Client server system and method of operation including a dynamically configurable protocol stack

• US 5,515,508 A
• Filed: 12/17/1993
• Issued: 05/07/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taligent, Inc. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Warren, Christina E., Loomis, Donald R., Pettus, Christopher E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowler, Alyssa H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Jr., Walter D.
• Application Number:
  US08/169,345
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/200, 395/164, 395/162, 364/DIG. 1, 370/60
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Novel object-oriented client-server facility (CSF) and networking service facility (NSF) interfaces implement communication between application programs residing in client and server nodes of a distributed services network. The CSF interface includes remote procedure call (RPC) objects for invoking and responding to service requests at the nodes, and application programming interface (API) objects for transporting those requests between the nodes. However, the API objects only provide communication transports within a node. Accordingly, the API and RPC objects interact with dynamically-configurable protocol stacks within the NSF interfaces to complete the transport mechanism needed by an application program on the client node when accessing services on a remote server node.

Claims

1. A computer network system comprising:

(a) a pre-configured network having a plurality of alternate communication links, each of the alternate communication links using a different network protocol;

(b) at least one client node having an application program executing therein;

(c) a directory service in the client node having a plurality of service objects stored therein, each of the plurality of service objects including a network address and a configuration object containing a configuration command needed to access a particular service on the network;

(d) means in the client node and controlled by the application program for generating a service request to request a network service with a first predetermined network protocol;

(e) a dynamically configurable protocol stack in the client node, for connecting the service request generating means to one of the plurality of communication links, the protocol stack having means responsive to a configuration command for translating the first predetermined network protocol into another network protocol and being comprised of a plurality of layer objects, each of the plurality of layer objects being derived from a base layer object and having data representing state information and member functions for identifying adjacent layer objects and wherein each of the plurality of layer objects are vertically linked to a second different one of the plurality of layer objects and wherein the protocol stack includes shim objects inserted between two layer objects and having member functions for providing functionality between the two layer objects;

(f) means responsive to the service request for accessing the directory service to obtain a service object necessary to access the requested service;

(g) means for extracting the configuration object from the obtained service object;

(h) means for establishing a data path from the application program to the protocol stack; and

(i) means for sending the configuration object over the data path to the first protocol stack to configure the first protocol stack using the configuration command in the configuration object.

2. The computer network system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

presentation means for displaying each of the different network protocols; and

means for identifying each of the different network protocols.

3. A method for connecting a client node having an application program executing therein to a server node having a service program therein for providing a service to the application program with a first predetermined network protocol, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) creating a directory service in the client node having a plurality of service objects stored therein, each of the plurality of service objects including a network address and a configuration object containing a configuration command needed to access a particular service on the network;

(b) generating a service request to request a network service with a first predetermined network protocol under control of the application program;

(c) creating a dynamically configurable protocol stack in the client node, for connecting the service request generating means to one of the plurality of communication links, the protocol stack having means responsive to a configuration command for translating the first predetermined network protocol into another network protocol, the dynamically configurable protocol stack being created from a plurality of layer objects, each of the plurality of layer objects being derived from a base layer object and having data representing state information and member functions for identifying adjacent layer objects and wherein each of the plurality of protocol layer objects is linked vertically to a second different one of the plurality of protocol layer objects and shim objects are inserted between two layer objects, the shim objects having member functions for providing functionality between the two layer objects;

(d) accessing the directory server to obtain a service object necessary to access the requested service;

(e) extracting the configuration object from the obtained service object;

(f) establishing a data path from the application program to the protocol stack; and

(g) sending the configuration object over the data path to the first protocol stack to configure the first protocol stack using the configuration command in the configuration object.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, including the steps of:

displaying the plurality of different network protocols;

and

displaying an identification for each of the plurality of different network protocols.