System and method for implementing a universal service broker interchange mechanism

• US 6,594,700 B1
• Filed: 06/14/1999
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Brent A., Eagle, Brian Lee White, Graham, Stephen G., Miller, Steven M., Colson, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, ISAAC M
• Application Number:
  US09/333,137
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/230, 709/246, 709/217, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A service provider protocol adapter servlet listens for service advertising requests. Each protocol is associated with a different servlet that understands the details of the service advertising mechanism unique to that protocol. The service provider protocol adapter servlet then converts the service advertisement from a service protocol into a canonical representation of service advertising and stores the advertisement in an internal registry. A client protocol adapter servlet listens for client lookup requests and looks up a corresponding service provider in the internal registry. As with service provider protocol adapter servlets, a different client protocol adapter servlet handles the details of client lookup for each particular protocol. The client protocol adapter servlet then converts a client request into a canonical representation of the request, which is then used to look up the service required by the client. Once a match has been found, the client protocol adapter servlet brokers the mechanism of client-service provider interaction.

Claims

1. A data processing system implemented method for transmitting and receiving protocol specific data comprising:

receiving data, wherein the data conforms to a first protocol;

transforming the data from the first protocol to an intermediate protocol;

converting the data from the intermediate protocol to a second protocol;

transmitting data conforming to the second protocol;

indexing the data; and

storing the data, which is in the intermediate protocol, on a storage medium, wherein the first protocol is different from the second protocol.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the step of transforming further comprises:

receiving a request for data, wherein the requested data conforms to a second protocol;

transforming the requested data from the second protocol to the intermediate protocol; and

looking up data in the index corresponding to the requested data.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the intermediate protocol and the second protocol do not reside on a client making a request for data.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the first protocol resides on a first data processing system, and the second protocol resides on a second data processing system, the method further comprising:

receiving data from the first data processing system, wherein the data conforms to the second protocol;

converting the data from the intermediate protocol to the first protocol; and

transferring data conforming to the second protocol to the second data processing system.

5. A data processing system implemented method for implementing a universal service broker interchange for brokering service advertisements in a service provider protocol to a requester client using a requester client protocol, the method comprising:

receiving a service advertisement in a service provider protocol;

transforming the service advertisement from the service provider protocol to an intermediate protocol;

storing the service advertisement in a registry using the intermediate protocol;

receiving a service request in a requester client protocol;

transforming the service request from the requester protocol to the intermediate protocol;

looking up service advertisements corresponding to the service request using the intermediate protocol;

converting the service advertisement from the intermediate protocol to the requester client protocol; and

transferring the service advertisement in the requester client protocol.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises providing an interchange mechanism between the requester client and the service provider prior to performing the step of transferring.

7. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the universal services broker interchange method is bi-directional, such that the method further comprises:

receiving a service advertisement in a requester client protocol;

transforming the service advertisement from the requested client protocol to an intermediate protocol;

storing the service advertisement in the registry using the intermediate protocol;

receiving a service request in the service provider protocol;

transforming the service request from the service provider protocol to the intermediate protocol;

looking up service advertisements corresponding to the service request using the intermediate protocol;

converting the service advertisement from the intermediate protocol to the service provider protocol; and

transferring the service advertisement in the service provider protocol.

8. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the step of storing comprises indexing the service advertisement in a registry, wherein the registry is populated with at least one advertised service and at least one service which is not advertised.

9. The method recited in claim 5, wherein prior to the step of receiving, the method comprises:

receiving data from a persistence mechanism in a persistence mechanism protocol;

converting data from a persistence mechanism protocol to the intermediate protocol; and

pre-populating the registry with data from the persistence mechanism using the intermediate protocol.

10. The method recited in claim 5, wherein subsequent to the step of transferring, the method comprises:

converting data in the registry from the intermediate protocol to the persistence mechanism protocol;

transferring the data from the registry to the persistence mechanism using the persistence mechanism protocol; and

storing the data in the persistence mechanism.

11. A data processing system implemented method for implementing a universal services broker interchange for brokering service advertisements in a service provider protocol to a requester client using a requester client protocol, the method comprising:

receiving a request for service, wherein the request is formatted in a requester client'"'"'s protocol;

looking up a requested service in an index, wherein at least one service description from a service provider is stored in the index, and wherein the at least one service description is formatted using an intermediate protocol;

converting a service description to the requester client'"'"'s protocol; and

providing an interaction mechanism between the requester client and the service provider.

