Synchronous communication interface

• US 6,219,711 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1997
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micro Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Chari, Srikumar N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Romero, Almari
• Application Number:
  US08/943,355
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/248, 709/230, 709/202, 709/218, 709/246, 709/232, 712/241, 370/466, 370/420, 370/401, 375/371
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0604 using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

The invention configures an asynchronous system to emulate a synchronous system. When an application initiates a synchronous transaction, the synchronous transaction is received by the synchronous interface. The synchronous interface, in turn, simulates a synchronous system while performing an asynchronous transaction. In one embodiment, the synchronous interface ensures that the asynchronous transaction is completed within a configurable maximum time duration. If the asynchronous transaction has not been completed with within the defined maximum time duration, the synchronous interface notifies the application that the desired data is not available. In another embodiment, the synchronous interface can be configured to re-execute failed asynchronous transactions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for emulating a synchronous network transaction, the apparatus comprising:

at least one memory circuit that is configured to store at least one of an application module, an accept request module, and a conversion module;

at least one processor accessing the at least one memory circuit and configured to execute the application module including a routine that requests data synchronously from the accept request module, wherein said accept request module is configured to receive said data request from said application module, and wherein the conversion module is configured to satisfy said data request over an asynchronous network and respond to said application module'"'"'s data request in a single response; and

a network communication module configured to provide requested data to said conversion module asynchronously, wherein said synchronous network transaction comprises a transaction by which said application module makes a first request for first data from said accept request module and refrains from making another request for data from said accept request module until satisfying said first request.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said network communication module is configured to receive said data request from said conversion module, to obtain the requested data, to notify said conversion module when all of said requested data is available, and provide said requested data to said conversion module when requested.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the requested data comprises a pointer to data in a memory.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said network communication module comprises a library.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said network communication module executes at least one of a SnmpSendMsg function call and a SnmpReceiveMsg function call.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said synchronous network transaction comprises a transaction wherein said application module makes a request for said data and awaits a response to said request before progressing.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said network communication module is configured to comply with Simple Network Management Protocol.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said accept request module and said conversion module are part of an SNMP module.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the synchronous network transaction comprises making a request and waiting for a reply.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said conversion module comprises a synchronous to asynchronous converter and an asynchronous to synchronous converter, wherein said synchronous to asynchronous converter includes a routine that when executed assigns an identification to a request and monitors the status of said request based on the identification.

11. A synchronous emulation system comprising:

at least one processor executing an application module, said application module including a synchronous data request routine, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute a synchronous interface module, said synchronous interface module configured to transform an asynchronous transaction into a synchronous transaction; and

a network communication module configured to provide data asynchronously to said synchronous interface module, wherein said synchronous transaction comprises a transaction by which said application module makes a first request from an accept request module and refrains from making another request for data from said accept request module until satisfying said first request.

12. The synchronous emulation system of claim 11, wherein said synchronous interface module comprises a module operating under the principles of Simple Network Management Protocol.

13. The synchronous emulation system of claim 11, wherein said network communication module comprises a WinSNMP Library.

14. The synchronous emulation system of claim 11, wherein said synchronous transaction comprises a transaction wherein each of said application module operating on a computer has no more than one request out to a synchronous interface module at a time.

15. The synchronous emulation system of claim 11, wherein said synchronous interface module includes a routine configured to interface with said application module and service a single request at a time and further includes another routine configured to interface with a routine executable by said network communication module to track the status of said request.

16. The synchronous emulation system of claim 11, wherein said data comprises information regarding the state of at least one aspect of a server computer in a network.

17. The synchronous emulation system of claim 11, wherein said synchronous interface module includes a blocking routine, said blocking routine configured to suspend operation of said application module.

18. An apparatus for emulating a synchronous network transaction, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to execute an application module including a routine that makes a data request to a module operating in compliance with Simple Network Management Protocol, said data request comprising a request for at least one item of data, the at least one processor being further configured to execute an interface module operating in compliance with Simple Network Management Protocol, the interface module being configured to communicate a synchronous request from said application module to an asynchronous communication module; and

a network communication module configured to asynchronously provide said at least one item of data to said interface module, wherein said synchronous transaction comprises a transaction by which said application module makes a first request for first data from an accept request module and refrains from making another request for data from said accept request module until satisfying said first request.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said network communication module comprises a library of software routines.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said library comprises a WinSnmp Library.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said interface module further includes a loop which waits for a limited amount of time until the network communication module provides said data before canceling said data request.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said loop is configured to wait for no more than 5 seconds.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said at least one item of data comprises information regarding a server computer in a network.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a second apparatus that is substantially identical to the apparatus, the second apparatus being configured to emulate a synchronous network transaction and concurrently operate with the apparatus on a computer.