Mechanism and apparatus for URI-addressable repositories of service advertisements and other content in a distributed computing environment

• US 7,080,078 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2000
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Slaughter, Gregory L., Saulpaugh, Thomas E., Traversat, Bernard A., Duigou, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Sue
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US09/653,614
• Time in Patent Office: 2,147 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/203, 709/219, 709/227, 709/315, 709/225, 709/229, 707/10, 707/200, 707/103.R, 707/103.Y, 707/103.X, 707/103.Z, 707/100, 707/3, 340/825.52, 705/14, 705/27, 719313-315
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 : using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system and method for interaction and access to shared content among clients and services in a distributed computing environment. A client may access a space service. The space service may store one or more XML service advertisements and/or other XML content in a space, and each of the service advertisements may include information which is usable to access and execute a corresponding service. The space service may include an XML schema which specifies one or more messages usable to invoke functions of the space service. For example, the schema may specify methods for reading advertisements from the space and publishing advertisements in the space. In accessing the space service, the client may send information such as an XML message (as specified in the schema) to the space service at an Internet address. In accessing the space service, the client may search the one or more service advertisements stored in the space. The client may select one of the service advertisements from the space. The desired service may be executed on behalf of the client. Upon execution, the service may generate a set of results. In one embodiment, these results may be published in a new space which may be accessed by the client for whose benefit the service was executed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

a client accessing a space service according to a schema for the space service, wherein the space service is operable to store one or more service advertisements in a space, wherein each of the service advertisements comprises information which is usable to access a corresponding service, and wherein the space service is configured to provide functions to manage or access the one or more service advertisements in the space, wherein the functions of the space service are invoked according to the schema for the space service which specifies one or more messages for invoking functions of the space service, and wherein the schema specifies messages usable to read advertisements from the space and publish advertisements in the space;

the client selecting one of the service advertisements from the space; and

the client using the information from the selected service advertisement to execute the corresponding service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client accessing the space service comprises the client sending messages to the space service at a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the schema is expressed in a data representation language.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the data representation language comprises extensible Markup Language (XML).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the client accessing the space service comprises the client sending at least one of the messages specified in the schema to the space service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the client accessing the space service comprises the client searching the one or more service advertisements stored in the space.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more service advertisements comprises a URI at which the corresponding service may be accessed and a schema which specifies messages usable to invoke functions of the corresponding service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each schema is expressed in a data representation language.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data representation language comprises extensible Markup Language (XML).

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating results in response to the executing the corresponding service for the selected service advertisement for the client; and

publishing the results in a network-addressable location, wherein information usable to access the network-addressable location is provided in an advertisement for the network addressable-location.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the client sending an instantiation request to the space after the selecting one of the service advertisements from the space;

obtaining a lease for the corresponding service for the selected service advertisement;

sending the lease and the selected service advertisement to the client; and

constructing a gate for the client to access the corresponding service.

22. The system of claim 1,

wherein the space service is operable to obtain a lease for the first service and send the lease and the service advertisement to the client;

and

wherein the client is operable to construct a gate for the client to access the first service using the lease and the service advertisement sent by the space service.

12. A computer system comprising:

a client;

a first service; and

a space service which is communicatively coupled to the client and the first service;

wherein the first service is operable to send a message according to a schema for the space service to publish a service advertisement with the space service, wherein the service advertisement comprises information which is usable to access the first service;

wherein the space service is operable to store the service advertisement; and

wherein the client is operable to communicate with the space service according to the message schema for the space service to access the space service and select the service advertisement from the space service, and wherein the client is further operable to use the information from the service advertisement to execute the first service.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the client is operable to access the space service by sending the one or more messages to the space service at a URI.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the schema is expressed in a data representation language.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the data representation language comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the schema specifies messages usable to read advertisements from the space service and publish advertisements in the space service.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the client is operable to search a plurality of advertisements stored in the space.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the service advertisement comprises a URI at which the first service may be accessed and a schema which specifies messages usable to invoke functions of the first service.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the schema is expressed in a data representation language.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the data representation language comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

21. The system of claim 12,

wherein the first service is operable to generate results in response to the client accessing the first service using the service advertisement;

and

wherein the space service is operable to store the results in a network-addressable location, wherein information usable to access the network-addressable location is provided in an advertisement for the network addressable-location.

