Method and system for accessing java applications

• US 6,473,759 B1
• Filed: 10/05/1999
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Welsch, Martin, Sulzmann, Robert, Herrendoerfer, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US09/412,170
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/103.R, 707/103.Y, 707/103.Z, 709/217-219, 709/203, 709/202, 709/311-313, 709/328, 709/330-331, 709/228, 709/230, 709/310, 709/312, 709/315-318
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/76 Adapting program code to run in a different environment; Porting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Java methods contained in a Java class and method database are accessed by a non-Java application running on a local machine or a remote machine. The non-Java application generates a standard TCP/IP communication call for a method of a Java class in the database. A Java service server running on a Java VM on the local machine receives the method call and related parameter data and performs their processing including a conversion of the call and of related parameter data from a transport format into Java native data types. The converted data is used for invoking a Java method for execution by applying the method to the converted parameter data. The result data of the method execution is converted from the Java format into the transport format in which they are transmitted to the non-Java application.

Claims

1. An apparatus for accessing Java methods contained in a Java class and method database by an application, the database being stored in a local computer and accessed by a server running in a Java Environment on the local computer, comprising:

(a) non-Java application means for generating a standard TCP/IP communication call for a method of a Java class in the database;

(b) means for receiving said call and related parameter data from said means for generating;

(c) means for converting said call and said related parameter data from said means for generating from a transport format into Java native data types;

(d) means for invoking said method of a Java class and for executing it by using said converted parameter data;

(e) means for generating a response to the application by converting data resulting from said means for executing from Java format into a transport format; and

(f) means for submitting the converted result data to the non-Java application means for generating.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising TCP/IP server means for receiving said call and said parameter data from the application and for transmitting said result data to the application.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for creating an instance of the Java class specified in said call which includes a method to be called.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for generating, from an instantiated class, an object which includes the method to be accessed by said means for invoking.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a Java service server, which is an application running on a Java virtual machine on the local computer, for performing access to a method in the database and for executing said method with data received from the non-Java application means for generating, wherein said Java service server includes said means for receiving.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the Java service server comprises an interface for translating method calls and related data parameters from a transport format into a Java format, and for translating method execution result data from a Java format into a transport format.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the Java service server performs transmission of help messages to the application.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a non-Java application is installed on a remote computer which is connected through a data communication network to said means for receiving.

9. A process for accessing Java methods contained in a Java class and method database by an application, the database being stored in a local computer and accessed by a server running in a Java environment on the local computer, characterized by the steps of:

(a) generating by a non-Java application a standard TCP/IP communication call for a method of a Java class in the database;

(b) receiving said call and related parameter data from the application;

(c) converting said call and related parameter data from a transport format into Java native data types;

(d) invoking said method of a Java class for execution by using said converted parameter data;

(e) generating a response to the application by converting the result data of the method execution into a transport format; and

(f) submitting the converted result to the non-Java application.

10. The process according to claim 9, comprising the step (d1) of creating an instance of the Java class specified in said call and including the method to be called.

11. The process according to claim 10, comprising the step (d2) of generating from an instantiated class an object which includes the method to be accessed by said step of invoking.

12. The process according to claim 11, wherein step (a) is performed during the runtime of the application.

13. The process according to claim 9, comprising the step of transmitting help messages to said application.

14. The process according to claim 13, wherein said method call and the related parameters are transmitted to said receiving step (b) from an application installed on a remote computer through a data communication network.

15. A program product stored on a data carrier comprising computer readable means for accessing Java methods contained in a Java class and method database by an application, said database being stored in a local computer and accessed by a server running in a Java environment on said local computer, characterized by:

(a) computer readable means for generating by a non-Java application a standard TCP/IP communication call for a method of a Java class in said database;

(b) computer readable means for receiving said call and related parameter data from said application;

(c) computer readable means for converting said method call and related parameter data from a transport format into Java native data types;

(d) computer readable means for invoking said Java method for execution using said converted parameter data;

(e) computer readable means for generating a response to the client application by converting the result data of the method execution into a transport format; and

(f) computer readable means for submitting the converted result to the non-Java application.

16. The program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable means for creating (d1) an instance of the Java class specified in said call and including the method to be called.

17. The program product according to claim 16, further comprising computer readable means for generating (d2) from an instantiated class an object which includes the method to be accessed by said computer readable means for invoking.

18. The program product according to claim 17, wherein said computer readable means (a) is performed during runtime of the application.

19. The program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable means for transmitting help messages to said application.

20. The program product according to claim 19, wherein said method call and the related parameters are transmitted to said computer readable means for receiving (b) from an application installed on a remote computer through a data communication network.