Object-oriented system, method and article of manufacture for a client-server event driven message framework in an interprise computing framework system

• US 6,304,893 B1
• Filed: 07/01/1996
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Gish, Sheri L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US08/675,253
• Time in Patent Office: 1,933 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201-205, 709/217-219, 709/227-228, 709/230, 709/236-238, 709/245-246, 709/310, 709/315, 709/330, 707/8, 707/10, 707/101, 707/201, 707/205
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

An interprise computing manager in which an application is composed of a client (front end) program which communicates utilizing a network with a server (back end) program. The client and server programs are loosely coupled and exchange information using the network. The client program is composed of a User Interface (UI) and an object-oriented framework (Presentation Engine (PE) framework). The UI exchanges data messages with the framework. The framework is designed to handle two types of messages: (1) from the UI, and (2) from the server (back end) program via the network. The framework includes a component, the mediator which manages messages coming into and going out of the framework. The system includes software for a client computer, a server computer and a network for connecting the client computer to the server computer which utilize an execution framework code segment configured to couple the server computer and the client computer via the network, by a plurality of client computer code segments resident on the server, each for transmission over the network to a client computer to initiate coupling; and a plurality of server computer code segments resident on the server which execute on the server in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a particular client utilizing the transmitted client computer code segment for communicating via a particular communication protocol. A mediator state machine is utilized to parse various message types and route the messages to appropriate parts of the execution framework for further processing.

Claims

1. A server for a distributed system, comprising:

(a) a client computer having an application specific invoking code segment wherein the application specific invoking code segment is used to begin execution of a chosen application;

(b) a server computer;

(c) a network connecting the client computer to the server computer;

(d) an execution framework code segment configured to couple the server computer and the client computer via the network, comprising;

(1) a plurality of client-transferable computer code segments resident on the server computer, each for transmission over the network to a client computer to initiate coupling, wherein at least one of the client-transferable computer code segments comprises a user interface and at least one of the client-transferable computer code segments comprises an object-oriented presentation engine framework including a mediator state machine which receives a plurality of messages and determines which message should be handled by which part of the execution framework, and forwards the message for further processing to the execution framework;

(2) a plurality of server-only computer code segments resident on the server computer which executes on the server computer in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a particular client utilizing the transmitted client-transferable code segment for communicating via a particular communication protocol, whereby the mediator state machine determines whether a particular message should be handled by the plurality of client-transferable computer code segments or by the plurality of server-only computer code segments;

(3) an application manager resident on the server computer which is responsive to invocation of the application specific invoking code segment for selecting a suitable application front end and back end for initiating processing of the chosen applications;

wherein the application manager is preset to transmit to the client computer the appropriate plurality of client-transferable computer code segment when initiated;

(e) the execution framework dispatches messages and initiates events in response to characteristics of the message transferred by the mediator state machine, whereby processing required for executing the chosen application is shared by the client computer and the server computer.

2. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a user interface part of the client-transferable code segment which receives messages containing user interface information and translates the user interface information into display information, which facilitates communication from the client computer to the server computer.

3. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a communication adaptor for communicating message types bound for external consumption to the network.

4. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a web connection which facilitates communication from the client computer to the server computer.

5. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a communication protocol corresponding to the client-transferable code segment and the server-only code segment which is supported by a communication library on the client computer and the server computer.

6. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a code segment which authenticates an initial request from a client computer before downloading a client-transferable code segment and initiating secure communication.

7. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 4, wherein the web is the Internet.

8. A method for distributed computing between a server computer and a client computer coupled by a network, comprising the steps of:

(a) coupling the server computer and the client computer through the network utilizing an execution framework code segment, comprising;

(1) a plurality of client-transferable computer code segments resident on the server, each for transmission over the network to the client computer to initiate coupling;

(2) a plurality of server-only computer code segments resident on the server computer, which executes on the server computer in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a particular client utilizing a transmitted client-transferable computer code segment for communicating via a particular communication protocol coupling, wherein at least one of the client-transferable computer code segments comprises a user interface and at least one of the client-transferable computer code segments comprises an object-oriented presentation engine framework including a mediator state machine which receives a plurality of messages and determines which message should be handled by which part of the execution framework code segment, and forwards the message for further processing to the execution framework code segment;

(b) receiving a plurality of messages at the client-transferable computer code segment corresponding to the mediator state machine;

(c) determining which message should be handled by which part of the execution framework code segment at the mediator state machine;

(d) forwarding the message for further processing at one of the plurality of client-transferable computer code segments and the plurality of server-only computer code segments of the execution framework code segment;

(e) dispatching messages and initiating events in response to characteristics of the message transferred by the mediator state machine;

(f) providing an application specific invoking code segment on the client computer wherein the application specific invoking code segment is used to begin execution of a chosen application; and

(g) providing an application manager resident on the server computer which is responsive to invocation of the application specific invoking code segment for selecting a suitable application front end and back end and for initiating processing of the chosen application;

wherein the application manager is preset to transmit to the client computer the appropriate plurality of client-transferable computer code segment when initiated, whereby processing required for executing the chosen application is shared by the client computer and the server computer.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, including the step of invoking a user interface part of the client-transferable code segment to receive messages containing user interface information and translating the user interface information into display information.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, including the step of communicating message types bound for external consumption to the network utilizing a communication adaptor.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, including the step of utilizing a web connection which facilitates communication from the client computer to the server computer.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, including the step of utilizing a communication protocol corresponding to the client-transferable code segment and the server-only code segment which is supported by a communication library on the client computer and the server computer.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, including the step of authenticating an initial request from a client computer before downloading a client-transferable code segment and initiating secure communication.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the web is the Internet.

15. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system, comprising:

(a) an application specific invoking code segment on the client computer wherein the application specific invoking code segment is used to begin execution of a chosen application;

(b) an execution framework code segment configured to couple the server computer and the client computer via the network, comprising;

(1) a plurality of client-transferable computer code segments resident on the server computer, each for transmission over the network to a client computer to initiate coupling, wherein at least one of the client-transferable computer code segments comprises a user interface and at least one of the client-transferable computer code segments comprises an object-oriented presentation engine framework including a mediator state machine which receives a plurality of messages and determines which message should be handled by which part of the execution framework, and forwards the message for further processing to the execution framework;

(2) a plurality of server-only computer code segments resident on the server computer which executes on the server computer in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a particular client utilizing the transmitted client-transferable code segment for communicating via a particular communication protocol, whereby the mediator state machine determines whether a particular message should be handled by the plurality of client-transferable computer code segments or by the plurality of server-only computer code segments; and

(3) an application manager resident on the server computer which is responsive to invocation of the application specific invoking code segment for selecting a suitable application front end and back end for initiating processing of the chosen application;

wherein the application manager is preset to transmit to the client computer the appropriate plurality of client-transferable computer code segment when initiated; and

(c) the execution framework including code that dispatches messages and initiates events in response to characteristics of the message transferred by the mediator state machines, whereby processing required for executing the chosen application is shared by the client computer and the server computer.

16. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 15, including a user interface part of the client-transferable code segment which receives messages containing user interface information and translates the user interface information into display information.

17. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 15, including a communication adaptor for communicating message types bound for external consumption to the network.

18. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 15, including a web connection which facilitates communication from the client computer to the server computer.

19. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 15, including a communication protocol corresponding to the client-transferable code segment and the server-only code segment which is supported by a communication library on the client computer and the server computer.

20. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 15, including a code segment which authenticates an initial request from a client computer before downloading a client-transferable code segment and initiating secure communication.

21. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 18, wherein the web is the Internet.