Method and a system to dynamically update/reload agent configuration data

• US 7,519,694 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2005
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Arcot, Rajesh Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/210,390
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/221, 709/222, 719/317
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links

Abstract

A method for updating agent configuration data that includes specifying an arbitrary configuration Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for an agent, wherein the arbitrary configuration URL is not associated with a physical web resource, intercepting a modify request to the arbitrary configuration URL by the agent, updating agent configuration data in response to the modify request, and updating an agent module using updated agent configuration data.

Claims

1. A method for updating agent configuration data comprising:

intercepting by an agent, a first request for a web application, wherein the first request comprises an address of the web application;

sending, by the agent, the first request to the web application;

intercepting, by the agent, a second request to modify agent configuration data of the agent, wherein the second request is addressed to an arbitrary configuration Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the agent,

wherein the arbitrary configuration URL is not associated with a physical web resource, and

wherein the arbitrary configuration URL is an address for configuring the agent, and wherein the address for configuring the agent is in the same namespace as the address of the web application;

updating, by the agent, the agent configuration data in response to the second request; and

updating an agent module using updated agent configuration data, wherein the agent module is a component of the agent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing an agent task on the first request, by the agent prior to sending the first request to the web application.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

intercepting a read request to the arbitrary configuration URL from a remote client; and

returning the agent configuration data to the remote client.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent is a plugin.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent is a servlet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent is a filter.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the agent module is performed using hotswap.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying a remote client sending the second request; and

determining whether the remote client is authorized to access the agent configuration data.

9. A system for updating agent configuration data comprising:

an agent configured to;

intercept a first request for a web application from a remote client, wherein the first request comprises an address of the web application;

transfer the first request to the web application;

intercept a second request to modify agent configuration data of the agent wherein the second request is addressed to an arbitrary configuration Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the agent,

wherein the arbitrary configuration URL is not associated with a physical web resource, and

wherein the arbitrary configuration URL is an address for configuring the agent, and wherein the address for configuring the agent is in the same namespace as the address of the web application;

identify the second request as a modify request to the arbitrary configuration URL;

update the agent configuration data in response to the modify request;

update an agent module using updated agent configuration data, wherein the agent module is a component of the agent; and

the web application configured to respond to the remote client when the request is not directed to the arbitrary configuration URL.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the agent is further configured to:

intercept a read request to the arbitrary configuration URL; and

return the agent configuration data to the remote client in response to the read request.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the agent is a plugin.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the agent is a servlet.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the agent is a filter.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein updating the agent module is performed using hotswap.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the agent is further configured to determine whether the remote client is authorized to access agent configuration data.

16. A computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to:

intercepting by an agent, a first request for a web application, wherein the first request comprises an address of the web application;

sending, by the agent, the first request to the web application;

intercepting, by the agent, a second request to modify agent configuration data of the agent,

wherein the second request is addressed to an arbitrary configuration Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the agent,

wherein the arbitrary configuration URL is not associated with a physical web resource, and

wherein the arbitrary configuration URL is an address for configuring the agent, and wherein the address for configuring the agent is in the same namespace as the address of the web application;

update, by the agent, the agent configuration data in response to the second request; and

update an agent module using updated agent configuration data, wherein the agent module is a component of the agent.

17. The computer usable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

intercept a read request to the arbitrary configuration URL from a remote client; and

return the agent configuration data to the remote client.