Lease renewal service

• US 6,772,162 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Waldo, James H., McClain, John W. F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US10/288,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20030093505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/104.1, 707/201, 707/203, 707/206, 707/202, 707/9, 709/104, 709/201, 709/203, 709/226
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/023 Free address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0253 Garbage collection, i.e. reclamation of unreferenced memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0261 using reference counting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99957 Garbage collection

Abstract

In accordance with methods and systems consistent with the present invention, a lease manager is provided for managing leases between clients and other network services. To use the lease manager, a client enters into a management lease with the lease manager, specifying an amount of time during which the lease manager can manage preexisting leases between the client and network services on behalf of the client. This management includes renewing the preexisting leases with the other network services. Further, the lease manager notifies the client when a lease between the lease manager and the client is near expiration. The lease manager also notifies the client of failed attempts to renew the preexisting leases, as well as the management lease, either with a network service or with the lease manager.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system, containing a client, a lease manager, a first remote infrastructure for granting a first lease on a first resource, and a second remote infrastructure for granting a second lease on a second resource, the method performed by the lease manager comprising:

receiving an indication of the first and second leases from the first and second infrastructures, respectively;

creating a lease set including information corresponding to at least the first and second leases; and

managing, on behalf of the client, any of the first and second leases that has corresponding information included in the lease set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the leases further comprises:

requesting renewal of at least one of the leases included in the lease set.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the leases further comprises:

removing one of the first and second leases from the lease set.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the leases further comprises:

providing an indication to the client when either of the first and second leases is about to expire.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the leases further comprises:

providing an indication to the client that a request to renew either of the first and second leases has failed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the leases further comprises:

managing the leases included in the lease set on behalf of the client while the client is inactive, wherein the client is activated based on an event associated with one of the leases in the lease set.

7. A method in a data processing system including a client, a server, and a lease manager, the method performed by the lease manager comprising:

creating a lease set including at least one lease held by the client, wherein each lease in the set binds to a resource maintained by the server such that the client has exclusive access to the resource for a period of time;

receiving a request from the client to remove a first lease from the lease set; and

removing the first lease from the lease set such that the client still holds the first lease following the removal of the first lease.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the period of time is set when the first lease was previously renewed while included in the lease set.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the period of time is set by the client when the first lease was previously added to the lease set and the client holds the removed first lease for the period of time.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein removing the first lease includes:

providing a lease object associated with the first lease to the client.

11. A data processing system for providing a service, the system comprising:

a client for providing a request to access a resource;

a lease manager for managing a lease to the service upon receipt of an indication of the lease created in response to the request; and

a remote infrastructure for receiving the request, creating the lease, and sending the indication of the lease to the lease manager.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the lease manager maintains a lease set that includes one or more leases created by the remote infrastructure, and manages the one or more leases.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the lease manager manages a second lease upon receipt of a second indication of the second lease created in response to a second request for access to a second resource provided by the client, wherein the system further comprises:

a second remote infrastructure for receiving the second request, creating the second lease, and sending the second indication of the second lease to the lease manager.

14. A computer-readable medium including instructions for performing a method, when executed by a processor, in a data processing system containing a client, a lease manager, a first remote infrastructure for granting a first lease on a first resource, and a second remote infrastructure for granting a second lease on a second resource, the method performed by the lease manager comprising:

receiving an indication of the first and second leases from the first and second infrastructures, respectively;

creating a lease set including information corresponding to at least the first and second leases; and

managing, on behalf of the client, any of the first and second leases that has corresponding information included in the lease set.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein managing the leases further comprises:

requesting renewal of at least one of the leases included in the lease set.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein managing the leases further comprises:

removing one of the first and second leases from the lease set.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein managing the leases further comprises:

providing an indication to the client when either of the first and second leases is about to expire.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein managing the leases further comprises:

providing an indication to the client that a request to renew either of the first and second leases has failed.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein managing the leases further comprises:

managing the leases included in the lease set on behalf of the client while the client is inactive; and

activating the client based on an event associated with one of the leases in the lease set.

20. A computer-readable medium including instructions for performing a method, when executed by a processor, in a data processing system including a client, a server and a lease manager, the method performed by the lease manager comprising:

creating a lease set including at least one lease held by the client, wherein each lease in the set binds to a resource maintained by the server such that the client has exclusive access to the resource for a period of time;

receiving a request from the client to remove a first lease from the lease set; and

removing the first lease from the lease set such that the client still holds the first lease following the removal of the first lease.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the client holds the removed first lease for a time period that was set when the first lease was previously renewed while included in the lease set.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the client holds the removed first lease for a time period that was set when the first lease was added to the lease set.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein removing the first lease includes:

providing a lease object associated with the first lease to the client.

24. A lease manager for managing a lease in a data processing system containing a client, a first remote infrastructure for granting a first lease on a first resource, and a second remote infrastructure for granting a second lease on a second resource, the lease manager comprising:

means for receiving an indication of the first and second leases from the first and second infrastructures, respectively;

means for creating a lease set including information corresponding to at least the first and second leases; and

means for managing, on behalf of the client, any of the first and second leases that has corresponding information included in the lease set.

25. A lease manager for managing a lease in a data processing system including a client, a server, and a lease manager, the lease manager comprising:

means for creating a lease set including at least one lease held by the client, wherein each lease in the set binds to a resource maintained by the server such that the client has exclusive access to the resource for a period of time;

means for receiving a request from the client to remove a first lease from the lease set; and

means for removing the first lease from the lease set such that the client still holds the first lease following the removal of the first lease.