CLIENT-SERVER SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACCESSING METADATA INFORMATION ACROSS A NETWORK USING PROXIES

• US 20100250648A1
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE), SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Tran, Duc, Kunniyur, Vikram, Ganti, Sridhar, Cao, Wu
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,383 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention include a computer-implemented systems and methods for accessing metadata across a network. A metadata server receives requests to access a data source from one or more clients. The metadata server is coupled between one or more backend servers and the clients. The backend servers may be coupled to the data sources of interest. The metadata server provides a metadata service proxy for establishing communications with the backend servers and for signaling the backend servers to establish connections to data sources. Data sources may be stateful or stateless. For stateless data sources, the metadata server may dynamically create reusable metadata service provider proxies that receive metadata from metadata service providers on the backend servers. For stateful data sources, unique metadata service provider proxies may be dynamically created and used to service client requests.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of accessing metadata across a network, comprising:

opening first and second connection paths from first and second clients, respectively, to a data source through a metadata server;

browsing metadata at the data source by the first and second clients through the first and second connections paths, respectively;

dynamically generating a first proxy for the first client at the metadata server for communicating with the data source;

proxying a first request from the first client for a first subset of data from the data source over the first connection path through the first proxy;

receiving, at the metadata server, metadata from said data source in response to the first request;

sending to the first client a first response to the first request including the metadata;

during the sending of the first response to the first request, receiving a second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path; and

sending to the second client a response to the second request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second connection paths share a first sub-connection path between the metadata server and the data source.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first sub-connection path comprises a second sub-connection path between the first proxy and the data source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second connection paths comprise stateful connections to the data source including unique proxies for establishing data source connections, the method further comprising dynamically generating a second proxy for the second client at the metadata server for communicating with the data source, and proxying the second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path through the second proxy.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising auto-expiring the first proxy that has timed out and making the first proxy available for servicing a new connection request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second connection paths comprise stateless connections to the data source through the first proxy, the method further comprising dynamically assigning the first proxy to the second client at the metadata server for communicating with the data source, and proxying the second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path through the first proxy.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein metadata from the data source is received in the metadata server in a plurality of chunks, and wherein at least a portion of the metadata chunks are stored in a buffer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first proxy services the second request from the second client and metadata from the buffer is sent to the first client by said metadata server.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising load balancing data source connections across a plurality of remote servers, wherein a first remote server includes a first plurality of metadata service providers holding connections to a first data source, the first plurality of metadata service providers being in communication with a corresponding first plurality of dynamically generated metadata service provider proxies in said metadata server, and wherein a second remote server includes a second plurality of metadata service providers holding connections to a second data source, the second plurality of metadata service providers being in communication with a corresponding second plurality of dynamically generated metadata service provider proxies in said metadata server, and wherein said metadata server receives a request to access the first data source, and based on the loading of said first remote server, generates a new metadata service provider proxy on the metadata server and signals the second remote server to generate a new metadata service provider for connecting to said first data source and servicing said request through the new metadata service provider proxy.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a first connection request is received by a metadata service proxy in the metadata server, and wherein the metadata service proxy generates said first proxy in response to said request, wherein said first proxy is a first service provider proxy, and wherein a first service provider is further generated on a second server for connecting to said data source and sending metadata to said first service provider proxy.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a first connection request is received by a metadata service proxy in the metadata server, and wherein the metadata service proxy sends an open connection request to a metadata service on a second server coupled to the data source if a connection to the data source has not been created, and wherein the metadata service proxy sends a request to retrieve metadata from the data source through the first proxy if the connection to the data source has been created.

12. A computer system for accessing metadata across a network comprising:

a server computer system coupled to a network;

a metadata server software component, executable on said server computer system, said metadata server software component opening first and second connection paths from first and second clients, respectively, to a data source on a remote server;

dynamically generating a first proxy for the first client for communicating with the data source;

proxying a first request from the first client for a first subset of data from the data source over the first connection path through the first proxy;

receiving metadata from said data source in response to the first request;

sending to the first client a first response to the first request including the metadata;

during the sending of the first response to the first request, receiving a second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path; and

sending to the second client a response to the second request.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the first and second connection paths comprise stateful connections to the data source including unique proxies for establishing data source connections, the method further comprising dynamically generating a second proxy for the second client at the metadata server for communicating with the data source, and proxying the second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path through the second proxy.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the first and second connections comprise stateless connections to the data source through the first proxy, the method further comprising dynamically assigning the first proxy to the second client at the metadata server for communicating with the data source, and proxying the second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path through the first proxy.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein metadata from the data source is received in the metadata server in a plurality of chunks, and wherein at least a portion of the metadata chunks are stored in a buffer.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the first proxy services the second request from the second client and metadata from the buffer is sent to the first client by said metadata server.

17. The computer system of claim 12, wherein a first connection request is received by a metadata service proxy in the metadata server, and wherein the metadata service proxy sends an open connection request to a metadata service on a second server coupled to the data source if a connection to the data source has not been created, and wherein the metadata service proxy sends a request to retrieve metadata from the data source through the first proxy if the connection to the data source has been created.

18. A computer readable medium embodying a computer program for performing a method of accessing metadata across a network, said method comprising:

opening first and second connection paths from first and second clients, respectively, to a data source through a metadata server;

browsing metadata at the data source by the first and second clients through the first and second connections paths, respectively;

dynamically generating a first proxy for the first client at the metadata server for communicating with the data source;

proxying a first request from the first client for a first subset of data from the data source over the first connection path through the first proxy;

receiving, at the metadata server, metadata from said data source in response to the first request;

sending to the first client a first response to the first request including the metadata;

during the sending of the first response to the first request, receiving a second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path; and

sending to the second client a response to the second request.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the first and second connection paths comprise stateful connections to the data source including unique proxies for establishing data source connections, the method further comprising dynamically generating a second proxy for the second client at the metadata server for communicating with the data source, and proxying the second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path through the second proxy.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the first and second connections comprise stateless connections to the data source through the first proxy, the method further comprising dynamically assigning the first proxy to the second client at the metadata server for communicating with the data source, and proxying the second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path through the first proxy.