middleware APIs.

15. An article of manufacture including code capable of causing operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

providing a business container hosting business components and services to enable communication between the business components;

providing a plurality of infrastructure components, wherein the infrastructure components expose interfaces and methods to the business components, wherein the exposed interfaces and methods have names descriptive of a business domain for which the business applications are written; and

providing middleware application programming interfaces (APIs), wherein the infrastructure components. implementation of the interfaces and methods exposed to the business components include calls to the middleware APIs to invoke middleware APIs to cause middleware operations.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing at least one middleware container, wherein at least one middleware API invoked by the infrastructure components executes in the middleware container.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the business components access the middleware APIs through the infrastructure components, and wherein the business components do not include any direct calls to the middleware APIs.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the business container, infrastructure components, and middleware APIs all execute in a runtime environment, and wherein the business container provides a runtime environment for the business components.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the business components do not directly call any services and interfaces outside of the business container, wherein the business components call infrastructure components, and wherein the called infrastructure components call middleware APIs and other services in the runtime environment external to the business container.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the business components include calls to the infrastructure components to access data from a first middleware API, wherein a developer services the code by performing operations comprising:

selecting a second middleware API from which to access the data requested by the business component;

coding the infrastructure components to include calls to the selected second middleware APIs to access the data on behalf of the business components previously accessed through the first middleware API, wherein the names of the interfaces used to invoke the infrastructure components to call the second middleware API are the names of the interfaces use to call the infrastructure component to interact with the first middleware API.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the business components include calls to the infrastructure components to access a first set of middleware APIs external to the business container, wherein a developer services the code by performing operations comprising:

selecting a second set of middleware APIs to perform operations for the business components that are currently performed by a first set of middleware APIs; and

coding the infrastructure components to include calls to the second set of middleware APIs to perform the operations requested by the business components previously performed by the first set of middleware APIs, wherein the names of the interfaces called by the business components to invoke the infrastructure components to call the second set of middleware APIs are the same names used to invoke the infrastructure components to call the first set of middleware APIs.