Distributed network application management system

• US 6,591,290 B1
• Filed: 08/24/1999
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia of America Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Clarisse, Olivier Bernard Henri, Westergren, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KUPSTAS, TOD A
• Application Number:
  US09/379,533
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/226, 709/223, 709/205, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

The distributed network application management system provides distributed data processing services in a data communication network environment. This system dynamically allocates resources to a processing request that is received from a user application device that has limited processing capabilities using application modules that are machine-independent and network independent to thereby process the received request in the network, yet in a manner that appears to be implemented on the user application device. The distributed network application management system is implemented in a network environment using a kernel that represents the network protocol and the effective processor is dynamically created in the network as capacity becomes available. The applications in this system are distributed via the network without meta code being written for the application. There is no socket layer and the various modules necessary to execute a process are dynamically loaded into the execution stream as needed by the network operating system. The operating system organizes the resources and creates the name space to bring the resources to bear on the present computing problem using the mount and bind paradigms.

Claims

1. A distributed network application management system, operational in a communication network that interconnects a plurality of user application devices with a plurality of servers, for executing application processes, each of which comprise a plurality of application modules, on a distributed basis among said plurality of servers, comprising:

means, responsive to a user activating an application process on a one of said user application devices where said activated application process is not resident on said one user application device, for transmitting control data to a selected one of said plurality of servers indicating a request for initiation of said activated application process by said user;

means for establishing a channel communication process to interconnect said one user application with said selected one of said plurality of servers;

means for transmitting at least one of said plurality of application modules of said activated application process to said one user application device for execution thereon absent recompilation of said at least one application module; and

means for executing other modules of said plurality of application modules of said activated application process on at least one of said plurality of servers cooperation with said one user application device.

2. The distributed network application management system of claim 1 wherein said means for establishing comprises:

means for implementing a channel framework for accepting said request for initiation of said activated application process and sending of replies to said one user application.

3. The distributed network application management system of claim 2 wherein said means for implementing comprises:

server template process means invoked upon receiving said request for initiation of said activated application process from said one user application; and

channel resource means used for communications with said one user application device and said selected one of said plurality of servers.

4. The distributed network application management system of claim 3 wherein said server template process means comprises:

means for decoding said request for initiation of said activated application process;

means for invoking a function corresponding to said request for initiation of said activated application process; and

means for passing said invoked function decoded arguments contained in said request for initiation of said activated application process.

5. The distributed network application management system of claim 2 wherein said means for implementing comprises a generic communication mechanism to export pure functional interface descriptions as channel resources.

6. The distributed network application management system of claim 1 wherein said selected one of said plurality of servers comprises:

name space manager means for dynamic allocation of resources.

7. The distributed network application management system of claim 6 wherein said selected one of said plurality of servers comprises:

means for returning a mount and bind sequence invoked by said one user application device to update the application name space.

8. The distributed network application management system of claim 1 wherein said selected one of said plurality of servers comprises:

means for authenticating said selected one of said plurality of servers with a signing server; and

means, responsive to authenticity of said selected one of said plurality of servers being verified, for caching a representation of the channel resources provided by said selected one of said plurality of servers.

9. A method for executing application processes in a communication network that interconnects a plurality of user application devices with a plurality of servers, each of which comprise a plurality of application modules, on a distributed basis among said plurality of servers, comprising the steps of:

transmitting, in response to a user activating an application process on a one of said user application devices where said activated application process is not resident on said one user application device, control data to a selected one of said plurality of servers indicating a request for initiation of said activated application process by said user;

establishing a channel communication process to interconnect said one user application with said selected one of said plurality of servers;

transmitting at least one of said plurality of application modules of said activated application process to said one user application device for execution thereon absent recompilation of said at least one application module; and

executing other modules of said plurality of application modules of said activated application process on at least one of said plurality of servers cooperation with said one user application device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of establishing comprises:

implementing a channel framework for accepting said request for initiation of said activated application process and sending of replies to said one user application.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said step of implementing comprises:

invoking a server template process upon receiving said request for initiation of said activated application process from said one user application; and

activating a channel resource for communications with said one user application device and said selected one of said plurality of servers.

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

decoding said request for initiation of said activated application process;

invoking a function corresponding to said request for initiation of said activated application process; and

passing said invoked function decoded arguments contained in said request for initiation of said activated application process.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said step of implementing uses a generic communication mechanism to export pure functional interface descriptions as channel resources.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

dynamically allocating resources using a name space manager.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

returning a mount and bind sequence invoked by said one user application device to update the application name space.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

authenticating said selected one of said plurality of servers with a signing server; and

caching, in response to authenticity of said selected one of said plurality of servers being verified, a representation of the channel resources provided by said selected one of said plurality of servers.

17. A distributed network application management system, operational in a communication network that interconnects a plurality of user application devices with a plurality of servers, for executing application processes, each of which comprise a plurality of application modules, on a distributed basis among said plurality of servers, comprising:

request generation means, responsive to a user activating an application process on a one of said user application devices where said activated application process is not resident on said one user application device, for transmitting control data to a selected one of said plurality of servers indicating a request for initiation of said activated application process by said user;

communication means for establishing a channel communication process to interconnect said one user application with a first of said plurality of servers;

module distribution means for transmitting at least one of said plurality of application modules of said activated application process to a second of said plurality of servers for execution thereon absent recompilation of said at least one application module.

18. The distributed network application management system of claim 17 wherein said module distribution means comprises:

name space manager means for dynamic allocation of resources.

19. The distributed network application management system of claim 18 wherein said module distribution means further comprises:

means for returning a mount and bind sequence invoked by said second server to update the application name space.

20. The distributed network application management system of claim 18 wherein said name space manager means comprises:

reallocation means for dynamic reallocation of said at least one application module to another one of said plurality of servers during processing of said request for initiation of said activated application process.

21. The distributed network application management system of claim 17 wherein said module distribution means comprises:

means for transmitting said at least one of said plurality of application modules to said second of said plurality of servers for execution thereon absent recompilation of said at least one application module.