Remote resource management system for automatically downloading required files from application server depending on contents of selected files on requesting computer

• US 6,195,678 B1
• Filed: 02/04/1997
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Komuro, Toshinao
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/795,724
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.09, 395/200.06, 395/712, 395/500, 707/10, 707/104, 707/1, 709/228, 709/202, 709/219, 709/213, 709/203, 709/216, 364/468.15
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A remote resource management system for maintaining resources shared in a distributed computing system, which downloads only such resources that are the most suitable for an application requested by a user. When a user selects an application at a terminal computer, an application server computer providing the selected application will determine the most suitable resources for the selected application by consulting a resource linkage manager disposed therein. The application server transfers information advising the suitable resources, together with a download agent, to the terminal computer. In the terminal computer, the download agent determines whether the resources should be newly downloaded or not, referring to local resource management information that describes what resources exist in the terminal computer. If downloading is necessary, the resource management system locates the necessary resource files by using a downloadable resource management directory in a resource server computer. The resource files are downloaded from downloadable resource storage in the resource server computer, and installed into the terminal computer system according to a specified installation mode. When the installation is finished, the download agent will be unloaded, and the application runs with the downloaded resources.

Claims

1. A remote resource management system for maintaining remote resources shared in a distributed computing system, in which a plurality of computers, including an application server computer providing application services and a resource server computer providing resources for the application services, are interconnected by a network and the shared remote resources are downloaded from the resource server computer to a requesting computer on demand, the remote resource management system comprising:

a downloadable resource storage device, disposed in the resource server computer, storing downloadable resources each including at least one file;

a downloadable resource manager, disposed in the resource server computer, managing information concerning the downloadable resources;

a download agent, which is stored in the application server computer on the network and runs on the requesting computer after being delivered to the requesting computer in response to a request from the requesting computer, executing a download operation to fetch one of the downloadable resources required to operate an application requested by the requesting computer from said downloadable resource storage device, depending on contents of selected files requested by the download agent on the requesting computer; and

a local resource information manager, disposed in the requesting computer, storing information concerning local resources in the requesting computer, under control of said download agent that is delivered to the requesting computer;

the distributed computing system includes an application server computer which provides the application selected by the requesting computer; and

said download agent, when being delivered to the requesting computer, carries information concerning a required application environment in the application server computer to the requesting computer, determines information concerning a required resource by comparing the information concerning the required application environment with the information concerning the local resources that is stored in said local resource information manager, and sends the determined information concerning the required resource to the resource server computer so as to initiate downloading of the required resource from said downloadable resource storage device.

2. The remote management system according to claim 1, wherein said download agent delivered to the requesting computer is unloaded from the requesting computer after execution of the downloading operation.

3. The remote resource management system according to claim 1, further comprising a resource linkage manager, disposed in the application computer that stores said download agent, managing dynamic linkage information that defines a relationship between the downloadable resources and the resource server computer storing the downloadable resources.

4. The remote resource management system according to claim 3, wherein said downloadable resource manager is linked to said resource linkage manager by using common logical names, thereby enabling the information concerning the downloadable resources to be dynamically added and/or altered, independent of said resource linkage manager.

5. A remote resource management system according to claim 3, wherein said resource linkage manager is linked to said downloadable resource management by using common logical names, thereby enabling the information concerning the downloadable resources to be dynamically added, altered, and/or deleted, independent of said downloadable resource manager.

6. The remote resource management system according to claim 1, wherein the requesting computer, after receiving said download agent, uploads the same download agent to the resource server computer, and allows the two download agents in the requesting computer and resource server computer to communicate with each other, thereby executing the downloading operation for the required resource.

7. The remote resource management system according to claim 1, wherein the resource server computer comprises a download controller for executing the downloading operation for the required resource by communicating with said download agent.

8. A remote resource management system according to claim 1, wherein said downloadable resource manager treats two resources with different version numbers as separate resources.

