Data management interface with configurable plugins

• US 20080295074A1
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Schneider, James P., Karandikar, Anirudha Subhash
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing data. A data management interface that delegates data operations to one or more plugins is configured, each plugin being associated with a distinct data operation. A new plugin is identified. The data management interface is reconfigured to enable the new plugin, the reconfiguring being transparent to at least one application requesting a data operation.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

configuring a data management interface that delegates data operations to one or more plugins, each plugin being associated with a distinct data operation;

identifying a new plugin; and

reconfiguring the data management interface to enable the new plugin, the reconfiguring being transparent to at least one application requesting a data operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the new plugin performs at least one of storing data to, retrieving data from, and deleting data on a new data storage device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the new plugin is operable to process data having distinct properties.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

finding information in configuration data maintained by a configuration manager for the new plugin; and

providing the information for the new plugin to the data management interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein reconfiguring the data management interface includes loading a configurer, loading a plugin manager, obtaining configuration data pertaining to the new plugin using the configurer, and loading plugins with the plugin manager using the configuration data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring for new configuration data, the new configuration data pertaining to the new plugin; and

automatically performing the reconfiguring when new configuration data is detected.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more plugins are objects of one or more plugin classes, each of the plugin classes having methods for performing the data operations.

8. A machine-accessible medium including instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:

configuring a data management interface that delegates data operations to one or more plugins, each plugin being associated with a distinct data operation;

identifying a new plugin; and

reconfiguring the data management interface to enable the new plugin, the reconfiguring being transparent to at least one application requesting a data operation.

9. The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, wherein the new plugin performs at least one of storing data to, retrieving data from, and deleting data on a new data storage device.

10. The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, wherein the new plugin is operable to process data having distinct properties.

11. The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

finding information in configuration data maintained by a configuration manager for the new plugin; and

providing the information for the new plugin to the data management interface.

12. The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, wherein reconfiguring the data management interface includes loading a configurer, loading a plugin manager, obtaining configuration data pertaining to the new plugin using the configurer, and loading plugins with the plugin manager using the configuration data.

13. The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

monitoring for new configuration data, the new configuration data pertaining to the new plugin; and

automatically performing the reconfiguring when new configuration data is detected.

14. The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more plugins are objects of one or more plugin classes, each of the plugin classes having methods for performing the data operations.

15. A system, comprising:

a data management interface networked to one or more data storage devices and to an application, the data management interface to delegate data operations to a new plugin; and

a configuration manager to provide configuration data to reconfigure the data management interface to enable the new plugin, the reconfiguring being transparent to at least one application requesting the data operation.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a data storage device, wherein the new plugin to perform at least one of storing data to, retrieving data from, and deleting data on the data storage device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the new plugin is operable to process data having distinct properties.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein reconfiguring the data management interface includes loading a configurer, loading a plugin manager, obtaining configuration data pertaining to the new plugin using the configurer, and loading plugins with the plugin manager using the configuration data.

19. The system of claim 15, the data management interface comprising:

a configurer to monitor for new configuration data, the new configuration data pertaining to the new plugin; and

a plugin manager to automatically performing the reconfiguring when new configuration data is detected.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more plugins are objects of one or more plugin classes, each of the plugin classes having methods for performing the data operations.