System and method for consolidating middleware functionality

• US 8,291,437 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gathman, Jonathan Chester, Bertrand, William Scott, Gulledge, Robert William, Ramesh, Bhanu
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Lechi
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAO, TUAN C.
• Application Number:
  US12/895,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20110023053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

A method and server manage a consolidation of multiple middleware threads, by identifying types of a plurality of middleware, selecting a main middleware from the plurality of middleware, and initializing the main middleware as a main middleware thread. The managing also includes identifying other middleware from the plurality of middleware, based on a consolidated middleware functionality, and selecting slave middleware from the identified other middleware. The managing further includes initializing the slave middleware as slave middleware threads by the main middleware thread, such that each initialized slave middleware thread functions independently of the main middleware thread.

Claims

1. A method for managing a consolidation of multiple middleware threads, comprising:

identifying types of a plurality of middleware;

selecting a main middleware from the plurality of middleware;

initializing, by a server, the main middleware as a main middleware thread;

identifying, by the server, other middleware from the plurality of middleware, based on a consolidated middleware functionality;

selecting, by the server, slave middleware, different from the main middleware thread, from the identified other middleware, wherein at least one selected slave middleware is of a different type of middleware than the main middleware, and the main middleware and the slave middleware share a common metadata definition, such that business logic for the main middleware and each of the slave middleware is the same; and

initializing the slave middleware as slave middleware threads by the main middleware thread,

wherein each initialized slave middleware thread functions independently of the main middleware thread, and

wherein the all necessary configurations for the main middleware and the slave middleware are stored in a single configuration file in a storage at the server, the single configuration file comprising information regarding middleware registrations for the main middleware and the slave middleware.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing the business logic to the main middleware and the slave middleware.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

assuming control, by the main middleware thread, of each functioning slave middleware thread, and shutting down each functioning slave middleware thread by the main middleware thread.

4. The method according to claim 3,

wherein the main middleware thread shuts down after each functioning slave middleware thread is shut down.

5. The method according to claim 4,

wherein identified errors in shutting down each functioning slave middleware thread are managed before the main middleware thread is shut down.

6. The method according to claim 4,

wherein the selected slave middleware are initialized sequentially.

7. The method according to claim 4,

wherein the selected slave middleware are initialized at the same time.

8. The method according to claim 4,

wherein the slave middleware have different formats, including a text-based format and a binary-based format.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a computer-executable program for managing a consolidation of multiple middleware threads, comprising:

a middleware identification segment for identifying types of a plurality of middleware;

a main middleware selecting segment for selecting a main middleware from the plurality of middleware;

a main middleware initializing segment for initializing the main middleware as a main middleware thread;

an other middleware identifying segment for identifying other middleware from the plurality of middleware, based on a consolidated middleware functionality;

a slave middleware selecting segment for selecting slave middleware, different from the main middleware thread, from the identified other middleware, wherein at least one selected slave middleware is of a different type of middleware than the main middleware, and the main middleware and the slave middleware share a common metadata definition, such that business logic for the main middleware and each of the slave middleware is the same;

and a slave middleware initializing segment for initializing the slave middleware as slave middleware threads by the main middleware thread,

wherein each initialized slave middleware thread functions independently of the main middleware thread, and

wherein all necessary configurations for the main middleware and the slave middleware are stored in a single configuration file in a storage at the server, the single configuration file comprising information regarding middleware registrations for the main middleware and the slave middleware.

10. The medium according to claim 9, further comprising:

a providing segment for providing the business logic to the main middleware and the slave middleware.

11. The medium according to claim 10, further comprising:

a control segment for assuming control, by the main middleware thread, of each functioning slave middleware thread, and shutting down each functioning slave middleware thread by the main middleware thread.

12. The medium according to claim 11,

wherein the main middleware thread shuts down after each functioning slave middleware thread is shut down.

13. The medium according to claim 12,

wherein the slave middleware have different formats, including a text-based format and a binary-based format.

14. A server for managing a consolidation of multiple middleware threads, comprising:

a receiver for receiving a plurality of middleware;

a processor for identifying types of the plurality of middleware;

a storage for storing the plurality of middleware,

wherein the processor selects a main middleware from the plurality of middleware;

wherein the processor initializes the main middleware as a main middleware thread;

wherein the processor identifies other middleware from the plurality of middleware, based on a consolidated middleware functionality;

wherein the processor selects slave middleware, different from the main middleware thread, from the identified other middleware, and at least one selected slave middleware is of a different type of middleware than the main middleware, and the main middleware and the slave middleware share a common metadata definition, such that business logic for the main middleware and each of the slave middleware is the same;

wherein the processor initializes the slave middleware as slave middleware threads by the main middleware thread, and

wherein each initialized slave middleware thread functions independently of the main middleware thread, and

wherein all necessary configurations for the main middleware and the slave middleware are stored in a single configuration file in the storage, the single configuration file comprising information regarding middleware registrations for the main middleware and the slave middleware; and

a transmitter for communicating with client computers.

15. The server according to claim 14,

wherein the computer processor provides the business logic to the main middleware and the slave middleware.

16. The server according to claim 15,

wherein the main middleware thread assumes control of each functioning slave middleware thread, and shuts down each functioning slave middleware thread by the main middleware thread.

17. The server according to claim 16,

wherein the main middleware thread shuts down after each functioning slave middleware thread is shut down.

18. The server according to claim 17,

wherein the slave middleware have different formats, including a text-based format and a binary-based format.