Lease renewal service

• US 6,449,648 B1
• Filed: 10/19/2000
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Waldo, James H., McClain, John W. F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Choules, Jack M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US09/691,104
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/201, 707/202, 707/203, 707/206, 709/104, 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/023 Free address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0253 Garbage collection, i.e. reclamation of unreferenced memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0261 using reference counting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99957 Garbage collection

Abstract

In accordance with methods and systems consistent with the present invention, a lease manager is provided for managing leases between clients and other network services. To use the lease manager, a client enters into a management lease with the lease manager, specifying an amount of time during which the lease manager can manage preexisting leases between the client and network services on behalf of the client. This management includes renewing the preexisting leases with the other network services. Further, the lease manager notifies the client when a lease between the lease manager and the client is near expiration. The lease manager also notifies the client of failed attempts to renew the preexisting leases, as well as the management lease, either with a network service or with the lease manager.

Claims

1. A data processing system, comprising:

a memory including;

a client program containing;

first client code for requesting the creation of a lease management set,

second client code for requesting use of a selected method defined in the lease management set; and

a lease manager program containing;

a lease management set containing a plurality of methods for managing leases held by the client program for network services, and

lease management code for receiving requests from the client for

using the methods contained within the lease management set; and

a processor for running the client program and the lease manager program.

2. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of methods include:

a first method for adding a lease to the lease management set;

a second method for registering the client to receive a warning event from the lease manager program when a lease is about to expire;

a third method for registering the client to receive an indication that a lease in the lease management set has expired, or that the lease manager was unsuccessful in renewing a lease; and

a fourth method for removing a lease from the lease management set.

3. A method for managing leases for a client, the method, performed by a lease manager, including the steps of:

receiving a request from the client to add a lease to a lease management set;

determining whether the lease manager failed to respond to the request;

invoking a first exception in the event the lease manager failed to respond to the request, otherwise determining whether the lease management set exists, in the event the lease manager did respond to the request;

invoking a second exception in the event the lease management set does not exist, otherwise determining whether the lease belongs to another lease management set, in the event the lease management set does exist;

invoking a third exception in the event the lease does belong to the another lease management set, otherwise receiving duration information associated with the lease from the client when the lease does not belong to another lease management set;

determining whether the duration information is within a predetermined range; and

invoking a fourth exception in the event the duration information does not fall within the predetermined range, otherwise adding the lease to the lease management set when the duration information does fall within the predetermined range.

4. A method for managing leases for a client, the method, performed by a lease manager, including the steps of:

receiving a request from the client to register to receive an event when a lease located in a lease management set is about to expire;

determining whether the lease manager failed to respond to the request;

invoking a first exception in the event the lease manager failed to respond to the request, otherwise determining whether the lease management set exists, in the event the lease manager did respond to the request;

invoking a second exception in the event the lease management set does not exist, otherwise receiving an indication of when an expiration warning event should be sent to the client;

detecting that a lease is about to expire; and

sending the expiration warning event to the client.

5. A method for managing leases for a client, the method, performed by a lease manager, including the steps of:

receiving a request from the client to register to receive an event when a lease located in a lease management set has expired or that the lease manager was unsuccessful in renewing a lease;

determining whether the lease manager failed to respond to the request;

invoking a first exception in the event the lease manager failed to respond to the request, otherwise determining whether the lease management set exists, in the event the lease manager did respond to the request;

detecting at least one of a lease expiration event condition that a lease has expired and an unsuccessful lease renewal condition; and

sending the event to the client in response to the detecting.

6. A method for managing leases for a client, the method, performed by a lease manager, including the steps of:

receiving a request from the client to remove a lease within a lease management set;

determining whether the lease manager failed to respond to the request;

invoking a first exception in the event the lease manager failed to respond to the request, otherwise determining whether the lease management set exists, in the event the lease manager did respond to the request;

invoking a second exception in the event the lease management set does not exist, otherwise determining whether the lease is located within the lease management set; and

sending a null value to the client in the event the lease does not exist within the lease management set, otherwise removing the lease from the lease management set.

7. A method for managing leases for a client, the method including the steps of:

registering the client to receive an event from a lease manager when a condition associated with a lease contained in a lease management set occurs;

detecting the condition; and

sending the event to the client.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein prior to detecting the condition the client is inactivated.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein subsequent to detecting the condition, the client is activated.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the condition is associated with the lease expiring.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the condition is associated with the lease about to expire.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the condition is associated with the lease manager failing to renew the lease in the lease management set.

13. A method for managing a lease on behalf of a client, the method, performed by a lease manager, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the client to manage a plurality of leases for network services; and

managing the leases on behalf of the client.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network services are provided by a single host.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the network services are provided by a plurality of hosts.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

invoking exceptions when the lease manager detects conditions that do not allow proper management of the leases.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the conditions include detecting a communications failure between the client and lease manager.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the conditions include detecting that at least one specified lease does not exist within a lease management set controlled by the lease manager.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the request includes specifying a lease management set, and wherein the conditions include detecting that the lease management set does not exist.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the request includes specifying a lease management set, and wherein the conditions include detecting that at least one lease is located in a lease management set not matching the lease management set specified in the request.