Finding named EJB homes via life cycle support

• US 6,745,250 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2000
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Wei-Li Alexander, Newcombe, Russell Ley, Knutson, James Irwin, Cocks, Stephen James
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US09/605,781
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 709/310, 709/315, 709/316, 709/245, 709/330, 709/332, 707/103, 707/10, 717/6
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548

Abstract

A method and implementing system are provided in which CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) Life Cycle Service FactoryFinder capabilities are combined with CORBA Naming Service resolve operations on a Naming Context. The methodology allows EJBHomes in a distributed network to be found using CORBA Life Cycle Services while maintaining support for the EJB (Enterprise Java Bean) programming model of using JNDI (Java Naming and Directory Interface) lookup calls to locate EJBHomes. Usage of Life Cycle Services in an EJB environment for finding EJBHomes by using Naming interfaces is enabled while using Life Cycle Service semantics. An exemplary embodiment is provided to allow deployment in different environments (including environments without Life Cycle support) and reconfiguration of the FactoryFinder being used, without requiring changes to source code.

Claims

1. A method for finding an EJBHome in a distributed network environment, said method comprising:

establishing a NamingContext interface to a NamingContext;

establishing a FactoryFinder interface to a FactoryFinder;

enhancing said NamingContext to provide an enhanced NamingContext by adding a reference to said FactoryFinder and enabling said Naming Context to know its relative position in a name space;

adding a capability to said enhanced NamingContext to enable said enhanced NamingContext to generate a simple name suitable for use by said FactoryFinder; and

using said enhanced NamingContext to find said EJB home.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including using said enhanced NamingContext as an Application Context.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said simple name comprises a transformation of a compound name.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said compound name is a combination of a name derived from said relative position in said name space and a name passed on in a resolve operation.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein said enhanced NamingContext is further enhanced to call said FactoryFinder using said simple name when normal NamingContext resolve processing would result in an exception being thrown.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said enhanced NamingContext is usable as an initial context of an application.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 wherein said enhanced NamingContext is capable of building a simple name from a relative location in name space of said enhanced NamingContext combined with said EJBHome name.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein said enhanced NamingContext is used to call a FactoryFinder using said simple name.

9. The method as set forth in claim 6 and further including:

determining that an environment supports an application context of said application; and

creating said application context in name space, said application context being configured with said FactoryFinder.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 and further including creating a FactoryFinder object if an applicable FactoryFinder is not available.

11. The method as set forth in claim 9 and further including setting an initial context factory for said application context.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 and further including generating said initial context factory.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11 and further including defining said initial context factory to said application.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13 and further including using said application context to lookup said EJBHome.

15. A storage medium including machine readable coded indicia, said storage medium being selectively coupled to a reading device, said reading device being selectively coupled to processing circuitry, said reading device being selectively operable to read said machine readable coded indicia and provide program signals representative thereof, said program signals being effective for finding an EJBHome in a distributed network environment, said program signals being selectively operable to accomplish the steps of:

establishing a NamingContext interface to a NamingContext;

establishing a FactoryFinder interface to a FactoryFinder;

enhancing said NamingContext to provide an enhanced NamingContext by adding a reference to said FactoryFinder and enabling said Naming Context to know its relative position in a name space;

adding a capability to said enhanced NamingContext to enable said enhanced NamingContext to generate a simple name suitable for use by said FactoryFinder; and

receiving a request to find said EJBHome, said request being made using an EJBHome name and a naming interface of a naming service; and

processing said request by a factory finder of a factory finder service to find said EJBHome using said enhanced NamingContext to find said EJB home.

16. A distributed network information processing system comprising:

a server device;

at least one terminal; and

a network connection arranged to selectively couple said terminal and said server, said server being responsive to a receipt of a request from said terminal to find an EJBHome, said request being made using an EJBHome name and a naming interface of a naming service, said server being selectively operable for processing said request by a factory finder of a factory finder service to find said EJBHome by accomplishing the steps of;

establishing a NamingContext interface to a NamingContext;

establishing a FactoryFinder interface to a FactoryFinder;

enhancing said NamingContext to provide an enhanced NamingContext by adding a reference to said FactoryFinder and enabling said Naming Context to know its relative position in a name space;

adding a capability to said enhanced NamingContext to enable said enhanced NamingContext to generate a simple name suitable for use by said FactoryFinder; and

using said enhanced NamingContext to find said EJB home.