9. A remote resource management method of maintaining remote resources shared in a distributed computing system, where a network interconnects a plurality of computers including an application server computer to provide applications, a resource server computer to manage downloadable resources, and a requesting computer in need of the downloadable resources to use an application, the remote resource mnanagement method comprising:

upon selection of an application at the requesting computer, sending information indicative of the selected application;

delivering a download agent from the application server computer to the requesting computer to execute a downloading operation;

checking local resources including contents of selected files installed in the requesting computer, under control of the download agent that is delivered to the requesting computer;

if a latest resource necessary for the selected application is not present in the requesting computer, downloading the latest resource required to operate the selected application requested by the requesting computer from the resource server computer to the requesting computer, by using a function of the download agent; and

unloading the download agent when the download operation is finished.

10. A remote resource management method according to claim 9, wherein said delivering a download agent also delivers, along with the download agent, information concerning the resource server computer that manages the resource necessary for the selected application.

11. A remote resource management method according to claim 9, further comprising:

examining what installation mode is specified, wherein the installation mode defines how to install the downloaded resource into the requesting computer;

setting up the downloaded resource to the requesting computer, when an automatic installation is specified as the installation mode;

examining whether the requesting computer has to be restarted, to allow new setup to take effect; and

aborting the application and restarting the requesting computer if the requesting computer has to be restarted, the four former operations being inserted between the downloading the latest resource and the unloading the download agent.

12. A remote resource management method according to claim 11, wherein said setting up the downloaded resource is automatically achieved by the download agent working together with an operating system of the requesting computer.

13. A remote resource management method according to claim 11, wherein said setting up the downloaded resource is performed by an installation process invoked by the download agent.

14. A remote resource management method according to claim 11, wherein said examining is automatically achieved by the download agent working together with an operating system of the requesting computer.

15. A remote resource management method according to claim 11, wherein said examining is performed by the download agent, based on resource management information under control of the resource server computer.

16. A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program to implement:

a downloadable resource manager centrally managing information concerning downloadable resources shared in a distributed computing system; and

a download agent, to be delivered to a requesting computer in response to a request from the requesting computer, executing a download operation to fetch one of the downloadable resources required to operate an application requested by the requesting computer depending on contents of selected files requested by the download agent on the requesting computer.

17. A remote resource management system for maintaining remote resources shared in a distributed computing system, in which a plurality of computers, including an application server computer providing application services and a resource server computer providing resources for the application services, are interconnected by a network and the shared remote resources are downloaded from the resource server computer to a requesting computer on demand, the remote resource management system comprising:

a download agent, which is stored in the application server computer on the network and runs on the requesting computer after being delivered to the requesting computer in response to a request from the requesting computer, executing a download operation to fetch one of the downloadable resources, according contents of selected files requested by the download agent on the requesting computer.

18. A remote resource management system comprising:

a requesting computer storing local resource information including files stored on the requesting computer;

an application server storing downloadable resource information stored on the application server;

a download agent which is transferred from the application server to the requesting computer, and executed on the requesting computer; and

said download agent, when executed by the requesting computer, determines desired files by examining selected files in the local resource information and the downloadable resource information, and fetches the desired files from the application server.

19. The remote resource management system of claim 18, wherein said download agent is capable of being uploaded back from the requesting computer to the application server where it can be executed on the application server.

20. A remote resource management method comprising:

selecting an application on a requesting computer;

delivering a download agent from an application server to the requesting computer;

after being delivered, said download agent performing on the requesting computer checking local resources including selected files present on the requesting computer;

determining required files using the local resources; and

fetching the required files from the application server.

21. The remote resource management method of claim 20, further comprising uploading the download agent from the requesting computer to the application server where it can be executed on the application server.

22. A computer readable storage medium storing software for performing:

delivering a download agent from an application server to the requesting computer;

after being delivered, said download agent performing checking local resources including selected files present on the requesting computer;

determining required files using the local resources; and

fetching the required files from the application server.

23. The computer readable storage medium as in claim 22, wherein said download agent is capable of being uploaded back from the requesting computer to the application server where it can be executed on the application server.