12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the service description is pre-populated in the index at the time the index is started up.

13. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the service description is populated in the index by receiving a service advertisement including the service description.

14. A data processing system implemented method for implementing a universal services broker interchange for brokering service advertisements in a service provider protocol to a requester client using a requester client protocol, the method comprising:

receiving a service advertisement from a service provider;

converting data corresponding to the service advertisement from a first data format to a canonical representation of the data in an intermediate format; and

storing the canonical representation of the data in the intermediate format in a services registry on a network, wherein the services registry includes a look up mechanism for looking-up canonical representations of data in the intermediate format in response to receipt of a service request in a second format different from the first format and the intermediate format.

15. A data processing system for transmitting and receiving protocol specific data comprising;

receiving means for receiving data, wherein the data conforms to a first protocol;

transforming means for transforming the data from the first protocol to an intermediate protocol;

converting means for converting the data from the intermediate protocol to a second protocol;

transmitting means for transmitting data conforming to the second protocol;

indexing means for indexing the data; and

storing means for storing the data, which is in the intermediate protocol, on a storage medium, wherein the first protocol is different from the second protocol.

16. The system recited in claim 15, wherein the transforming means for transforming further comprises:

receiving means for receiving a request for data, wherein the requested data conforms to a second protocol;

transforming means for transforming the requested data from the second protocol to the intermediate protocol; and

looking up means for looking up data in the index corresponding to the requested data.

17. The system recited in claim 15, wherein the intermediate protocol and the second protocol do not reside on a client making a request for data.

18. The system recited in claim 15, wherein the first protocol resides on a first data processing system, and the second protocol resides on a second data processing system, the system further comprising:

receiving means for receiving data from the first data processing system, wherein the data conforms to the second protocol;

converting means for converting the data from the intermediate protocol to the first protocol; and

transferring means for transferring data conforming to the second protocol to the second data processing system.

19. A data processing system for implementing a universal service broker interchange for brokering service advertisements in a service provider protocol to a requester client using a requester client protocol, the system comprising:

receiving means for receiving a service advertisement in a service provider protocol;

transforming means for transforming the service advertisement from the service provider protocol to an intermediate protocol;

storing means for storing the service advertisement in a registry using the intermediate protocol;

receiving means for receiving a service request in a requester client protocol;

transforming means for transforming the service request from the requester protocol to the intermediate protocol;

looking up means for looking up service advertisements corresponding to the service request using the intermediate protocol;

converting means for converting the service advertisement from the intermediate protocol to the requester client protocol; and

transferring means for transferring the service advertisement in the requester client protocol.

20. The system recited in claim 19, wherein the system further comprises the providing means for providing an interchange mechanism between the requester client and the service provider.

21. The system recited in claim 19, wherein the universal services broker interchange system is bi-directional, such that the system further comprises:

receiving means for receiving a service advertisement in a requester client protocol;

transforming means for transforming the service advertisement from the requested client protocol to an intermediate protocol;

storing means for storing the service advertisement in the registry using the intermediate protocol;

receiving means for receiving a service request in the service provider protocol;

transforming means for transforming the service request from the service provider protocol to the intermediate protocol;

looking up means for looking up service advertisements corresponding to the service request using the intermediate protocol;

converting means for converting the service advertisement from the intermediate protocol to the service provider protocol; and

transferring means for transferring the service advertisement in the service provider protocol.

22. The system recited in claim 19, wherein the storing means for storing comprises indexing the service advertisement in a registry, wherein the registry is populated with at least one advertised service and at least one service which is not advertised.

23. The system recited in claim 19 further comprises:

receiving means for receiving data from a persistence mechanism in a persistence mechanism protocol;

converting means for converting data from a persistence mechanism protocol to the intermediate protocol; and

pre-populating means for pre-populating the registry with data from the persistence mechanism using the intermediate protocol.

24. The system recited in claim 19 further comprises:

converting means for converting data in the registry from the intermediate protocol to the persistence mechanism protocol;

transferring means for transferring the data from the registry to the persistence mechanism using the persistence mechanism protocol; and

storing means for storing the data in the persistence mechanism.

