Self-adapting plug-in service

• US 7,433,935 B1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company), Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Obert, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US11/118,244
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/246, 709/217, 719/321, 719/328, 719/331
• US Class Current: 709/219
• 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 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A self-adapting plug-in service that runs on a plurality of platforms and obviates the need to develop a different version of the plug-in service for each platform. A self-adapting plug-in service according to the present techniques includes code that generates a platform access using a common plug-in API and a translation layer that translates the platform access into a platform-specific access that is adapted one of the platforms that is running under the self-adapting plug-in service.

Claims

1. A self-adapting plug-in service, comprising:

code that generates a platform access using a common plug-in API;

translation layer that enables the plug-in service to run on a plurality of platforms by determining which of the platforms is running under the self-adapting plug-in service and then translating the platform access into a platform-specific access for the platform that is running wherein the translation layer determines which of the platforms is running under the self-adapting plug-in service by obtaining an indicator from an installer program that installed the self-adapting plug-in service.

2. The self-adapting plug-in service of claim 1, wherein the installer program detects which of the platforms is running by examining a file system of the platform that is running.

3. The self-adapting plug-in service of claim 1, wherein the platform-specific access is defined in a platform-specific API corresponding to the platform that is running.

4. The self-adapting plug-in service of claim 3, wherein the platform access is a call specified in the common plug-in API and the translation layer translates the call into a call specified in the platform-specific API.

5. The self-adapting plug-in service of claim 4, wherein the call according to the common plug-in API specifies a data structure and the translation layer translates the call by extracting from the data structure a set of arguments for the call defined in the platform-specific API.

6. The self-adapting plug-in service of claim 1, wherein the translation layer translates the platform access using a set of semantic rules corresponding to the platform that is running.

7. A method for providing a self-adapting plug-in service, comprising providing the self-adapting plug-in service with a translation layer that enables the self-adapting plug-in service to run on a plurality of platforms by determining which of the platforms is running under the self-adapting plug-in service and then translating the platform access into a platform-specific access for the platform that is running wherein the translation layer determines which of the platforms is running under the self-adapting plug-in service by obtaining an indicator from an installer program that installed the self-adapting plug-in service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the installer program detects which of the platforms is running by examining a file system of the platform that is running.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising defining the platform-specific access in a platform-specific API corresponding to the platform that is running.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein translating comprises translating the platform access into a call specified in the platform-specific API.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein translating further comprising extracting from a data structure specified in platform access a set of arguments for the call.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein translating comprises translating the platform access using a set of semantic rules corresponding to the platform that is running.

13. A computer-readable storage medium that contains code that when executed provides a self-adapting plug-in service by generating a platform access and determining which of the platforms is running under the self-adapting plug-in service and then translating the platform access into a platform-specific access for the platform that is running wherein determining which of the platforms is running comprises obtaining an indicator from an installer program that installed the self-adapting plug-in service.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the installer program detects which of the platforms is running by examining a file system of the platform that is running.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the platform-specific access is defined in a platform-specific API corresponding to the platform that is running.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein translating comprises translating the platform access into a call specified in the platform-specific API.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein translating further comprising extracting from a data structure specified in the platform access a set of arguments for the call.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein translating comprises translating the platform access using a set of semantic rules corresponding to the platform that is running.