ASPECT SERVICES

• US 20090300099A1
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

An aspect request associated with a web application is received by an aspect server, the web application being hosted by a web application server that is remote from the aspect server. Operations are performed according to the aspect request, the operations being associated with a crosscutting concern. A result is returned, the result supplementing functionality of the web application.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for an aspect server, comprising:

receiving an aspect request associated with a web application, the web application being hosted by a web application server that is remote from the aspect server;

performing operations according to the aspect request, the operations being associated with a crosscutting concern; and

returning a result, the result supplementing functionality of the web application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations are associated with at least one of a logging concern, a security concern, an authentication concern, a database transaction concern, or a parameter validation concern.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aspects are provided as a service to the web application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the aspect server is a proxy for the web application server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the aspect request is received from a proxy server or the web application server, and the result is sent to the proxy server, the web application server or a client.

6. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a service request from a client, the service request being directed to a web application, wherein a core concern of the web application is configured to perform a core operation upon receiving the service request;

sending an aspect request to an aspect server that is remote from the web application, wherein the aspect server hosts an aspect service that performs an additional operation before or after the core operation is performed, wherein the additional operation adds functionality to the core concern;

receiving an aspect response from the aspect server after the aspect service has performed the additional operation; and

performing at least one of forwarding the aspect response to the client or forwarding the service request to the web application.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a service response from the web application; and

forwarding the service response to the aspect server, wherein the service response is included in the aspect request.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a modified service response from the aspect server, wherein the service response has been modified by the aspect service to create the modified service response; and

forwarding the modified service response to the client.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the aspect request includes the service request, and wherein the aspect service modifies the service request before it is sent to the web application.

10. A system comprising:

an application server to host a web application, the web application having a core concern, wherein the core concern includes a set of behaviors that are core to functionality of the web application; and

an aspect server, networked with the application server, to host an aspect service configured to apply a crosscutting concern, wherein the crosscutting concern includes a set of behaviors that add functionality to the core concern of the web application.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a proxy server, networked with the application server, the aspect server and a client, to receive a service request from the client, the service request being directed to the web application, to send an aspect request to the aspect server, to receive an aspect response from the aspect server after the aspect server has executed the aspect service, and to perform at least one of forwarding the aspect response to the client or forwarding the service request to the application server;

wherein the aspect server is configured to execute the aspect service upon receiving the aspect request.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

the proxy server to receive an updated service request from the client, to forward the updated service request to the aspect server, to receive a new response from the aspect server, and to forward the updated service request to the web application.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

the proxy server to receive a service response from the application server, to forward the service response to the aspect server, to receive a modified service response from the aspect server, wherein the service response has been modified by the aspect service, and to forward the modified service response to the client.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the service request is forwarded to the aspect server along with the aspect request and the aspect service modifies the service request before it is sent to the web application.

15. A computer readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to perform a method for an aspect server, comprising:

receiving an aspect request associated with a web application, the web application being hosted by a web application server that is remote from the aspect server;

performing operations according to the aspect request, the operations being associated with a crosscutting concern; and

returning a result, the result supplementing functionality of the web application.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations are associated with at least one of a logging concern, a security concern, an authentication concern, a database transaction concern, or a parameter validation concern.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the aspects are provided as a service to the web application.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the aspect server is a proxy for the web application server.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the aspect request is received from a proxy server or the web application server, and the result is sent to the proxy server, the web application server or a client.

20. A computer readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a service request from a client, the service request being directed to a web application, wherein a core concern of the web application is configured to perform a core operation upon receiving the service request;

sending an aspect request to an aspect server that is remote from the web application, wherein the aspect server hosts an aspect service that performs an additional operation before or after the core operation is performed, wherein the additional operation adds functionality to the core concern;

receiving an aspect response from the aspect server after the aspect service has performed the additional operation; and

performing at least one of forwarding the aspect response to the client or forwarding the service request to the web application.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving a service response from the web application; and

forwarding the service response to the aspect server, wherein the service response is included in the aspect request.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a modified service response from the aspect server, wherein the service response has been modified by the aspect service to create the modified service response; and

forwarding the modified service response to the client.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the aspect request includes the service request, and wherein the aspect service modifies the service request before it is sent to the web application.