25. A data processing system for implementing a universal services broker interchange for brokering service advertisements in a service provider protocol to a requester client using a requester client protocol, the system comprising:

receiving means for receiving a request for service, wherein the request is formatted in a requester client'"'"'s protocol;

looking up means for looking up a requested service in an index, wherein at least one service description from a service provider is stored in the index, and wherein the at least one service description is formatted using an intermediate protocol;

converting means for converting a service description to the requester client'"'"'s protocol; and

providing means for providing an interaction mechanism between the requester client and the service provider.

26. The system recited in claim 25, wherein the service description is pre-populated in the index at the time the index is started up.

27. The system recited in claim 25, wherein the service description is populated in the index by receiving a service advertisement including the service description.

28. A data processing system for implementing a universal services broker interchange for brokering service advertisements in a service provider protocol to a requester client using a requester client protocol, the system comprising:

an internal registry for storing information describing services offered by service providers in an intermediate protocol in an index;

a service provider protocol adapter servlet for converting information describing a service offered by a service provider from a service provider'"'"'s protocol to an intermediate protocol of the internal registry and indexing the information in the internal registry; and

client request protocol adapter servlet for converting a client request from a client'"'"'s protocol to the intermediate protocol of the internal registry and looking up requested information in the internal registry.

29. The system recited in claim 28 further comprises:

a persistence mechanism protocol adapter servelet for converting information from a persistence mechanism'"'"'s protocol to the intermediate protocol of the internal registry and indexing the information in the internal registry.

30. The system recited in claim 28, wherein the service provider protocol adapter servlet listens for service advertisements from a specific service provider.

31. The system recited in claim 28, wherein the client request protocol adapter servlet provides an interchange means between a service provider and a requesting client.

32. The system recited in claim 28 further comprises:

a persistence mechanism protocol adapter servlet for converting information from the intermediate protocol of the internal registry to the persistence mechanism'"'"'s protocol and for storing information in the internal registry to a persistence mechanism.

33. A data processing system for implementing a universal services broker interchange for brokering service advertisements in a service provider protocol to a requester client using a requester client protocol comprising:

means for receiving a service advertisement from a service provider;

means for converting data corresponding to the service advertisement from a first data format to a canonical representation of the data in an intermediate format; and

means for storing the canonical representation of the data in the intermediate format in a services registry on a network, wherein the services registry includes a look up mechanism for looking-up canonical representations of data in the intermediate format in response to receipt of a service request in a second format different from the first format and the intermediate format.

34. A computer program product implemented on a data processing system for performing a method for transmitting and receiving protocol-specific data, the product being imbedded on a computer readable medium and comprising a series of instructions, the instructions comprising:

receiving instructions for receiving data, wherein the data conforms to a first protocol;

transforming instructions for transforming the data from the first protocol to an intermediate protocol;

converting instructions for converting the data from the intermediate protocol to a second protocol;

transmitting instructions for transmitting data conforming to the second protocol;

indexing instructions for indexing the data; and

storing instructions for storing the data, which is in the intermediated protocol, on a storage medium, wherein the first protocol is different for the second protocol.

35. A computer program product implemented on a data processing system for performing a method for transmitting and receiving protocol-specific data, the product being imbedded on a computer readable medium and comprising:

first instructions for receiving a service advertisement from a service provider;

second instructions for converting data corresponding to the service advertisement from a first data format to a canonical representation of the data in an intermediate format; and

third instructions for storing the canonical representation of the data in the intermediate format in a services registry on a network, wherein the services registry includes a look up mechanism for looking-up canonical representations of data in the intermediate format in response to receipt of a service request in a second format different from the first format and the intermediate format.

36. A data processing system implemented method for transmitting and receiving protocol specific data comprising:

receiving data, wherein the data conforms to a first protocol format;

transforming the data from the first protocol format to an intermediate protocol format;

storing the data in the intermediate protocol format for later retrieval by a computing device;

retrieving the data in the intermediate protocol format in response to a request being received from the computing device;

converting the data from the intermediate protocol format to a second protocol format associated with the computing device; and

transmitting data conforming to the second protocol format to the computing device.