Object-oriented apparatus and method for determining new object location relative to an existing object

• US 6,240,466 B1
• Filed: 04/21/1997
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Munroe, Steven J., Voldal, Erik E., McKeehan, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Courtenay, III, St. John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fourson, Gary Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/840,485
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 395/680, 709/302, 709/303, 709/328, 709/315, 709/316
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548

Abstract

According to the present invention, an apparatus and method for creating new objects “near” existing objects is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a desirable location for the new object is determined by making a series of observations and system level decisions. By examining the system parameters and creating new objects in physical locations where other, related objects currently reside, system performance in object-oriented systems can be greatly increased.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor; and

an object oriented factory object residing in the memory, the object oriented factory object including a method that is invoked to create a first object when an identifier to a second object is passed as a parameter while invoking the method, and in response to invoking the method while passing the second object identifier as a parameter, the object oriented factory object identifies a physical location of the second object, and creates the first object in a first location within a predetermined proximity to the second object if at least one predefined condition is satisfied, and creates the first object in a second location if the at least one predetermined condition is not satisfied.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the location of the first object and the second object is the same physical computer hardware system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the location of the first object and the second object is the same server process.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the location of the first object and the second object is the same container.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the location of the first object and the second object is the same disk extent on a direct access storage device.

6. A program product comprising:

an object oriented class that defines a factory object that includes a method that is invoked to create a first object when an identifier to a second object is passed as a parameter while invoking the method, and in response to invoking the method while passing the second object identifier as a parameter, the factory object identifies a physical location of the second object, and creates the first object in a first location within a predetermined proximity to the second object if at least one predefined condition is satisfied, and creates the first object in a second location if the at least one predetermined condition is not satisfied; and

signal bearing media bearing the object oriented class.

7. The program product of claim 6 wherein the signal bearing media comprises recordable media.

8. The program product of claim 6 wherein the signal bearing media comprises transmission media.

9. A method for creating a second object comprising the steps of:

invoking an object oriented method on a factory object while passing an identifier to a first existing object as a parameter;

the factory object determining a physical location of the first existing object;

the factory object creating the second object in a first location within a predetermined proximity in relation to the physical location of the first existing object if at least one predefined condition is satisfied; and

the factory object creating the second object in a second location if the at least one predefined condition is not satisfied.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the predetermined proximity is defined as the same physical computer hardware system.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the predetermined proximity is defined as the same server process.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the predetermined proximity is defined as the same container.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the predetermined proximity is defined as the same disk extent on a direct access storage device.