Event Processing Networks

• US 20110126201A1
• Filed: 11/23/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Joseph, Jojo, Iyer, Sreekanth R., Jayaseelan, Gowdhaman
• Granted Patent: US 9,977,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A hybrid event processing network (EPN) having at least one event processing agent (EPA) consists of a first set of EPAs defined declaratively and a second set of EPAs defined dynamically at runtime via an interface. Deploying the hybrid EPN includes loading the hybrid EPN, constructing an EPN structure, and creating indexes of nodes of the EPN structure. Deploying the hybrid EPN further includes representing an event in a hybrid EPN, and, in response to the event occurrence at an event source, receiving a notification from the hybrid EPN based on the event, and publishing the notification in an event channel. Embodiments of the invention includes propagating the event received within the hybrid EPN, determining a subsequent EPA associated with the event within the hybrid EPN, and propagating the event to the subsequent EPA in the hybrid EPN until the last element of the hybrid EPN is reached.

Claims

1. A method for constructing an event processing network, the event processing network including event processing agents, the method comprising:

declaratively configuring a first set of event processing agents; and

dynamically configuring a second set of event processing agents, wherein a resulting combination of the first set of event processing agents and the second set of event processing agents forms a hybrid event processing network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an interface for dynamically modifying the second set of event processing agents at runtime.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

loading the hybrid event processing network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein loading the hybrid event processing network is performed by an event router, and the event router comprises an event router interface, and the event router is configured for:

constructing an event processing network structure of the hybrid event processing network; and

creating an index for an event processing agent of the hybrid event processing network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the event router interface is configured for:

dynamically defining the second set of event processing agents at runtime.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

defining an event processing context, wherein the event processing context includes a pointer to the event processing agent of the hybrid event processing network.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

defining an event processing agent interface for at least one event processing agent of the hybrid event processing network, wherein the event processing agent interface is configured to modify an event flow of the hybrid event processing network.

8. A method for event processing in an event processing network, the event processing network including event processing agents, the method comprising:

in response to an event occurrence at an event source representing the event in a hybrid event processing network;

receiving a notification from the hybrid event processing network based on the event; and

publishing the notification in an event channel.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

declaratively configuring a first set of event processing agents; and

dynamically configuring a second set of event processing agents at runtime.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the notification comprises at least one of an event notification and an event processing context.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the event processing context has a pointer to an event processing agent of the hybrid event processing network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

loading, by an event router, the hybrid event processing network;

constructing, by the event router, an event processing network structure; and

creating, by the event router, indexes for the event processing agent of the hybrid event processing network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

dynamically modifying the second set of event processing agents at runtime via an event router interface.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

defining an event processing agent interface for at least one event processing agent of the hybrid event processing network, wherein the event processing agent interface is configured to modify an event flow of the hybrid event processing network.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

propagating the event received within the hybrid event processing network;

determining a subsequent event processing agent associated with the event within the hybrid event processing network; and

propagating the event to the subsequent event processing agent in the hybrid event processing network until the last element of the hybrid event processing network is reached.

16. An event processing network having event processing agents, the event processing network comprising:

a first set of event processing agents configured declaratively; and

a second set of event processing agents configured to be dynamically modified at runtime, wherein a resulting combination of the first set of event processing agents and the second set of event processing agents forms a hybrid event processing network.

17. The event processing network of claim 16, further comprising:

an event router, wherein the event router is configured to;

load the hybrid event processing network;

construct an event processing network structure; and

create an index for an event processing agent of the hybrid event processing network;

an event router interface, wherein the event router interface is configured to dynamically modify the second set of event processing agents at runtime;

an event processing context, wherein the event processing context is configured to;

include a pointer to the event processing agent; and

an event processing agent interface for at least one event processing agent of the hybrid event processing network.

18. A storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to carry out a method of constructing an event processing network, the event processing network including event processing agents, the machine-readable instructions configured to:

define a first set of event processing agents declaratively; and

dynamically define a second set of event processing agents, wherein a resulting combination of the first set of event processing agents and the second set of event processing agents form a hybrid event processing network.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, further comprising machine-readable instructions configured to:

load the hybrid event processing network;

construct an event processing network structure;

create an index for an event processing agent of the hybrid event processing network; and

dynamically modify the second set of event processing agents at runtime.

20. The storage medium of claim 19, further comprising machine-readable instructions configured to:

in response to an event occurrence at an event source, represent the event in a hybrid event processing network;

receive a notification from the hybrid event processing network based on the event;

publish the notification in an event channel;

propagate the event received within the hybrid event processing network;

determine a subsequent event processing agent associated with the event within the hybrid event processing network; and

propagate the event to the subsequent event processing agent in the hybrid event processing network until the last element of the hybrid event processing network is reached.