System comprising a proxy server including a rules engine, a remote application server, and an aspect server for executing aspect services remotely

• US 8,103,607 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Schneider, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US12/129,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20090299938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12, 706 45- 48, 706/62, 717/100, 717115-117, 717/120, 717174-178
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data

Abstract

A service request is received from a client, the service request being directed to a web application, wherein a core concern of the web application is configured to perform a core operation upon receiving the service request. The service request is compared to a plurality of rules by a rules engine. If the service request satisfies a criterion specified in a first rule, an aspect service identified in the rule is initiated, wherein the aspect service performs an additional operation before or after the core operation is performed, and wherein the additional operation adds functionality to the core concern.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a first machine hosting a proxy server that includes a rules engine, a service request from a client, the service request being directed to a web application executing on an application server hosted by a remote second machine, wherein a core concern of the web application is configured to perform a core operation upon receiving the service request;

analyzing the service request by the first machine using the rules engine to determine whether the service request satisfies criteria specified in any rules of a plurality of rules; and

if the service request satisfies a criterion specified in a first rule, initiating an aspect service identified in the first rule, wherein the aspect service executes remotely from the web application on an aspect server hosted by at least one of the first machine or a third machine that is remote from the second machine, wherein the aspect service performs an additional operation before or after the core operation is performed, and wherein the additional operation adds functionality to the core concern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rules engine is a pattern matching rules engine that determines whether the service request matches any patterns identified in the plurality of rules.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the service request does not satisfy any of the criteria specified in the plurality of rules, forwarding the service request to the web application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the service request satisfies a criterion specified in a second rule, forwarding the service request to the web application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the aspect service includes forwarding the service request to the aspect server, and receiving a response from the aspect server after the aspect service has performed the additional operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the rules or the aspect services are scripted.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a new rule that is associated with a new aspect service, wherein the service request satisfies a criterion specified in the new rule; and

initiating the new aspect service identified in the new rule, wherein the new aspect service was added to the aspect server after the web application was compiled.

8. A system comprising:

a data store that includes a plurality of rules; and

a first computing device hosting a proxy server that includes a rules engine, connected to the data store, configured to;

receive a service request from a client, the service request being directed to a web application that executes on an application server hosted by a second remote computing device, wherein a core concern of the web application is configured to perform a core operation upon receiving the service request,

analyze the service request using the rules engine to determine whether the service request satisfies criteria specified in any of the plurality of rules, and

initiate an aspect service identified in a first rule if the service request satisfies a criterion specified in the first rule, wherein the aspect service executes remotely from the web application on an aspect server hosted by at least one of the first computing device or a third computing device that is remote from the second computing device, wherein the aspect service performs an additional operation before or after the core operation is performed, and wherein the additional operation adds functionality to the core concern.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

the second computing device that hosts the web application server, networked with the first computing device; and

the third computing device that hosts the aspect server, networked with the first computing device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the rules engine is a pattern matching rules engine that determines whether the service request matches any patterns identified in the plurality of rules.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

the rules engine to forward the service request to the web application if the service request does not satisfy any of the criteria specified in the plurality of rules.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

the rules engine to forward the service request to the web application if the service request satisfies a criterion specified in a second rule.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein initiating the aspect service includes forwarding the service request to the aspect server and receiving a response from the aspect server after the aspect service has performed the additional operation.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the rules or the aspect services are scripted.

15. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

the data store to receive a new rule that is associated with a new aspect service, wherein the service request satisfies a criterion specified in the new rule; and

the rules engine to initiate the new aspect service identified in the new rule, wherein the new aspect service was added to the aspect server after the web application was compiled.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a first computing device, cause the first computing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving, by a first machine hosting a proxy server that includes a rules engine, a service request from a client, the service request being directed to a web application executing on an application server hosted by a remote second machine, wherein a core concern of the web application is configured to perform a core operation upon receiving the service request;

analyzing the service request by the first machine using the rules engine to determine whether the service request satisfies criteria specified in any rules of a plurality of rules by; and

if the service request satisfies a criterion specified in a first rule, initiating an aspect service identified in the first rule, wherein the aspect service executes remotely from the web application on an aspect server hosted by at least one of the first machine or a third machine that is remote from the second machine, wherein the aspect service performs an additional operation before or after the core operation is performed, and wherein the additional operation adds functionality to the core concern.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the rules engine is a pattern matching rules engine that determines whether the service request matches any patterns identified in the plurality of rules.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, the method further comprising:

if the service request does not satisfy any of the criteria specified in the plurality of rules, forwarding the service request to the web application.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, the method further comprising:

if the service request satisfies a criterion specified in a second rule, forwarding the service request to the web application.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein initiating the aspect service includes forwarding the service request to the aspect server and receiving a response from the aspect server after the aspect service has performed the additional operation.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of the rules or the aspect services are scripted.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, the method further comprising:

receiving a new rule that is associated with a new aspect service, wherein the service request satisfies a criterion specified in the new rule; and

initiating the new aspect service identified in the new rule, wherein the new aspect service was added to the aspect server after the web application was compiled.