23. A tangible computer-readable medium comprising program instructions which are computer-executable to implement:

a client accessing a space service according to a schema for the space service, wherein the space service is operable to store one or more service advertisements in a space, wherein each of the service advertisements comprises information which is usable to access a corresponding service, and wherein the space service is configured to provide functions to manage or access the one or more service advertisements in the space, wherein the functions of the space service are invoked according to the schema for the space service which specifies one or more messages for invoking functions of the space service, and wherein the schema specifies messages usable to read advertisements from the space and publish advertisements in the space;

the client selecting one of the service advertisements from the space; and

the client using the information from the selected service advertisement to execute the corresponding service.

24. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein in the client accessing the space service, the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement the client sending messages to the space service at a URI.

25. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the schema is expressed in a data representation language.

26. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the data representation language comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

27. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein in the client accessing the space service, the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement the client sending at least one of the messages specified in the schema to the space service.

28. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein in the client accessing the space service, the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement the client searching the one or more service advertisements stored in the space.

29. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein each of the one or more service advertisements comprises a URI at which the corresponding service may be accessed and a schema which specifies messages usable to invoke functions of the corresponding service.

30. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein each schema is expressed in a data representation language.

31. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the data representation language comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

32. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement:

generating results in response to the executing the corresponding service for the selected service advertisement for the client; and

publishing the results in a network-addressable location, wherein information usable to access the network-addressable location is provided in an advertisement for the network addressable-location.

33. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement:

the client sending an instantiation request to the space after the selecting one of the service advertisements from the space;

obtaining a lease for the corresponding service for the selected service advertisement;

sending the lease and the selected service advertisement to the client; and

constructing a gate for the client to access the corresponding service.

34. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing a set of information in a space by sending at least one message specified in a schema for the space, wherein the schema specifies a plurality of messages usable to invoke functions of the space, wherein the set of information is expressed in a data representation language, and wherein the space is addressable at a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI);

a client locating the space at the URI;

the client retrieving the set of information expressed in the data representation language from the space by sending at least one of the messages specified in the schema for the space.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the data representation language comprises extensible Markup Language (XML).

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the space comprises one or more web pages which are viewable by a web browser.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the schema is expressed in the data representation language.

38. A computer system comprising:

a space which is operable to store a set of information expressed in a data representation language, wherein the space is addressable at a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), and wherein the space comprises a schema which specifies one or more messages usable to invoke functions of the space; and

a client which is communicatively coupled to the space, wherein the client is operable to;

locate the space at the URI; and

retrieve the set of information expressed in the data representation language from the space by sending at least one of the messages specified in the schema for the space.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the data representation language comprises extensible Markup Language (XML).

40. The system of claim 38, further comprising:

a web browser which is operable to display web pages;

wherein the space comprises one or more web pages which are configured to be displayed by the web browser.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the schema is expressed in the data representation language.

42. A tangible computer-readable medium comprising program instructions which are computer-executable to implement:

storing a set of information in a space by sending at least one message specified in a schema for the space, wherein the schema specifies a plurality of messages usable to invoke functions of the space, wherein the set of information is expressed in a data representation language, and wherein the space is addressable at a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI);

a client locating the space at the URI;

the client retrieving the set of information expressed in the data representation language from the space by sending at least one of the messages specified in the schema for the space.

43. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the data representation language comprises extensible Markup Language (XML).

44. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the space comprises one or more web pages which are viewable by a web browser.

45. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the schema is expressed in the data representation language.