Notification Method and Apparatus in a Data Processing System

• US 20080222657A1
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ellsworth, Earle, Caplan, Jeffrey W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,156,383 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

An method of, apparatus for, or storage device medium having instructions for publishing a first notification within a data processing system where the data processing system comprises a first source generating the first notification, a first destination device, and a second destination device. The source may be a storage unit, a printer, a processing unit, or any other device which is a component of the data processing system. The destination device is typically a monitor, a workstation, a computer, a PC, or other input/output type workstation. The method comprises of having the first destination device subscribe to receive notifications from the first source. In addition, the second destination device subscribes to receive the notifications serially republished from the first destination device. Upon the publication of a notification from the first source to the first destination device, the first destination device will publish the notification to the second destination device.

Claims

1. A data processing system comprising:

a first destination device subscribed to a first source to receive a first event notification published from the first source;

a second destination device subscribed to the first destination device to receive the first event notification republished from the first destination device; and

a list of second event notifications subscribed to by the second destination device from a second source and from which one or more of the second event notifications is selected to be received by the first destination device.

2. The data processing system of claim 1 further comprising a third destination device subscribed to the first destination device to receive the first event notification and the second event notification republished from the first destination device.

3. The data processing system of claim 1 further comprising:

a third destination device;

means for autonomously subscribing at the first destination device the third destination device to receive the first event notification from the first destination device; and

means for pushing the first event notification from the first destination device to the third destination device.

4. The data processing system of claim 1 further wherein the first and second destination devices reside on separate networks.

5. An article of manufacture for use in programming a data processing system to publish event notifications concerning events with respect to sources wherein the data processing system comprises a first source generating a first event notification, a first destination device and a second destination device, the article of manufacture comprising instructions for:

transmitting to the first source a subscription from the first destination device to receive the first event notification from the first source;

receiving at the first destination device a subscription from the second destination device to receive the first event notification from the first destination device;

receiving at the first destination the first event notification published from the first source;

republishing the first event notification from the first destination device to the second destination device;

wherein the data processing system further comprises a second source generating a second event notification, the article of manufacture further comprising instructions for;

transmitting to the second destination device a subscription from the first destination device to receive the second event notification subscribed to by the second destination device; and

receiving at the first destination the second event notification republished from the second destination device.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 5 wherein the data processing system further comprises a third destination device, the article of manufacture further comprising instructions for:

receiving at the first destination device a subscription from the third destination device to receive the first event notification and the second event notification from the first destination device; and

republishing the first event notification and the second event notification from the first destination device to the third destination device.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 5 wherein the data processing system further comprises a third destination device, the article of manufacture further comprising instructions for:

autonomously subscribing at the first destination device the third destination device to receive the first event notification from the first destination device; and

pushing the first event notification from the first destination device to the third destination device.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 5 wherein the instructions further cause the first source to publish the first event notification at select periodic intervals.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 5 wherein the instructions further cause the first source to publish the first event notification when a status of the first source changes.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 5 further comprising instructions for, prior to transmitting the subscription to the second destination device:

receiving at the first destination device a list of event notifications subscribed to by the second destination device from at least the second source; and

selecting from the list the second event notification.