Method of transmitting a notification to a receiver from plural notification services in a distributed application network, and a network for implementing the method

• US 6,073,184 A
• Filed: 05/01/1998
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sound View Innovations, LLC (Sound View Innovation Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Couturier, Alban, Ruffin, Michel, Van Der Meulen, Marcel
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/070,867
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 709/217, 709/218, 709/220, 709/223, 709/249, 709/311, 709/313, 709/315, 709/328, 709/400
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of transmitting a notification in a distributed-application information processing network from an emitter (10A) belonging to a first notification zone (10) of a software bus (8) having a first notification service (16) associated therewith to a receiver (12A) belonging to a second notification zone (12) of the software bus (8) having a second notification service (18) associated therewith. The receiver (12A) is enrolled with the second notification service (18) to receive notifications of a determined category. The method comprises the steps consisting in:

enrolling the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from the first notification service (16); and

transmitting said notification from the emitter (10A) to the receiver (12A) via the first notification service (16) and the second notification service (18), in succession.

The method is applicable to managing telecommunications networks.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a notification in a distributed-application data processing network, from an emitter (10A) belonging to a first notification zone (10) having a first notification service (16) associated therewith, to a receiver (12A) belonging to a second notification zone (12) having a second notification service (18) associated therewith, each notification service being adapted to perform a notification operation comprising at least one of the operations of (i) sending notifications of a determined category to receivers enrolled with the notification service and (ii) receiving notifications of a determined category from emitters registered with the notification service, the method being characterized in that it comprises the steps of:

firstly performing a first operation comprising at least one of the operations of enrolling the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from said first notification service (16) and registering the first notification service (16) as an emitter of notifications to the second notification service (18); and

secondly transmitting said notification from said emitter (10A) to said receiver (12A) via the first notification service (16) and the second notification service (18) in succession.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said first operation is performed on a notification service administrator (50) making a request to the first notification service (16).

3. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that the step of enrolling the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from said first notification service (16) includes the following successive steps:

the first notification service (16) addressing a registration message to the second notification service (18);

the second notification service (18) returning an identifier of the second notification service (18) to the first notification service (16); and

the first notification service (16) storing said identifier of the second notification service for subsequent transmission of notifications to the second notification service (18).

4. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that the step of registering the first notification service (16) as an emitter of notifications to the second notification service (18) includes the following successive steps:

the first notification service (16) addressing an identifier of the first notification service (16) to the second notification service (18); and

the second notification service (18) storing said identifier of the first notification service (16) to subsequently pick up notifications from the first notification service (16).

5. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said first operation is performed by a notification service administrator (62) making a request to the second notification service (18).

6. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that the step of enrolling the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from said first notification service (16) includes the following successive steps:

the second notification service (18) addressing an identifier of the second notification service (18) to the first notification service (16); and

the first notification service (16) storing said identifier of the second notification service subsequently to notify notifications to the second notification service.

7. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that the step of registering the first notification service (16) as an emitter of notifications to the second notification service (18) includes the following successive steps:

the second notification service (18) addressing an enrollment message to the first notification service (16);

the first notification service (16) returning an identifier of the first notification service (16) to the second notification service (18); and

the second notification service (18) returning said identifier of the first notification service (18) subsequently to pick up notifications from the first notification service (16).

8. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that each notification service (16, 18) comprises a set of software components (30, 32, 34, 40, 42) each including at least one notification channel (32, 34, 40) specific to a determined category of notifications, and in that the step of enrolling the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from said first notification service (16) is performed, when said second notification service is notified, by said notification channel (32) of the first notification service (16) corresponding to the determined category of notifications implementing the identifier of the notification channel (42) associated with the second notification service (18).

9. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that each notification service (16, 18) comprises a set of software components (30, 32, 34, 40, 42) each including at least one notification channel (32, 34, 40) specific to a determined category of notifications, and in that the step of registering the first notification service (16) as an emitter of notifications to the second notification service (18) is performed, while picking up said notification from said first notification service, by the notification channel (42) of the second notification service (18) corresponding to the determined category of notifications implementing the identifier of the notification channel (32) associated with the first notification service (16).

10. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the notification is transmitted from said emitter (10A) to said receiver (12A) on the initiative of said emitter (10A).

11. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the notification is transmitted from said emitter (10A) to said receiver (12A) on the request of said receiver (12A).

12. A distributed-application information processing network comprising firstly a first notification zone (10) having a first notification service (16) associated therewith and having an emitter (10A) linked thereto, and secondly a second notification zone (12) having a second notification service (18) associated therewith and having a receiver (12A) linked thereto, each notification service performing at least one of (I) sending notifications of a determined category to receivers enrolled with the notification service and (ii) receiving notifications of a determined category from emitters registered with the notification service, the network being characterized in that it includes apparatus performing at least on of (I) enrolling the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from said first notification service (16) and (ii) registering the first notification service (16) as an emitter of notifications to the second notification service (18), and transmitting apparatus transmitting said notifications from said emitter (10A) to said receiver (12A) via the first notification service (16) and the second notification service (18) in succession.

13. A network according to claim 12, characterized in that it includes a notification service administrator (50) adapted to address to the first notification service (16) a request for at least one of (i) enrollment of the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from said first notification service (16) (ii) registration of the first notification service (16) as an emitter of notifications to the second notification service (18).

14. A network according to claim 13, characterized in that to enroll the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from said first notification service (16), the first notification service (16) addresses a registration message to the second notification service (18), the second notification service (18) returns an identifier of the second notification service (18) to the first notification service (16), and the first notification service (16) stores said identifier of the second notification service in order subsequently to transmit notifications to the second notification service (18).

15. A network according to claim 13, characterized in that to register the first notification service (16) as an emitter of notifications to the second notification service (18), the first notification service (16) addresses an identifier of the first notification service (16) to the second notification service (18), and the second notification service (18) stores said identifier of the first notification service (16) in order subsequently to receive notifications from the first notification service (16).

16. A network according to claim 12, characterized in that it includes a notification service administrator (62) adapted to address to the second notification service (18) a request for at least one of (i) enrolling the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from said first notification service (16) registering the first notification service (16) as an emitter of notifications to the second notification service (18).

17. A network according to claim 16, characterized in that to enroll the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from said first notification service (16), the second notification service (18) addresses an identifier of the second notification service (18) to the first notification service (16), and the first notification service (16) stores said identifier of the second notification service in order subsequently to notify notifications to the second notification service.

18. A network according to claim 16, characterized in that to register the first notification service (16) as an emitter of notifications to the second notification service (18), the second notification service (18) addresses an enrollment message to the first notification service (16), the first notification service (16) returns an identifier of the first notification service (16) to the second notification service (18), and the second notification service (18) stores said identifier of the first notification service (16) in order subsequently to pick up notifications from the first notification service (16).

19. A network according to claim 14, characterized in that each notification service (16, 18) comprises a set of software components (30, 32, 34, 40, 42) each including at least one notification channel (32, 34, 40) specific to a determined category of notifications, and in that to enroll the second notification service (18) as a receiver of notifications from said first notification service (16), said notification channel (32) of the first notification service (16) corresponding to the determined category of notifications operates during sending of said notification to said second notification service to receive the identifier of the associated notification channel (42) of the second notification service (18).

20. A network according to claim 15, characterized in that each notification service (16, 18) comprises a set of software components (30, 32, 34, 40, 42) each including at least one notification channel (32, 34, 40) specific to a determined category of notifications, and in that to register the first notification service (16) as an emitter of notifications to the second notification service (18), the notification channel (42) of the second notification service (18) corresponding to the determined category of notifications operates while receiving said notification from said first notification service to store the identifier of the associated notification channel (32) of the first notification service (16).

21. A network according to claim 12, characterized in that at least one of the emitters and receivers is an object.