System and methods for deploying and invoking a distributed object model

• US 7,340,747 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Zeliger, Ohad, Cormier, Richard Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seye; Abdou K
• Application Number:
  US10/674,321
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/463 Naming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/548 Object oriented; Remote method invocation [RMI] non-remote method invocation G06F9/449

Abstract

A client application interface, or toolkit, provides a specified, exposed set of software components, or objects, for external user access. Development of a common interface for external user applications allows a remote access object model to define the interface corresponding to a base object model. The remote access object model, therefore, defines a generic toolkit upon which a user builds a custom application to suit individual remote access needs. Development of a single remote access object model limits regressive testing and provides a known baseline of tested functionality for the remote interface without compromising the existing base object model. Limited exposure of the objects in the client application interface avoids security, integrity, and inconsistency breaches. Therefore, the client application interface is operable to support the client application to emulate a specified exposure of a network administration and management application operations and functions via the remote access object model, or library.

Claims

1. A computer system server for remote invocation of an object in a base object library via a remote access object library, comprising:

a processor in a base application server;

a memory in the base application server operable to store the base object library, the memory further including a base application object space operable to store and execute instantiations of the objects in the base object library;

an interface including at least one adaptor operable to receive an API object reference to the remote access object library via a client application interface;

an object mapping table in the memory operable identify a corresponding native object to the referenced API object reference in the base object library, the processor operable to instantiate the identified native object corresponding to the referenced API object in a client object space, and further operable to maintain a link between the instantiated API object and the corresponding native object, the link providing a dynamic reflection of the native object in the API object; and

a build facility, the instantiating by the processor further employing the build facility to;

identify templates corresponding to object types, the object types corresponding to operations for providing the remote API,

define metadata for each of the objects for exposure in the remote API, the metadata identifying, for each of the exposed objects, runtime behavior of the object;

identify, for each of the object types, available methods for each of the exposed objects in the remote access object library, the available methods defining a subset of methods in the corresponding base application object; and

build, via an API object generator in the build facility, the exposed objects for invocation by the client application;

the processor further operable to;

receive an indication of invoking a traversal method in the API object in the remote access object space;

identify, via an object identifier in the indication, the corresponding native object in the base application object space;

determine a related object associated with the native object in the base object library; and

transmit to a remote access object space, via a traversal service and the object identifier, an instantiation of the related object, the related object corresponding to the association to the native object in the base object library and the instantiation received from a copied object of the related object, the instantiation maintaining a dynamic link to the related object.

2. The computer system server of claim 1 wherein the processor is further operable to:

copy, in the base application object space, the identified native object, the native object having attributes;

identify, for the attributes of the native object, corresponding attributes in the copied object; and

populate the corresponding attributes in the instantiated API object.

3. The computer system server of claim 2 wherein populating further comprises identifying attributes of the native object and determining, from metadata defining the remote access object library, attribute values of the corresponding instantiated API object.

4. The computer system server of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to maintain the link by referencing, in a realtime manner, the native object in response to operations to the instantiated API object, such that the operations produce a nonduplicative, atomic result in the native object via the instantiated API object.

5. The computer system server of claim 1 wherein the object identifier is operable to uniquely identify an instantiation of an object in an object space.

6. The computer system server of claim 1 wherein the base object library further comprises exposed objects and local objects, each of the exposed objects having a corresponding native object in the object model, the exposed object operable to provide similar operations via the remote application interface as the corresponding native object, and further wherein invoking includes determining an exposure attribute indicative of whether the invoked object is an exposed object.

7. The computer system server of claim 1 wherein the base application object library defines a storage area network management application having a database of storage area network management information, the storage area network management application operable to manipulate agents corresponding to manageable entities, and wherein the remote access object library is a toolkit operable to provide API entry points into the storage area network management application in a nonintrusive manner for interrogating the agents and corresponding database.

8. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further operable to:

receive a set of changes modifying the native objects in the base object library; and

remap the links between the API objects and a new corresponding native object resulting from the modifying, wherein the client application interface remains unmodified such that the API object remain executable without rebuilding.

