Method and apparatus for efficiently implementing multiple storage mechanism for name services associated with a computer system

• US 6,044,379 A
• Filed: 12/18/1997
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Callsen, Christian J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US08/993,635
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 707/103, 707/10, 707/100, 707/101, 395/702, 395/200.33, 709/203, 709/303
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/462 Lookup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for implementing both transient and persistent name services are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a name service may be arranged to store and process both transient and persistent information. The implementation of at least one storage mechanism arranged to store persistent information for such name service includes creating a recursive section of a hierarchical name space structure. The recursive section of the name space structure is arranged to process both the transient information and the persistent information. Implementing the name service also includes creating a local section of the name space structure. The local section includes an implementation that embodies the storage mechanism, which is encapsulated in a data store interface, that is arranged to store the persistent information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for implementing at least one storage mechanism for a name service, the method comprising:

creating a name service, the name service being arranged to store both transient information and persistent information, wherein the at least one storage mechanism is arranged to store the persistent information;

creating a recursive section of a hierarchical name space structure, wherein the recursive section is arranged to process both the transient information and the persistent information; and

creating a local section of the hierarchical name space structure, the local section including an implementation that embodies the at least one storage mechanism arranged to store the persistent information, wherein the at least one storage mechanism is encapsulated in a data store interface.

2. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein the local section is further arranged to store the transient information.

3. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 2 wherein binding the name passed into the name service to the type passed into the name service includes the steps of:

binding the name to the type when it is determined that the number of components in the name has a single component;

obtaining a first component in the name when it is determined that the number of components in the name has multiple components;

resolving the first component of the name; and

obtaining remaining components of the name after the first component of the name is resolved to bind the name to the type.

4. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 2 wherein the local section is arranged to perform at least one of a resolve operation and a destroy operation on a name passed into the name service.

5. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 2 wherein the local section is arranged to perform at least one of a rebind operation or an unbind operation on a name passed into the name service and a type passed into the name service.

6. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein the local section is arranged to bind a name passed into the name service to a type passed into the name service.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 wherein the type is at least one of an object and a context.

8. A computer-implemented method for implementing a name service in an object-based computing system, the computer-implemented method comprising:

providing a context interface associated with the name service, the name service being arranged to allow object references to be traversed recursively, wherein the context interface is arranged to implement a class, the class being arranged to perform data storage of both transient data and persistent data; and

providing a storage interface associated with the context interface to implement the class.

9. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8 wherein the storage interface is arranged to encapsulate at least one data store.

10. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8 wherein the storage interface includes a bind operation, the method further including:

providing a name to the context interface;

providing an object to the context interface, wherein the object is to be bound to the name with a binding; and

storing the binding between the object and the name, wherein the binding is at least partially stored in the data store embodied in the class.

11. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10 further including storing a property in the data store, wherein the property is associated with the name.

12. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8 wherein the storage interface includes a resolve operation, the method further including:

providing a name to the context interface; and

resolving the name by obtaining a binding from a data store embodied in the class which is arranged to perform data storage, the binding being associated with the name.

13. A computer-implemented method for binding a name to an object reference associated with a server object in a name service, the method comprising:

obtaining a first component of the name when the name has more than a single component and includes at least one remaining component;

determining whether the first component of the name is bound;

resolving the server object using the first component of the name;

obtaining the at least one remaining component of the name, wherein the at least one remaining component of the name is obtained through a naming context object; and

processing the at least one remaining component to bind the resolved server object with the name.

14. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein when the name does not have more than one component, the method further includes calling a bind operation on the server object to bind the name to the object reference.

15. A method as recited in claim 13 further including determining whether a binding type associated with the object reference is a context.

16. A name service within a computer system, the name service being arranged to store both transient information and persistent information, wherein at least one storage mechanism is arranged to store the persistent information, the name service comprising:

a recursive section of a hierarchical name space structure, wherein the recursive section of the hierarchical name space structure is arranged to process both the transient information and the persistent information; and

a local section of the name space structure, the local section including an implementation that embodies the at least one storage mechanism arranged to store the persistent information, wherein the at least one storage mechanism is encapsulated in a data store interface.

17. A name service within a computer system as recited in claim 16 wherein the local section is further arranged to store the transient information.

18. A name service within a computer system as recited in claim 17 wherein the local section is arranged to bind a name passed into the name service to a type passed into the name service.

19. A name service within a computer system as recited in claim 18 wherein the type is one of an object and a context.

20. A computer system arranged to implement at least one storage mechanism for a name service, the name service being arranged to store both transient information and persistent information, wherein the at least one storage mechanism is arranged to store the persistent information, the computer system comprising:

a processor;

a data store interface; and

a hierarchical name space structure including a recursive section and a local section, the recursive section of the name space structure being arranged to process both the transient information and the persistent information, the local section including an implementation that embodies the at least one storage mechanism arranged to store the persistent information, wherein the at least one storage mechanism is encapsulated in the data store interface.

21. A computer system as recited in claim 20 wherein the local section is further arranged to store the transient information.

22. A computer system as recited in claim 21 wherein the local section is arranged to bind a name passed into the name service to a type passed into the name service.

23. A computer system as recited in claim 22 further including:

a binding mechanism arranged to bind the name to the type when the name has a single component; and

a resolver for resolving a first component of the name when the name has more a plurality of components.

24. A computer program product for implementing at least one storage mechanism for a name service, the computer program product comprising:

computer code that creates a name service, the name service being arranged to store both transient information and persistent information, wherein the at least one storage mechanism is arranged to store the persistent information;

computer code that creates a recursive section of a hierarchical name space structure, wherein the recursive section of the hierarchical name space structure is arranged to process both the transient information and the persistent information;

computer code that creates a local section of the name space structure, the local section including an implementation that embodies the at least one storage mechanism arranged to store the persistent information, wherein the at least one storage mechanism is encapsulated in a data store interface; and

a computer readable medium that stores the computer codes.

25. A computer program product as recited in claim 24 wherein the computer code that creates the local section further includes computer code that is arranged to store the transient information, the computer code that creates the local section further being arranged to bind a name passed into the name service to a type passed into the name service.

26. A computer program product as recited in claim 25 further including:

computer code that binds the name to the type when the name has only a single component;

computer code that obtains a first component in the name when the name has multiple components;

computer code that resolves the first component of the name; and

computer code that obtains remaining components of the name after the first component of the name is resolved to bind the name to the type.

27. A computer program product as recited in claim 24 wherein the computer readable medium is a code representation embodied in a carrier wave.