Transforming transient contents of object-oriented database into persistent textual form according to grammar that includes keywords and syntax

• US 6,606,632 B1
• Filed: 02/19/1999
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Slaughter, Gregory L., Saulpaugh, Thomas E., Traversat, Bernard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US09/253,840
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100-104, 707/1, 707/200, 709/201, 709/223, 709/230, 709/310, 717/1-11, 717/108, 717/116, 717/136, 717/140, 717/144-148, 717/152-153
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and system for serializing a transient object-oriented database into a persistent form. The persistent form is a grammatical form, an expression of an object-oriented database in a textual form according to a grammar. The grammatical form is human-readable and human-editable. The grammar is designed to be platform-independent and programming-language-independent and therefore descriptive of any hierarchical object-oriented database. An object-oriented database is expressed as a plurality of entries in a transient, hierarchical, object-oriented form. The tree of entries is navigated and each entry is written to the persistent form as text according to the grammar. The serialized form stores only the key state of the database, not a “snapshot” of memory. Therefore, the persistent, serialized form is smaller than the in-memory, transient form of the object-oriented database. The object-oriented database is an object-oriented configuration database which stores configuration parameters pertaining to the software and hardware of a computer system, such as application programs, device drivers, system services, and other components. The object-oriented database is platform-independent and is therefore configured to be hosted on several different operating systems and computing platforms.

Claims

1. A method for transforming transient contents of an object-oriented database into a persistent textual form according to a grammar, said object-oriented database and said textual form being stored in a memory of a computer system, said method comprising:

expressing a plurality of entries as objects in said object-oriented database in transient form, wherein said entries and said objects relate to configuration parameters of said computer system, wherein said object-oriented database stores configuration data that identifies available resources of said computer system;

generating a textual form of said plurality of entries corresponding to said objects in said object-oriented database, wherein said generating includes for each object in said object-oriented database expressing a key state for said corresponding plurality of entries according to said grammar, wherein said textual form is lesser in size than said transient form of said plurality of entries in said object-oriented database;

sending said textual form to a Java program; and

said Java program storing said textual form in one or more persistent containers accessible to populate another object-oriented database.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein said objects of said object-oriented database pertain to one or more application programs.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein said textual form describes a hierarchy of entries corresponding to a hierarchy of objects in said object-oriented database.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein said grammar includes a set of keywords and a syntax.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein said keywords are selected from the group consisting of:

tree, entry, properties, and attributes.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein said textual form includes name-value pairs corresponding to properties and attributes of said software and hardware of said computer system.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein said generating a textual form includes locking said object-oriented database for exclusive access during said generating a textual form.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein said generating a textual form further comprises flattening a hierarchy of objects into a byte stream, wherein said byte stream is smaller in size than said hierarchy of objects as stored in said object-oriented database in said memory of said computer system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said configuration data identifies physical devices present in said computer system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said configuration data identifies software services installed in said computer system.

11. A carrier medium which stores program instructions for transforming transient contents of an object-oriented database into a persistent textual form according to a grammar, wherein said program instructions are executable to implement:

expressing a plurality of entries as objects in said object-oriented database in a transient form, wherein said entries and said objects relate to configuration parameters of a computer system, wherein said object-oriented database stores configuration data that identifies available resources of said computer system;

generating a textual form of said plurality of entries corresponding to said objects in said object-oriented database, wherein said generating includes for each object in said object-oriented database expressing a key state for said corresponding plurality of entries according to said grammar, wherein said textual form is lesser in size than said transient form of said plurality of entries in said object-oriented database;

sending said textual form to a Java program; and

said Java program storing said textual form in one or more persistent containers accessible to populate another object-oriented database.

12. The carrier medium of claim 11,

wherein said objects of said object-oriented database pertain to one or more application programs.

13. The carrier medium of claim 11,

wherein said textual form describes a hierarchy of entries corresponding to a hierarchy of objects in said object-oriented database.

14. The carrier medium of claim 11,

wherein said grammar includes a set of keywords and a syntax.

15. The carrier medium of claim 14,

wherein said keywords are selected from the group consisting of:

tree, entry, properties, and attributes.

16. The carrier medium of claim 11,

wherein said textual form includes name-value pairs corresponding to properties and attributes of said software and hardware of said computer system.

17. The carrier medium of claim 11,

wherein in said generating a textual form, said program instructions are further executable to lock said object-oriented database for exclusive access during said generating a textual form.

18. The carrier medium of claim 11,

wherein in said generating a textual form, said program instructions are further executable to flatten a hierarchy of objects into a byte stream, wherein said byte stream is smaller in size than said hierarchy of objects as stored in said object-oriented database in said memory of said computer system.

19. The carrier medium of claim 11,

wherein said carrier medium is a storage medium.

20. The carrier medium of claim 11, wherein said configuration data identifies physical devices present in said computer system.

21. The carrier medium of claim 11, wherein said configuration data identifies software services installed in said computer system.

22. A computer system for transforming transient contents of an object-oriented database into a persistent textual form according to a grammar, said computer system comprising:

a CPU; and

a memory coupled to said CPU;

wherein said memory stores said object-oriented database;

wherein said memory stores program instructions executable by said CPU, wherein said program instructions are executable to;

express a plurality of entries as objects in said object-oriented database in a transient form, wherein said entries and said objects relate to configuration parameters of a computer, wherein said object-oriented database stores configuration data that identifies available resources of said computer system;

generate a textual form of said plurality of entries corresponding to said objects in said object-oriented database, wherein said generating includes for each object in said object-oriented database expressing a key state for said corresponding plurality of entries according to said grammar, wherein said textual form is lesser in size than said transient form of said plurality of entries in said object-oriented database;

store said textual form in one or more persistent containers; and

send said textual form to a Java program to populate another object-oriented database.

23. The computer system of claim 22,

wherein said objects of said object-oriented database pertain to one or more application programs.

24. The computer system of claim 22,

wherein said textual form describes a hierarchy of entries corresponding to a hierarchy of objects in said object-oriented database.

25. The computer system of claim 22,

wherein said grammar includes a set of keywords and a syntax.

26. The computer system of claim 22,

wherein said textual form includes name-value pairs corresponding to properties and attributes of said software and hardware of said computer system.

27. The computer system of claim 22,

wherein in said generating a textual form, said program instructions are further executable to lock said object-oriented database for exclusive access during said generating a textual form.

28. The computer system of claim 22,

wherein in said generating a textual form, said program instructions are further executable to flatten a hierarchy of objects into a byte stream, wherein said byte stream is smaller in size than said hierarchy of objects as stored in said object-oriented database in said memory.

29. The computer system of claim 22, wherein said configuration data identifies physical devices present in said computer system.

30. The computer system of claim 22, wherein said configuration data identifies software services installed in said computer system.