9. An encoded set of processor based instructions on a computer readable storage medium and responsive to a computer system processor which, when loaded into a memory of a computer and executed by the computer system processor, cause the computer to perform steps for defining and deploying a remote access object library corresponding to a base application object model, comprising:

a requirements instance manager operable to identify a subset of objects in the base application object model as exposure objects for inclusion the remote access object library, and further operable to define a client application interface accessible to a client application operable to provide accessibility references for the included objects;

metadata defined by the requirements instance manager, the metadata indicative of attributes for objects in the remote access object library;

an architecture mapper operable to define object templates corresponding to object types in the base application object model, the object templates further comprising;

an identification of object classes for the object types in the base application object model; and

attributes for each of the object types, the attributes operable for definition in the corresponding object in the remote access object library;

metadata identifying, for each of the object types, available methods for each of the exposure objects in the remote access object library, the available methods defining a subset of methods in the corresponding base application object in the base application object library;

an object mapping table in the memory operable identify a corresponding native object to the referenced API object reference in the base object library, the processor operable to instantiate the identified native object corresponding to the referenced API object in a client object space, and further operable to maintain a link between the instantiated API object and the corresponding native object, the link providing a dynamic reflection of the native object in the API object, the instantiated objects responsive to a build facility to;

identify templates corresponding to object types, the object types corresponding to operations for providing the remote API,

define metadata for each of the objects for exposure in the remote API, the metadata identifying, for each of the exposed objects, runtime behavior of the object; and

identify, for each of the object types, available methods for each of the exposed objects in the remote access object library, the available methods defining a subset of methods in the corresponding base application object;

build, via an API object generator in the build facility, the exposed objects for invocation by the client application;

an API object generator operable to generate the remote access object library from the metadata and the templates, such that each of the API objects are reflective of the API object for selectively exposing the corresponding native object, the instructions responsive to the processor to;

receive an indication of invoking a traversal method in the API object in the remote access object space;

identify, via an object identifier in the indication, the corresponding native object in the base application object space;

determine a related object associated with the native object in the base object library; and

transmit to a remote access object space, via a traversal service and the object identifier, an instantiation of the related object, the related object corresponding to the association to the native object in the base object library and the instantiation received from a copied object of the related object, the instantiation maintaining a dynamic link to the related object.

10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the requirements instance manager is further operable to define metadata including, for each exposed object and a corresponding native object in the identified subset in the base application object library, attributes corresponding to at least one of delayed or immediate translation, object identifier keys, attribute name mapping and attribute type conversion.

11. A computer program product having a computer readable storage medium operable to store computer program logic embodied in computer program code encoded thereon as a set of processor based instructions which, when loaded into a memory of a computer and executed by the computer system processor, cause the computer to perform steps for remote invocation of an object in a base object library via a remote access object library, comprising:

computer program code for invoking, via a client application interface, an API object reference in the remote access object library;

computer program code for identifying a corresponding native object to the invoked API object reference in the base object library;

computer program code for instantiating an API object reflective of the identified native object in a client object space, the API object selectively exposing the corresponding native object;

further comprising;

computer program code for identifying templates corresponding to object types, the object types corresponding to operations for providing the remote API;

computer program code for defining metadata for each of the objects for exposure in the remote API, the metadata identifying, for each of the exposed objects, runtime behavior of the object, the metadata further identifying, for each of the object types, available methods for each of the exposed objects in the remote access object library, the available methods defining a subset of methods in the corresponding base application object in the base object library; and

computer program code for building, via an API object generator in the build facility, the exposed objects for invocation by the client application; and

computer program code for maintaining a link between the instantiated API object and the corresponding native object, the link providing a dynamic reflection of the native object in the API object, maintaining the link further comprising referencing, in a realtime manner, the native object in response to operations to the instantiated API object, such that the operations produce a nonduplicative, atomic result in the native object via the instantiated API object, the instructions responsive to a processor to;

receive an indication of invoking a traversal method in the API object in the remote access object space;

identify, via an object identifier in the indication, the corresponding native object in the base application object space;

determine a related object associated with the native object in the base object library; and

transmit to a remote access object space, via a traversal service and the object identifier, an instantiation of the related object, the related object corresponding to the association to the native object in the base object library and the instantiation received from a copied object of the related object, the instantiation maintaining a dynamic link to the related object.

