Object-oriented network protocol configuration system utilizing a dynamically configurable protocol stack

• US 5,548,723 A
• Filed: 12/17/1993
• Issued: 08/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taligent, Inc. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Pettus, Christopher E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowler, Alyssa H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Walter D.
• Application Number:
  US08/169,863
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/200, 395/164, 395/250, 395/162, 364/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• 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 multi-node computer network system for connecting a client node to a server node so that the client node may request services from the server node via a remote procedure call, the computer network system comprising:

(a) a client node and a server node, each node having at least one processor and a memory attached to the at least one processor and under the control of the at least one processor wherein the client node further includes a directory service containing a plurality of service objects, each corresponding to a remote service and each including a reference to a stack definition;

(b) a network for connecting the client and server nodes for communication therebetween, the network having a predefined network protocol characterized by a plurality of protocol layers;

(c) wherein the client node includes means for communicating over the network under the control of a dynamically reconfigurable protocol stack, the stack comprising a plurality of layer objects, each layer object corresponding to one of the protocol layers of the protocol;

(d) means for determining a protocol definition of the network protocol wherein the means for determining a protocol definition includes means for accessing the directory service to obtain a service object and for thereby obtaining a reference to a stack definition as the protocol definition; and

(e) means, responsive to the protocol definition, for configuring the layer objects of the protocol stack so that the client node may deliver a remote procedure call to the server node over the network in accordance with the network protocol to request a service from the server node, wherein the means for configuring includes means for instantiating a plurality of layer objects to form a protocol stack corresponding to the protocol definition, and and wherein the means for configuring includes means for providing a session service access point for referencing the protocol stack, and

where in the client node further includes means for storing the session service access point in the directory service so that subsequent accesses of the corresponding remote service may use the session service access point to access the corresponding protocol stack.

2. A multi-node computer network system for connecting a client node to a server node so that the client node may request services from the server node via a remote procedure call, the computer network system comprising:

(a) a client node and a server node, each node having at least one processor and a memory attached to the at least one processor and under the control of the at least one processor wherein the client node further includes a directory service containing a plurality of service objects, each corresponding to a remote service and each including a reference to a stack definition;

(b) a network for connecting the client and server nodes for communication therebetween, the network having a predefined network protocol characterized by a plurality of protocol layers;

(c) wherein the client node includes means for communicating over the network under the control of a dynamically reconfigurable protocol stack, the stack comprising a plurality of layer objects, each layer object corresponding to one of the protocol layers of the protocol;

(d) means for determining a protocol definition of the network protocol wherein the means for determining a protocol definition includes means for accessing the directory service to obtain a service object and for thereby obtaining a reference to a stack definition as the protocol definition; and

means, responsive to the protocol definition, for configuring the layer objects of the protocol stack so that the client node may deliver a remote procedure call to the server node over the network in accordance with the network protocol to request a service from the server node, wherein the means for configuring includes means for instantiating a plurality of layer objects to form a protocol stack corresponding to the protocol definition; and

wherein the service object further includes an application service access point, and wherein means for communicating uses network requests having a destination address to communicate with the server node and wherein the client node further includes

means for caching the application service access point, and means for issuing a remote procedure call for a corresponding remote service by appending the application service access point as a destination address of a network request containing the remote procedure call transmitted over the network.

3. A method for connecting a client node and a server node via a network so that the client node may request services from the server node via a remote procedure call over the network, the network having a predefined network protocol characterized by a plurality of protocol layers and each node having at least one processor with an attached memory wherein the client node includes a directory service containing a plurality of service objects, each corresponding to a remote service and each including a reference to a stack definition, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) the client node determining a protocol definition of the network protocol by accessing the directory service to obtain a service object and thereby obtaining a reference to a stack definition as the protocol definition;

(b) defining a plurality of layer objects in the client node memory, each layer object corresponding to one of the protocol layers;

(c) configuring the layer objects into a reconfigurable protocol stack indicative of the network protocol by instantiating a plurality of layer objects to form a protocol stack corresponding to the protocol definition, including

providing a session service access point for referencing the protocol stack; and

storing the session service access point in the directory service so that subsequent accesses of the corresponding remote service may use the session service access point to access the corresponding protocol stack; and

(d) the client node issuing a remote procedure call to the server node over the network under the control of the protocol stack to request a service from the server node.

4. A method for connecting a client node and a server node via a network so that the client node may request services from the server node via a remote procedure call over the network, the network having a predefined network protocol characterized by a plurality of protocol layers and each node having at least one processor with an attached memory wherein the client node includes a directory service containing a plurality of service objects, each corresponding to a remote service and each including a reference to a stack definition, wherein the service object further includes an application service access point, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) the client node determining a protocol definition of the network protocol by accessing the directory service to obtain a service object and thereby obtaining a reference to a stack definition as the protocol definition;

(b) defining a plurality of layer objects in the client node memory, each layer object corresponding to one of the protocol layers;

(c) configuring the layer objects into a reconfigurable protocol stack indicative of the network Protocol by instantiating a plurality of layer objects to form a protocol stack corresponding to the protocol definition; and

(d) the client node issuing a remote procedure call to the server node over the network under the control of the protocol stack to request a service from the server node, including

(d.1) issuing network requests, containing the remote procedure call, the network request having a destination address;

(d.2) caching the application service access point in the client node; and

(d.3) appending the application service access point as the destination address of a network request containing the remote procedure call transmitted over the network.