Distributed processing system for modules, each having modularized objects

• US 5,519,875 A
• Filed: 08/10/1992
• Issued: 05/21/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kamiwaki, Tadashi, Shimada, Masaru, Nakanishi, Hiroaki, Yokoyama, Takanori, Saito, Masahiko, Kobayashi, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowler, Alyssa H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Jr., Walter D.
• Application Number:
  US07/926,519
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/600, 395/200, 395/325
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

A distributed processing system capable of realizing efficient management of a multiplicity of objects in a large scale distributed processing comprises an objectification unit which makes it possible to handle an assembly of objects as one object and a message transfer unit by which a request for a processing to one object provided by objectification by the objectification unit is made to an optimal one of plural objects subjected to objectification.

Claims

1. A distributed processing system in which a message is communicated between a plurality of objects existing on a plurality of computers connected to at least one network to thereby perform processing of said plurality of objects, said distributed processing system comprising:

at least first and second modules each constituted by a plurality of modularized related objects, said plurality of modularized related objects in each of said first and second modules directly communicate with each other only within the same module;

objectifying means provided on one of said plurality of computers and externally connected between said first and second modules, for accepting said message from said first module as a message which is processed by one of said plurality of modularized related objects of said first module when a message from said first module is at least a part of messages which is processed by said plurality of modularized related objects of said second module,

wherein said objectifying means includes a first storage means for storing information representing kinds of said at least a part of messages which are processed by said plurality of modularized related objects of said second module,

wherein said objectifying means includes means for, in response to said message from first module, determining whether said message from said first module is acceptable or not by referring to said information in said first storage means; and

message transfer means, provided in one of said plurality of computers and connected between said second module and said objectifying means, for transferring said message accepted by said objectifying means to at least one of said plurality of modularized related objects of said second module,

wherein said message transfer means includes a second storage means for storing information representing a kind of message, for each of said plurality of modularized related objects of said second module, which is processed by said each of said plurality of modularized related objects of said second module, and

wherein said message transfer means includes means for, as to a message determined being acceptable by said objectifying means, determining said at least one object to which said message determined to be acceptable is transferred with reference to said information of said second storage means, and for transferring said message determined to be acceptable to said at least one object.

2. A distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein said second storage means stores at least one message name as said information representing a kind of message that is processed by said each of said plurality of modularized related objects of said second module for each of said plurality of modularized related objects of said second module, and wherein said message transfer means includes means for selecting said at least one object to which said message determined to be acceptable is transferred with reference to said information of said second storage means based on a message name of a message determined to be acceptable by said objectifying means, and for transferring said message determined to be acceptable to said at least one object.

3. A distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein said message is realized by a remote procedure call.

4. A distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein said message transfer means also transfers said message accepted by said objectifying means to at least one other object of said plurality of modularized related objects of said second module.

5. A distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein said message transfer means converts said message into a message having a format which can be received by a transferee object and thereafter transmits the converted message to said transferee object.

6. A distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein said first module sends a message as said message from said first module when another object of said plurality of modularized related objects of said first module issues a message to said one object of said first module, and

wherein said objectifying means includes means for, in response to said message from said first module, determining whether said message from said first module is acceptable or not.

7. A distributed processing system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one object of said second module includes means for processing said message transferred from said message transfer means.

8. A distributed processing system according to claim 7, wherein said message transfer means includes means for applying a result of processing of said at least one object to said objectifying means, and wherein said objectifying means includes means for applying said result of processing to said first module, so that said first module performs a processing by using said result of said processing.