SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ABSTRACTION OF OBJECTS FOR CROSS VIRTUAL UNIVERSE DEPOLYMENT

• US 20110131226A1
• Filed: 12/02/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: HAMILTON, Rick A. II, WALKER, Keith R., CHANDRA, Ankur, KARTHA, Nalini K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,326,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A system and method for abstracting objects in a virtual universe (VU) deployment is provided. The system and method abstracts VU objects for editing in a common abstraction utility and for deploying to one or more VU grids containing one or more VU architectures and/or platforms (servers). The method can be implemented in a computer infrastructure having programming instructions operable to: obtain an object associated with a first virtual universe server; translate the object with syntax specific to at least a second virtual universe server, the syntax being different than that used with the first virtual universe server; and deploy the translated object to the second virtual universe server.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions operable to:

obtain an object associated with a first virtual universe server;

translate the object with syntax specific to at least a second virtual universe server, the syntax being different than that used with the first virtual universe server; and

deploy the translated object to the second virtual universe server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising editing the object prior to the translation and deployment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the translating is performed on the first virtual universe server, the at least second virtual universe server or a centralized server that is connected over a network to one or both of the first virtual universe server and the at least second virtual universe server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the object includes creating a new object with associated attributes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the translation comprises determining read and write syntax specific to the second virtual universe server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing authentication between the first virtual universe server and the at least second virtual universe server in order to effectuate the deployment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the authentication includes VU server-specific connection information including at least one of IP address, server and domain name, port number(s), and any encryption keys.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the object and mapping information for the translation and deployment to the at least second virtual universe server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the object includes attributes comprising at least one of textures, coordinates, and graphics on top of the coordinates which are automatically translated and deployed across VU servers.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the translating includes translating actions that need to occur to an SQL (Structured Query Language) in order to create a single object that can be deployed across different VU servers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports the computer infrastructure.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein steps are provided by a service provider on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis.

13. A system implemented in hardware, comprising:

an adapter component to translate actions that need to occur to SQL (Structured Query Language) to create a single object that can be deployed across different VU servers;

a communication component designed to pass data between an abstraction utility and the different VU servers over a network; and

a deployment component designed to deploy selected objects that have been translated to the different VU servers.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the adapter component, the communication component and the deployment component are processors.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the adapter component contains database query syntax to read and write to databases of each of the different VU servers.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the adapter component includes at least one of a VU-specific syntax, and an abstraction layer mapping to the VU-specific syntax.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication component includes an authentication component and a server access component, the server access component comprises VU server-specific connection information.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising an Interface/Editor component which allows users to invoke commands to query, store, modify, and deploy objects and their related attributes to the different VU servers.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the Interface/Editor component accesses a library of objects.

20. The system of claim 13, further comprising a storage component that stores at least one of:

the objects and related attributes;

mapping information for translation to the different VU servers;

an interaction history;

location of where the object was created;

location of where the object has been deployed;

the SQL (Structured Query Language) to create a single object that can be deployed across the different VU servers; and

predefined rules

21. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having readable program code embodied in the storage medium, the computer program product includes at least one component operable to:

translate an object from one syntax specific to at least first virtual universe server to a syntax that is specific to a second virtual universe server; and

deploy the translated object between the first and second virtual universe server.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, operable to store the object and the syntax specific to each of the first virtual universe server and the second virtual universe server.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, operable to map the syntax specific to each of the first virtual universe server and the second virtual universe server for translation from one syntax to another.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, operable to invoke commands to query, store, modify, and deploy objects and their related attributes to the different VU servers.

25. A computer system for providing an abstraction and deployment of objects in virtual universes, the system comprising:

a CPU, a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to retrieve an object from storage;

second program instructions to translate actions that need to occur to SQL (Structured Query Language) in order to create a single object that can be deployed across different VU servers;

third program instructions to pass data between a utility that is accessible across different platforms and the different VU servers over a network; and

fourth program instructions to deploy the translated objects to the different VU servers,

wherein the first, second, third and fourth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.