Object access mechanism that dynamically switches between multiple distributed access models

• US 6,633,922 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1997
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brock, Anthony Edward, Munroe, Steven Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): COURTENAY III, ST JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/990,360
• Time in Patent Office: 2,129 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/200, 709/303, 709/213, 709/246, 709/203, 709/101, 709/316, 712/43, 712/20, 712/229, 712/32
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/548 Object oriented; Remote method invocation [RMI] non-remote method invocation G06F9/449

Abstract

This present invention incorporates the benefits of the function shipping, page shipping and class shipping remote object access models into a single, industry standard programming model. The fundamental mechanism of the present invention is an underlying shipper mechanism, which dynamically selects and updates the remote object access method being employed for any given access based on the most desirable method available at the time of the object access. The shipper mechanism dynamically decides which underlying access mechanism to use based on (1) object access policy rules, and (2) system operational loads and network traffic heuristics. The shipper is further capable of transparently switching from one access model to another while an object access is on-going.

Claims

1. A first computer system, said first computer system comprising:

a bus;

a central processing unit;

computer system memory, said computer system memory being connected to said central processing unit via said bus;

at least one server object, said server object being stored in said computer system memory; and

a shipper contained in said computer system memory for execution on said central processing unit, said shipper being used to ship said at least one server object to a second computer system, said shipper being able to ship said at least one server object to said second computer system via more than one remote object access model.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein one of said more than one remote access model is a page shipping model.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein one of said more than one remote access model is a function shipping model.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said shipper mechanism is capable of dynamically switching between said more than one remote object access model based on at least one environment factor.

5. A first computer system, said first computer system comprising:

a bus;

a central processing unit;

computer system memory, said computer system memory being connected to said central processing unit via said bus;

at least one server object, said server object being stored in said computer system memory; and

a shipper contained in said computer system memory for execution on said central processing unit, said shipper being used to ship said at least one server object to a second computer system, said shipper being able to ship said at least one server object to said second computer system via more than one remote object access model, said shipper mechanism being capable of dynamically switching between said more than one remote object access model.

6. The computer system of claim 5 wherein one of said more than one remote access model is a page shipping model.

7. The computer system of claim 5 wherein one of said more than one remote access model is a function shipping model.

8. A network of computer systems, said network including a first computer system and a second computer system:

said first computer system comprising;

a first bus;

a first central processing unit;

first computer system memory, said first computer system memory being connected to said first central processing unit via said first bus;

at least one client object contained in said first computer system memory, said client object being used to make remote object access calls to a server object,

said second computer system comprising;

a second bus;

a second central processing unit;

second computer system memory, said second computer system memory being connected to said second central processing unit via said second bus;

said server object, said server object being contained in said second computer system memory; and

a shipper contained in said computer system memory for execution on said central processing unit, said shipper being used to ship said at least one server object to a second computer system, said shipper being able to ship said at least one server object to said second computer system via more than one remote object access model, said shipper mechanism being capable of dynamically switching between said more than one remote object access model.

9. The computer system of claim 8 wherein one of said more than one remote access model is a page shipping model.

10. The computer system of claim 8 wherein one of said more than one remote access model is a function shipping model.

11. A program product, said program product comprising:

a shipper, said shipper being used to ship at least one server object from a first computer system to a second computer system, said shipper being able to ship said at least one server object to said second computer system via more than one remote object access model; and

signal bearing media bearing said shipper.

12. The program product of claim 11 wherein one of said more than one remote access model is a page shipping model.

13. The program product of claim 12 wherein said signal bearing media is recordable media.

14. The program product of claim 11 wherein one of said more than one remote access model is a function shipping model.

15. The program product of claim 11 wherein said signal bearing media is transmission type media.

16. A program product, said program product comprising:

a shipper, said shipper being used to ship at least one server object from a first computer system to a second computer system, said shipper being able to ship said at least one server object to said second computer system via more than one remote object access model, said shipper mechanism being capable of dynamically switching between said more than one remote object access model; and

signal bearing media bearing said shipper.

17. The program product of claim 16 wherein said shipper mechanism is capable of dynamically switching between said more than one remote object access model based on at least one environment factor.

18. The program product of claim 16 wherein one of said more than one remote access model is a page shipping model.

19. The program product of claim 16 wherein one of said more than one remote access model is a function shipping model.

20. The program product of claim 16 wherein said signal bearing media is transmission type media.

21. The program product of claim 16 wherein said signal bearing media is recordable media.

22. A computer-implemented method, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a remote object access request from a client computer system for access to a server object;

evaluating at least one environment factor; and

selecting a remote access model based on said evaluating step, said remote access model being one of at least two remote access models that are available for selection; and

shipping said server object to said client computer system using said remote access model.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22 wherein one of said at least two access models is a page shipping model.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 22 wherein one of said at least two access models is a function shipping model.