Apparatus and method for processing servlets

• US 6,247,044 B1
• Filed: 05/18/1999
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Gosling, James A., Connelly, David W., Diwanji, Pavani
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US09/314,461
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 709/217, 709/216, 709/225, 709/226, 709/229, 709/212
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

A method and apparatus for operating a local server computer of a client-server network includes a technique to receive a request from a client computer of the client-server network. A determination is made whether the request requires dynamically generated information from a servlet object of the client-server network. If so, a specified servlet object corresponding to the request may be uploaded from a remote server computer of the client-server network. The specified servlet object is then executed to obtain dynamically generated information corresponding to the request.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically generating information using a server computer of a client-server network, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a server computer, a request for dynamically generated information from a client computer of a client-server network;

designating a thread to handle said request;

mapping, with said thread, said request to a selected servlet object of a plurality of instantiated servlet objects;

invoking said selected servlet object to dynamically generate information; and

passing said dynamically generated information to said client computer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said mapping step includes the step of mapping said request to a selected servlet on a remote server computer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said invoking step includes the step of invoking said selected servlet object from said remote server computer to dynamically generate information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said invoking step further includes the steps of:

determining whether said selected servlet object is trusted;

executing said selected servlet object in a first memory area of said server computer if said selected servlet object is trusted; and

executing said selected servlet object in a second memory area of said server computer if said selected servlet object is not trusted.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said determining step includes the step of searching for a digital signature on said servlet object.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

passing said dynamically generated information from said selected servlet object to a boundary servlet object when said selected servlet object is not trusted, said boundary servlet object executing in a first memory area of said server computer; and

routing said dynamically generated information from said boundary servlet object to said client computer.

7. A computer readable memory to direct a server computer of a client-server computer network to function in a specified manner, comprising:

a first set of instructions to instantiate a plurality of servlet objects in a server computer in response to a first condition;

a second set of instructions to receive a request for dynamically generated information from a client computer;

a third set of instructions to invoke a first servlet object of said plurality of servlet objects, said first servlet object producing dynamically generated information in response to said request; and

a fourth set of instructions to pass said dynamically generated information to said client computer.

8. The computer readable memory of claim 7 further comprising a fifth set of instructions to pass information from said first servlet object to a second servlet object of said servlet objects.

9. The computer readable memory of claim 8 further comprising:

a sixth set of instructions to destroy selected servlet objects in response to a second condition.

10. The computer readable memory of claim 9 wherein said second condition is a server computer resource limit.

11. The computer readable memory of claim 7 wherein said first condition is start-up of said server computer.