Apparatus, method and computer program product for client/server computing with timing of creation of coordinator transaction state object being based on triggering events

• US 6,829,632 B1
• Filed: 06/09/1998
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Warr, Kathryn Sarah, Chessell, Amanda Elizabeth, Mulholland, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLETT, STEPHAN F
• Application Number:
  US09/094,314
• Time in Patent Office: 2,373 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/243, 709/300, 709/301, 709/302, 709/303, 709/304, 709/305, 709/202, 709/317, 709/331, 709/332
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores

Abstract

A server processing method for use in a client/server computing system which carries out transactions, has steps of: receiving a command instructing the server to carry out a step of a transaction; beginning the transaction; and determining whether a predetermined triggering event has occurred during the carrying out of the transaction, and only if the triggering event has occurred, creating a means for coordinating the transaction with respect to a plurality of elements that are involved in carrying out the transaction.

Claims

1. A server processing apparatus for use in a client/server computing system which carries out transactions, said apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a command instructing the server processing apparatus to carry out a step of a transaction;

means for beginning the transaction; and

means for determining whether a predetermined triggering event has occurred during the carrying out of the transaction, and only if the triggering event has occurred, creating a means for coordinating the transaction with respect to a plurality of elements that are involved in carrying out the transaction.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said triggering event is the receipt of a request to update a local resource as part of the transaction.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said triggering event is the receipt of a request to invoke an additional server processing apparatus as part of the transaction.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for coordinating is a Coordinator object, as defined by the Common Object Request Broker Architecture'"'"'s Object Transaction Service (CORBA'"'"'s OTS).

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said elements that are involved in carrying out the transaction are local resources or a remote server process.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said coordinating involves commanding each the transactionally involved local resources and/or remote server processes to commit their respective transactional activity.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the command instructing the server processing apparatus to carry out a step of a transaction is received from a first client apparatus and the triggering event originates from a later request received from the first client apparatus.

7. A server processing method for use in a client/server computing system which carries out transactions, said method, which is carried out on a server, comprising steps of:

receiving a command instructing the server to carry out a step of a transaction;

beginning the transaction; and

determining whether a predetermined triggering event has occurred during the carrying out of the transaction, and only if the triggering event has occurred, creating a means for coordinating the transaction with respect to a plurality of elements that are involved in carrying out the transaction.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said triggering event is the receipt of a request to update a local resource as part of the transaction.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said triggering event is the receipt of a request to invoke an additional server processing apparatus as part of the transaction.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said means for coordinating is a Coordinator object, as defined by the Common Object Request Broker Architecture'"'"'s Object Transaction Service (CORBA'"'"'s OTS).

11. The method of claim 7 wherein said elements that are involved in carrying out the transaction are local resources or a remote server process.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said coordinating involves commanding each the transactionally involved local resources and/or remote server processes to commit their respective transactional activity.

20. The method of claim 7 wherein the command instructing the server to carry out a step of a transaction is received from a first client and the triggering event originates from a later request received from the first client.

13. A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage medium for, when run on a server computer, carrying out a server processing method for use in a client/server computing system which carries out transactions, said method comprising steps of:

receiving a command instructing the server computer to carry out a step of a transaction;

beginning the transaction; and

determining whether a predetermined triggering event has occurred during the carrying out of the transaction, and only if the triggering event has occurred, creating a means for coordinating the transaction with respect to a plurality of elements that are involved in carrying out the transaction.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein said triggering event is the receipt of a request to update a local resource as part of the transaction.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein said triggering event is the receipt of a request to invoke an additional server processing apparatus as part of the transaction.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the means for coordinating is a Coordinator object, as defined by the Common Object Request Broker Architecture'"'"'s Object Transaction Service (CORBA'"'"'s OTS).

17. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein said elements that are involved in carrying out the transaction are local resources or a remote server process.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein said coordinating involves commanding each of the transactionally involved local resources and/or remote server processes to commit their respective transactional activity.

21. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the command instructing the server to carry out a step of a transaction is received from a first client and the triggering event originates from a later request received from the first client.