Service-oriented middleware for managing interoperability of heterogeneous elements of integrated systems
First Claim
1. A system for creating integrated systems from multiple heterogeneous computer-based elements, comprising:
- a software architecture based on functions or services configured as operational abstractions to required middleware, wherein the services;
encapsulate built-in capabilities of a given computer-based element, establish a communication context with other services and client applications, and translate data to and from native interfaces and protocols of the multiple heterogeneous computer-based elements;
a predefined service specification for available operations of each service, wherein each service specification describes a format for sending request messages to access the operations of each service, wherein each service specification also describes how service operations are mapped to built-in capabilities of the multiple heterogeneous computer-based elements;
a distributed set of individually customizable run-time environments which support the exchange of service specifications and the processing of service requests sent from other services and from client applications, wherein the run-time environments compile service specifications and translate the operations described in the service specifications to the built-in capabilities of the multiple heterogeneous computer-based elements;
wherein the system is configured to be employed in a variety of scenarios and frameworks, without requiring extensive computer programming, compiling, debugging, testing, and redeploying of embedded core capabilities, to thereby implement functionality of a network management system having multiple computer-based elements and to generate embedded management applications in data processing environments to implement integrated systems consisting of various hardware, operating systems, middleware, and applications, or to enhance a given set of core capabilities or add missing capabilities to form an integrated system in a flexible manner, or to extend and modify such systems.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for creating integrated systems from diverse computer-based elements is provided. The integration system provides a service-oriented methodology based on a notion of services as operational abstractions to required middleware that encapsulate an element'"'"'s built-in capabilities, establish a communication context with other services and client applications, and translate data to and from the native interfaces and protocols of the elements. A service is based on a service specification which defines the service'"'"'s operations and the format for sending service requests to the service. The integration system is based on the existence of a distributed set of individually customized run-time environments running as service agents, which support the exchange of service specifications and the processing of service requests sent from other services and from client applications.
63 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A system for creating integrated systems from multiple heterogeneous computer-based elements, comprising:
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a software architecture based on functions or services configured as operational abstractions to required middleware, wherein the services;
encapsulate built-in capabilities of a given computer-based element, establish a communication context with other services and client applications, and translate data to and from native interfaces and protocols of the multiple heterogeneous computer-based elements;
a predefined service specification for available operations of each service, wherein each service specification describes a format for sending request messages to access the operations of each service, wherein each service specification also describes how service operations are mapped to built-in capabilities of the multiple heterogeneous computer-based elements;
a distributed set of individually customizable run-time environments which support the exchange of service specifications and the processing of service requests sent from other services and from client applications, wherein the run-time environments compile service specifications and translate the operations described in the service specifications to the built-in capabilities of the multiple heterogeneous computer-based elements;
wherein the system is configured to be employed in a variety of scenarios and frameworks, without requiring extensive computer programming, compiling, debugging, testing, and redeploying of embedded core capabilities, to thereby implement functionality of a network management system having multiple computer-based elements and to generate embedded management applications in data processing environments to implement integrated systems consisting of various hardware, operating systems, middleware, and applications, or to enhance a given set of core capabilities or add missing capabilities to form an integrated system in a flexible manner, or to extend and modify such systems.
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2. An integrated system for managing computer-based elements, comprising:
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at least one service specification component for describing one or more service operations of a service, wherein the service specification permits access to one or more actions using meta-language primitives;
at least one run-time environment component for receiving service requests, reading service specifications, and invoking adapters to perform requests; and
one or more adapter components that provide the primitives of the meta-language and perform translation and mediation of the one or more actions to the built-in capabilities of the computer-based elements. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer-implemented method of performing service operations at a service agent, comprising:
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receiving a request to perform a service operation at a run-time engine;
accessing a service specification in a meta-language containing a mapping of the service operation to one or more meta-language primitives;
loading the service specification using one or more adapters to interpret the meta-language primitives;
invoking the service specification to perform the service request by using the one or more adapters to translate the one or more metalangauge primitives for the service operation to the built-in capabilities of a computer-based element. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A computer-implemented method of creating a service request in a meta-language, comprising:
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enumerating available service specifications from a repository of known services that translate service operations in the meta-language to built-in capabilities of one or more computer-based elements;
selecting one or more service operations from among the available service operations to be requested in the service request; and
storing the service request in the meta-language containing a description of the selected service operations and a reference to the service specifications that define the selected service operations. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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33. A computer-implemented method of exposing built-in capabilities of a computer-based element through a common meta-language, comprising:
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enumerating available meta-language primitives from a repository of adapters that translate the meta-language primitives to the built-in capabilities of the computer based element; and
for each of one or more service operations, defining an interface for the service operation;
associating adapters needed to perform the service operation with the service operation; and
storing in a service specification the service operation interface, a name for the service operation, and one or more actions that implement the service operation using the meta-language primitives of the associated adapters. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. One or more computer memories collectively storing a data structure for describing a service, comprising:
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a reference to one or more adapters that define primitives used to implement the service in a common meta-language;
a name of a service operation; and
one or more actions that implement the service operation using the primitives defined by the referenced adapters. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41)
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42. One or more computer memories collectively storing a data structure for requesting that a service operation be performed, comprising:
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a reference to a service specification that defines the service operation to be performed;
a name of the service operation to be performed; and
one or more arguments to be passed to the service operation.
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43. A system for translating server management requests in a common format to one or more native protocols, comprising:
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a specification compiler for receiving a specification of a management request that contains mapping information for translating the request into user-modifiable functionality provided by one or more adapters;
a request processor for interpreting the compiled specification and invoking the one or more adapters in response to a management request; and
an adapter loading component for enumerating a list of available adapters, importing programmatic extensions from the adapters to the request processor to provide user-modifiable functionality, and exposing the adapters for use by a specification.
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Specification