Name service system and method for automatic updating on interconnected hosts

• US 5,862,331 A
• Filed: 06/21/1996
• Issued: 01/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Herriot, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US08/667,447
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.58, 395/200.57, 395/200.33, 395/200.59, 395/680, 395/684, 395/200.32, 395/200.52, 395/200.53, 395/200.56, 395/200.47 , 395/200.54, 395/200.73, 395/200.75, 395/200.76, 395/200.49
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories

Abstract

A name service system in a computer network has a program on a master host which includes a name service map containing the names and corresponding network addresses of servers running in the network. The name service system also includes a proto-server residing on all hosts in which a server needing dynamic name service updates runs. The network address in the name service map corresponding to the server'"'"'s name is the network address of a program called a "proto-server". The proto-server contains a name table having the name and the corresponding actual address of the server. The name table in the proto-server can be updated dynamically, and the proto-server enables multiple instances of similar servers to run on the same host. When a client requests the binding of a server from the name service, the client program determines whether the address returned from the name service map is the binding of the proto-server, and if so the binding in the proto-server'"'"'s name table is fetched and returned to the client. The system allows the name service to operate as a dynamically updated system even though the name service program on the master host is a static system that must be updated manually.

Claims

1. In a computer network having interconnected hosts, a name service system comprising:

a first host running a first program containing a first file, the first file including names of objects running in the network, wherein for a particular one of said object names, the first file further includes a first network address corresponding to said particular object name; and

for each of said objects, a second host interconnected with said first host, said second host further running a second program containing a second file including said names of objects running in the network, and for a selected one of said object names, the second file further includes a second network address corresponding to said selected object name,

wherein said first network address that corresponds to said particular object name includes a designation identifying said second program on said second host.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said second file contains only names of objects running on said second host.

3. A system as recited in claim 2 wherein the second file is a name table, and the names of objects running on the second host are entries for servers instantiated on the second host.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said designation included in the first network address that corresponds to said particular object name is the network address of said second program on said second host.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said second file is retained when said second host is shut down.

6. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein said second file is purged when said second host is booted up.

7. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a third program running on one of said interconnected hosts, said third program being communicative with clients running on said hosts, such that upon request from one of said clients for the network address of an object, said third program determines whether the network address of said object in said first file designates said second program, and when it is determined that said object in said first file designates said second program, said second program returns to said client the network address of said object from said second file.

8. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the network addresses in said second file may be dynamically updated.

9. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein upon startup of an object, said object registers a dynamic program number in said second file.

10. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the operation of said second program is hidden from a client requesting name service from said first program.

11. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein the first host continues to run the first program when the second host ceases running the second program.

12. A computer system including a plurality of interconnected hosts and a name information service system, the computer system comprising:

a first host arranged to run a first program containing a first file including names of objects running on the computer system, wherein the first file further includes a first network address corresponding to each of said object names;

for each of said objects, a second host interconnected with said first host, said second host being arranged to run a second program containing a second file including names of objects running on the computer system, wherein the second file further includes a second network address corresponding to each of said object names, said first network address for at least one of said objects including a designation identifying said second program on said second host; and

a method for returning the network address of a particular object upon request from a client in the computer system, said method being arranged to determine whether the network address of said particular object in said first file designates said second program on said second host, return to said client the network address of said particular object from said second file when said network address of said particular object in said first file designates said second program on said host, and return to said client the network address of said particular object from said first file when said network address of said particular object in said first file does not designate said second program on said host.

13. A computer readable storage medium containing encoded data for use in a computer network having a plurality of interconnected hosts, said computer network including a name information service system, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

program code that enables a first host to run a first application containing a first file including names of objects running in the network, wherein for a particular one of said object name, the first filed includes a first network address corresponding to said particular object name; and

for each of said objects, program code that enables a second host interconnected with said first host to run a second application containing a second file comprising names of objects running in the network, wherein for said particular object name, said second file further includes a second network address corresponding to said particular object, said first network address including a designation identifying said second application on said second host, said data comprising an application for causing said computer network to perform a method for returning the network address of an object upon request from a client in the computer network, said method comprising the steps of;

determining whether the network address of said object in said first file designates said second program on said second host;

when said network address of said object in said first file designates said second program on said second host, returning to said client the network address of said object from said second file; and

when said network address of said object in said first file does not designate said second program on said second host, returning to said client the network address of said object from said first file.

14. A computer readable storage medium containing encoded data for use in a computer network having a plurality of interconnected hosts, said network further having a name information service system, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

encoded data that enables a first host to run a first program containing a first file comprising names of objects running in the computer network, and for each of said object names, the first file further comprises a first network address corresponding to said object name;

encoded data that enables a second host interconnected with said first host to run a second program for each of said objects containing a second file comprising names of objects running in the computer network, wherein for each of said object names, the second file further comprises a second network address corresponding to said object, the first network address including a designation identifying said second program on said second host.

15. A computer program product for use in a computer network having a plurality of interconnected hosts and a name information service system, the computer program product comprising:

computer code that embodies a first program containing a first file comprising names of objects running in the computer network, wherein for each of said object names, the first file further comprises a first network address corresponding to said object name;

computer code that causes a first host to run the first program;

computer code that embodies a second program containing a second file comprising names of objects running in the computer network, wherein for each of said object names, the second program further comprises a second network address corresponding to said object;

computer code that causes a second host interconnect with said first host to run the second program, wherein said first network address includes a designation identifying said second program on said second host; and

a computer readable medium that contains the computer codes.

16. A computer-implemented method for implementing a name service system on a networked computing system, the networked computing system including a first host and a second host, wherein the first host is interconnected with the second host, the method comprising:

executing a first program on the first host, the first program including a first file, the first file including names of objects running in the networked computing system, wherein for at least a particular one of the object names, the first file further includes a first network address that corresponds to the particular one of the object names; and

executing a second program on the second host, the second program including a second file, the second file including names of objects running in the networked computing system, the second file further including a second network address that corresponds to a selected one of the object names, wherein the first network address that corresponds to the particular one of the object names includes a designation identifying the second program.

17. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16 wherein the second file is arranged to include substantially only names of objects running on the second host.

18. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 17 wherein the second file is a name table, and the names of objects running on the second host are entries for servers instantiated on the second host.