12. A computer readable storage medium having a set of processor based instructions responsive to a computer having a processor and encoded as program code on the computer readable storage medium which, when loaded into a memory of the computer and executed by the processor, cause the computer to perform steps for remote invocation of an object in a base object library via a remote access object library, comprising:

program code for invoking, via a client application interface, an API object reference in the remote access object library;

program code for identifying a corresponding native object to the invoked API object reference in the base object library, the base object library defining a storage area network management application having a database of storage area network management information, the storage area network management application operable to manipulate agents corresponding to manageable entities, and wherein the remote access object library is a toolkit operable to provide API entry points into the storage area network management application in a nonintrusive manner for interrogating the agents and corresponding database;

program code for instantiating the identified native object as an API object in a client object space;

further comprising;

program code for identifying templates corresponding to object types, the object types corresponding to operations for providing the remote API;

program code for defining metadata for each of the objects for exposure in the remote API, the metadata identifying, for each of the exposed objects, runtime behavior of the object, the metadata identifying, for each of the object types, available methods for each of the exposed objects in the remote access object library, the available methods defining a subset of methods in the corresponding base application object in the base object library; and

program code for building, via an API object generator, the exposed objects for invocation by the client application; and

program code for maintaining a link between the instantiated API object and the corresponding native object, the link providing a dynamic reflection of the native object in the API object, maintaining the link further comprising referencing, in a realtime manner, the native object in response to operations to the instantiated API object, such that the operations produce a nonduplicative, atomic result in the native object via the instantiated API object, the instructions responsive to a processor to;

receive an indication of invoking a traversal method in the API object in the remote access object space;

identify, via an object identifier in the indication, the corresponding native object in the base application object space;

determine a related object associated with the native object in the base object library; and

transmit to a remote access object space, via a traversal service and the object identifier, an instantiation of the related object, the related object corresponding to the association to the native object in the base object library and the instantiation received from a copied object of the related object, the instantiation maintaining a dynamic link to the related object.

13. A computer system server responsive to a set of processor based instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium, the computer system server having a processor connected to the computer readable storage medium, for remote invocation of an object in a base object library via a remote access object library, comprising:

means for invoking, via a client application interface, an API object reference in the remote access object library;

means for identifying a corresponding native object to the invoked API object reference in the base object library;

means for instantiating the identified native object as an API object in a client object space;

the means for instantiating further comprising;

means for identifying templates corresponding to object types, the object types corresponding to operations for providing the remote API;

means for defining metadata for each of the objects for exposure in the remote API, the metadata identifying, for each of the exposed objects, runtime behavior of the object, the metadata identifying, for each of the object types, available methods for each of the exposed objects in the remote access object library, the available methods defining a subset of methods in the corresponding base application object in the base object library; and

means for building, via an API object generator, the exposed objects for invocation by the client application; and

means for maintaining a link between the instantiated API object and the corresponding native object, the link providing a dynamic reflection of the native object in the API object, the API object having a direct reference linkage to a counterpart native object in the base application object space, maintaining the link further comprising referencing, in a realtime manner, the native object in response to operations to the instantiated API object, such that the operations produce a nonduplicative, atomic result in the native object via the instantiated API object, the instructions responsive to a processor to;

receive an indication of invoking a traversal method in the API object in the remote access object space;

identify, via an object identifier in the indication, the corresponding native object in the base application object space;

determine a related object associated with the native object in the base object library; and

transmit to a remote access object space, via a traversal service and the object identifier, an instantiation of the related object, the related object corresponding to the association to the native object in the base object library and the instantiation received from a copied object of the related object, the instantiation maintaining a dynamic link to the related object.