Method and apparatus for providing intermittent connectivity support in a computer application

• US 6,510,550 B1
• Filed: 05/12/1999
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hightower, Richard Matthew, Moakley, George Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KENDALL, CHUCK O
• Application Number:
  US09/310,329
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 709/200, 709/328, 709/227-228, 709/314, 709/318, 717/1, 717/2, 717/100-118
• US Class Current: 717/108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing an application with intermittent connectivity support is disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment, an application development tool is configured for providing intermittent connectivity support in an application that uses distributed objects. The application development tool includes an intermittent connectivity framework that has program code for queuing method calls, as well as an intermittent connectivity component generator that has program code for converting an existing interface for a distributed object into an intermittent connectivity component configured to forward method calls to the intermittent connectivity framework. Method calls may be queued, for example, when there is no connection to the distributed object, and then later completed after restoration of the connection. According to one particular implementation of this embodiment, the intermittent connectivity component generator is in the form of a wizard utility.

Claims

1. An application development tool for providing intermittent connectivity support for an application that uses distributed objects, said application development tool comprising:

an intermittent connectivity framework including program code for queuing method calls; and

an intermittent connectivity component generator including program code for converting an existing interface for the distributed object into an intermittent connectivity component configured to forward method calls to the intermittent connectivity framework for queuing,

wherein, when the application is connected to a local instance of the application, the application is connected to the local instance via a first transport and a second transport, the intermittent connectivity framework synchronizing the local instance with the application via the first transport and simultaneously forwarding the queued method calls to the application via the second transport.

2. The application development tool of claim 1, wherein said intermittent connectivity component is configured to forward method calls to the intermittent connectivity framework while there is no connection to the distributed object.

3. The application development tool of claim 2, wherein said intermittent connectivity framework is configured to complete queued method calls after connection to the distributed object is established.

4. The application development tool of claim 3, wherein the existing interface for a distributed object comprises a transport for the distributed object, said intermittent connectivity framework being further configured to complete said queued method calls using the transport for the distributed object.

5. The application development tool of claim 3, wherein the existing interface for a distributed object comprises a transport for the distributed object, said intermittent connectivity framework being further configured to complete said queued method calls without using the transport for the distributed object.

6. The application development tool of claim 1, wherein said intermittent connectivity component generator comprises a graphical user interface.

7. The application development tool of claim 1, wherein said intermittent connectivity component generator comprises a directory framework.

8. The application development tool of claim 7, wherein said directory framework is configured to communicate with a distributed object server.

9. The application development tool of claim 1, wherein said intermittent connectivity component generator comprises a code generator framework.

10. The application development tool of claim 9, wherein said code generator framework comprises a plurality of code generator modules respectively corresponding to a plurality of distributed object models.

11. The application development tool of claim 1, wherein each of said code generator modules comprises a plug-in application program interface.

12. The application development tool of claim 1, wherein the existing interface comprises a proxy stub for accessing a distributed object in accordance with a Java-based component architecture, said intermittent connectivity component generator further including program code for wrapping a JavaBean wrapper around the proxy stub.

13. The application development tool of claim 1, wherein said intermittent connectivity component generator comprises a wizard utility.

22. The application development tool of claim 9, wherein said code generator framework comprises a plurality of code generator modules respectively corresponding to a plurality of distributed object models.

14. A computer-implemented method for providing intermittent connectivity support in an application that uses distributed objects, said method comprising:

generating method calls from a local instance of the application;

selecting one of a plurality of distributed object models requested by the method calls;

identifying a distributed object corresponding to the selected distributed object model for which intermittent connectivity support is to be provided;

identifying a proxy stub for accessing said identified distributed object; and

generating an intermittent connectivity proxy corresponding to the proxy stub, the intermittent connectivity proxy being configured to queue the method calls to the proxy stub while there is not a connection to the identified distributed object; and

while there is the connection, synchronizing the local instance with the application via a first transport and simultaneously transporting the method calls to the identified distributed object via a second transport.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting a distributed object directory service type corresponding to the selected distributed object model;

selecting a distributed object directory service corresponding to the selected distributed object directory service type; and

selecting the distributed object for which intermittent connectivity support is to be provided from a list of distributed objects accessible through the selected distributed object directory service.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising configuring an intermittent connectivity call manager framework in communication with the intermittent connectivity proxy, wherein the intermittent connectivity proxy forwards method calls to be queued to the intermittent connectivity call manager framework.

17. A storage medium containing a set of instructions for execution by a computer, the set of instructions being configured to generate an intermittent connectivity component for accessing a distributed object, and including instructions for:

generating method calls from a local instance of the application;

selecting one of a plurality of distributed object models requested by the method calls;

identifying a distributed object corresponding to the selected distributed object model for which intermittent connectivity support is to be provided;

identifying a proxy stub for accessing said identified distributed object; and

generating an intermittent connectivity proxy corresponding to the proxy stub, the intermittent connectivity proxy being configured to queue the method calls to the proxy stub while there is not a connection to the identified distributed object; and

while there is the connection, synchronizing the local instance with the application via a first transport and simultaneously transporting the method calls to the identified distributed object via a second transport.

18. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein the set of instructions further comprises instructions for:

selecting a distributed object directory service type corresponding to the selected distributed object model;

selecting a distributed object directory service corresponding to the selected distributed object directory service type; and

selecting the distributed object for which intermittent connectivity support is to be provided from a list of distributed objects accessible through the selected distributed object directory service.

19. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein said storage medium comprises a portable storage device.

20. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein said storage medium comprises a memory of a computer.

21. An application development tool for providing intermittent connectivity support for an application that uses distributed objects, said application development tool comprising:

a local instance of the application configured to generate method calls to the application for a distributed object;

an intermittent connectivity framework including program code for queuing the method calls while there is not a connection to the application and for synchronizing the local instance with the application via a first transport while there is the connection; and

an intermittent connectivity component generator including program code for converting an existing interface for the distributed object into an intermittent connectivity component configured to forward method calls to the intermittent connectivity framework for queuing while there is not the connection and forwarding method calls to the application via a second transport while there is the connection,

the first and second transports in use simultaneously.