Agent method and computer system

• US 6,785,819 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2000
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Sakakura, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Peeso, Thomas R.
• Application Number:
  US09/508,644
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168, 713/182, 713/189, 713/193, 713/200, 713/201
• US Class Current: 726/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5017 Task decomposition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Each subnet has an environment for executing the agent service program. When a request for service such as file system is made from the subnet B103 to the subnet A102 by a user, a client side agent created at the subnet B103 further creates a peer agent, and the peer agent is transmitted to the subnet A102 according to the communication condition such as a firewall 104 which is already being notified. A peer-to-peer session is configured between the agents.

Claims

1. An agent method for transferring an agent inside a network system including a first computer system and a second computer system, the first computer system having an access control unit which allows access in case of meeting a pre-determined communication condition of the first computer system, comprising:

authenticating the second computer system responsible for transmitting the agent, and transmitting the pre-determined communication condition of the first computer system to the authenticated second computer system;

receiving and storing, at the second computer system, the pre-determined communication condition of the first computer system, creating the agent at the second computer system, and transmitting the agent from the second to the first computer system;

wherein said transmitting the agent is carried out according to the pre-determined communication condition of the first computer system; and

receiving the agent via the access control of the first computer system unit and executing the agent with the first computer system.

2. The agent method according to claim 1 further comprising authenticating an agent issuing user.

3. The agent method according to claim 2 further comprising transmitting a user authentication data, and receiving and storing the user authentication data by a plurality of the second computer systems, wherein the step of authenticating the agent issuing user includes reading the user authentication data by the second computer system.

4. The agent method according to claim 1, wherein the first computer system can use a plurality of information exchanging methods;

and wherein the agent method further comprises selecting an information exchanging method based on an attribute of the information exchanging method of the first computer system by the second computer system.

5. The agent method according to claim 1, wherein the first computer system has a plurality of agent processing systems that can execute the agent;

wherein the step of creating the agent includes selecting the agent processing system based on an attribute of the agent processing system and writing an identification information of the selected agent processing system to a part of the agent;

wherein the step of executing the agent includes reading the identification information of the selected agent processing system and transferring the agent to an agent processing system specified by the identification information.

6. The agent method according to claim 5 further comprising combining attribute data of the agent processing systems, wherein the step of selecting the agent processing system includes reading combined attribute data of the agent processing systems.

7. The agent method according to claim 1, wherein the step of creating the agent includes writing an identification information of an agent issuing user to a part of the agent;

wherein the step of executing the agent includes reading the identification information of the agent issuing user and accessing a service according to an access right of the agent issuing user specified by the identification information.

8. The agent method according to claim 1 further comprising transmitting an agent execution status of the first computer system and receiving the agent execution status by the second computer system.

9. The agent method according to claim 8 further comprising combining the agent execution statuses.

10. The agent method according to claim 8 further comprising defining a management information transferring path based on an information exchange path information, and deciding a transmitting destination of the agent execution status according to the management information transferring path.

11. The agent method according to claim 1 further comprising encrypting at least a part of the agent by the second computer system, and decrypting the encrypted part of the agent by the first computer system.

12. The agent method according to claim 1 further comprising combining the pre-determined communication conditions of a plurality of the first computer systems.

13. The agent method according to claim 12 further comprising defining a management information transferring path based on an information exchange path information, and deciding a transmitting destination of the pre-determined communication condition according to the management information transferring path.

14. The agent method according to claim 1, wherein the second computer system can use a plurality of information exchanging methods, wherein the agent method further comprises storing an agent transmission log including an identification information of the information exchanging method used in transmitting the agent, and selecting the information exchanging method based on the agent transmission log by the second computer system.

15. The agent method according to claim 1, wherein the step of authenticating the second computer system includes authenticating by a third party authenticating center.

16. A computer system having an accessible access control unit in case of meeting a pre-determined communication condition, and for communicating with an other computer system, comprising:

a computer system authenticating unit for authenticating the other computer system for transmitting an agent;

a communication condition transmitting unit for transmitting the pre-determined communication condition to the authenticated other computer system;

an agent receiving unit for receiving the agent from the authenticated other computer system via the access control unit; and

an agent execution unit for executing the received agent.

17. A network system having a plurality of computer systems according to claim 16.

18. A computer system for communicating with an other computer system having an accessible access control unit in case of meeting a pre-determined communication condition, comprising:

a communication condition receiving unit for receiving the pre-determined communication condition of the other computer system;

a communication condition storing unit for storing the pre-determined communication condition of the other computer system;

an agent creating unit for creating an agent to be executed in the other computer system; and

an agent transmitting unit for transmitting the agent according to the pre-determined communication condition of the other computer system.

19. A network system having a plurality of computer systems according to claim 18.