Method and system for remotely browsing objects

• US 6,356,931 B2
• Filed: 10/06/1997
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Rigori, Serge Andre, Ismael, Osman Abdoul
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): YUAN, ALMARI ROMERO
• Application Number:
  US08/944,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20010054062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/217, 709/229, 709/219, 709/315, 709/316, 709/317
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548

Abstract

Remote access to objects such as beans is provided by mapping objects onto an HTML page at the network station at which the objects are located. An HTML generator running on the same virtual machine is used dynamically to map the beans onto the HTML page. Remote access for browsing the modifying the object is then possible using a web browser supporting HTTP or HTML protocols without having to specially modify an object to permit access, for example by the provision of remote access code in the object. An application for remote bean access is in the context of a network agent for a network management system.

Claims

1. A. computer-implemented method of accessing from a client machine an object at a remote machine via a telecommunications network, the method comprising steps of:

a) registering at least one said object at said remote machine, wherein the registration of at least one said object enables remote access of said object at said remote machine without pre-modification;

b) generating a machine page at said remote machine, which page contains at least one said registered object, wherein generating said machine page comprises mapping at least one said registered object to said machine page; and

c) browsing said at least one object via a network adaptor and said machine page at said remote machine using a browser at said client machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said remote machine comprises an agent framework and wherein, in step (b), said network adaptor queries said framework to identify said at least one registered object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said framework comprises an associated repository object and wherein step (a) comprises registering said at least one object and/or said network adaptor with said repository object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said framework is a bean and/or said network adaptor is a bean.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein step (b) comprises extracting bean methods by introspection.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said object is a bean comprising a set of properties, a set of methods for performing actions, and support for events and for introspection.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said machine page is an HTML page and said bean is represented as an HTML table wherein:

a first column contains a property name;

a second column contains a property type;

a third column contains the access right; and

a fourth column contains a property value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said object is a bean comprising a set of properties, a set of methods for performing actions, and support for events and for introspection.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said object is a managed object bean.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said object is one of a set of beans at said remote machine and wherein step (d) comprises:

displaying at a client machine representations of beans at said remote machine which are modifiable remotely from said client machine;

responding to user selection at said client machine of a displayed bean representation to display at said client machine bean properties which are remotely modifiable; and

responding to user input at said client machine remotely to modify selected parameters of said bean.

11. A computer-implemented method of accessing an object at a remote machine via a telecommunications network, said method comprising steps of:

mapping said object to an externally accessible machine page at said remote machine, wherein said object at said remote machine is accessed without pre-modification; and

browsing said object via said machine page using a browser.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said mapping step comprises:

initiating a network adaptor at said remote machine;

registering said object with an agent framework; and

causing said network adaptor to query said agent framework to identify registered objects.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said browsing step comprises:

accessing said page by means of said browser;

selecting said object from said accessed page.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said browsing step additionally comprises modifying said selected object.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said object is a bean comprising a set of properties, a set of methods for performing actions, and support for events and for introspection.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said machine page is an HTML page and said network adaptor is an HTML adaptor.

17. A computer system accessible remotely via a telecommunications network, said computer system comprising a mapping mechanism configured to map an object to an externally accessible machine page at said remote machine, whereby said object is accessible externally via said machine page using a browser, and wherein said object at said remote machine is accessed without pre-modification.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said mapping mechanism comprises:

an agent framework and a registration mechanism for registering said object with said agent framework.

19. The system of claim 17, comprising a network adaptor configured to query said framework to identify registered objects.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said registration mechanism comprises repository object with which said object and/or said network adaptor is registered.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said object is a bean comprising a set of properties, a set of methods for performing actions, and support for events and for introspection.

22. The system of claim 21, comprising a browser for remotely accessing said bean via said machine page.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said browser permits selection of said bean from said machine page.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said browser additionally permits modification of said selected bean.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein said object comprises a set of properties, a set of methods for performing actions, and support for events and for introspection.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein said page is an HTML page and said mapping mechanism is an HTML adaptor.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein said mapping mechanism comprises software mechanism.

28. A software system on at least one storage device for enabling remote access to an object via a telecommunications network, said system comprising:

a mapping mechanism configured to map an object to an externally accessible machine page, whereby said object can be accessed via said machine page using a browser, and wherein said object is accessed without pre-modification.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said object is a bean comprising a set of properties, a set of methods for performing actions, and support for events and for introspection.