System and method for distributing assets to multi-tiered network nodes

• US 8,666,933 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Op40 Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Op40 Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Pizzorni, Paolo R., Pace, Charles P., DeForest, Darin S., Chen, Shuang
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Black, Linh
• Application Number:
  US13/688,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 707/602, 707/724, 707/737, 707/758, 726/18, 340/5.8, 705/44
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Provided are methods and systems for distributing an asset to a multi-tiered network node. A pending notice is received from a distribution server. If the notice indicates that at least one asset is pending, i.e., awaiting deployment, an asset descriptor manifest is received from the distribution server. The asset descriptor manifest, which is stored in a memory on a node, identifies at least one asset to be deployed to the node and includes an offset associated with the asset identifier. A fragment, associated with the asset, is received and stored in the memory. The offset associated with the asset is marked with the end of the fragment and a second fragment, beginning at the offset, is received. Additional fragments are received, and the offset updated, until the entire asset is deployed to the node. Alternately, the entire asset or multiple assets are received in the first fragment.

Claims

1. A method for distributing assets to multi-tiered network nodes, comprising:

sending an asset deployment query including a target identifier from a target node via a client deployment process to a component distribution server/asset distribution server;

searching an asset deployment queue for the target identifier;

indicating, to the target node, whether the target identifier was found in the deployment queue;

sending a request for an asset descriptor manifest via a client deployment agent comprising the client deployment process from the target node to the component distribution server/asset distribution server;

identifying at least one asset that needs to be distributed to the target node;

creating an asset manifest entry associated with each asset that needs to be distributed to the target node;

assembling the asset descriptor manifest from at least one asset manifest entry;

sending the asset descriptor manifest from the component distribution server/asset distribution server to the target node;

determining at least one asset associated with at least one asset manifest entry, said asset having an asset type and at least two asset layers, a first asset layer being a logic/data layer and a second asset layer being an extended environment layer, the logic/data layer having information that includes a function of the pending asset and the extended environment layer being a subset of the EIS and having portions of the EIS system necessary to support the respective logic data layer;

sending a request for the asset from the target node to the component distribution server/asset distribution server;

creating a package comprising the asset; and

sending the package from the component distribution server/asset distribution server to the target node, said component distribution server/asset distribution server comprising;

a package specification process that receives the package which is subparts of at least one application program from at least one enterprise information system (EIS);

a process adapter process that translates at least one of the asset layers so that the asset performs the asset function on a target base environment of the target node; and

a target process that changes the at least one layers of the pending asset to provide specific information for the target node, whereby a transformed asset is an asset that is translated by the process adapter process and changed by the target process.

2. A non-transitory computer memory storage device that stores a computer program with instructions for distributing an asset to a multi-tiered network node, the instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to perform the steps of the method of claim 1.

3. A method for distributing an asset to multi-tiered network node, comprising:

querying an asset deployment queue for an instance of a target identifier;

requesting an asset descriptor manifest via a client deployment agent comprising a client deployment process over a component distribution server/asset distribution server system;

receiving the asset descriptor manifest, the asset descriptor manifest including at least one asset manifest entry associated with the asset;

determining the asset associated with the asset manifest entry;

requesting the asset from the component distribution server/asset distribution server system, said asset having an asset type and at least two asset layers, a first asset layer being a logic/data layer and a second asset layer being an extended environment layer, the logic/data layer having information that includes a function of the pending asset and the extended environment layer being a subset of the EIS and having portions of the EIS system necessary to support the respective logic data layer;

receiving a package comprising the requested asset from the component distribution server/asset distribution server system comprising;

a package specification process that receives at least one package which is subparts of at least one application program from at least one enterprise information system (EIS), the at least one package having at least one asset, each asset having an asset type and at least two asset layers, a first asset layer being a logic/data layer and a second asset layer being an extended environment layer, the logic/data layer having information that includes a function of the pending asset and the extended environment layer being a subset of the EIS and having portions of the EIS system necessary to support the respective logic data layer;

a process adapter process that translates at least one of the asset layers so that the asset performs the asset function on a target base environment of the target node; and

a target process that changes the at least one layers of the pending asset to provide specific information for the target node, whereby a transformed asset is an asset that is translated by the process adapter process and changed by the target process.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the asset manifest entry includes one or more of an asset identifier and an offset, an asset type, a cache name, or a timestamp.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the data structure includes a complete instance of the asset or includes a first fragment associated with the asset.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

requesting a second fragment associated with the asset;

receiving a data structure including the second fragment; and

requesting a next fragment associated with the asset until a complete instance of the asset is received.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the asset descriptor manifest includes a plurality of asset manifest entries and the data structure includes a plurality of assets corresponding to a plurality of asset manifest entries.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing one or a plurality of assets;

selecting a deploy asset adapter associated with each of the asset(s); and

deploying each of the asset (s).

9. A non-transitory computer memory storage device that stores a computer program with instructions for distributing an asset to a multi-tiered network node, the instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to perform the steps of the method of claim 3.

10. A method for distributing an asset to multi-tiered network node, comprising:

over a component distribution server/asset distribution server system comprising a package specification process that receives at least one package which is subparts of at least one application program from at least one enterprise information system (EIS), the at least one package having at least one asset, each asset having an asset type and at least two asset layers, a first asset layer being a logic/data layer and a second asset layer being an extended environment layer, the logic/data layer having information that includes a function of the pending asset and the extended environment layer being a subset of the EIS and having portions of the EIS system necessary to support the respective logic data layer;

a process adapter process that translates at least one of the asset layers so that the asset performs the asset function on a target base environment of the target node; and

a target process that changes the at least one layers of the pending asset to provide specific information for the target node, whereby a transformed asset is an asset that is translated by the process adapter process and changed by the target process;

servicing an asset deployment query from a target node via a client deployment agent comprising a client deployment process comprising component distribution server/asset distribution server system;

receiving a request for an asset descriptor manifest from the target node;

identifying at least one asset that needs to be distributed to the target node;

creating an asset manifest entry associated with each asset that needs to be distributed to the target node;

assembling the asset descriptor manifest from at least one asset manifest entry;

sending the asset descriptor manifest to the target node;

receiving a request for at least one asset from the target node;

creating a package associated with the asset; and

sending the package to the target node.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the asset manifest entry includes one or more of an asset identifier and an offset, an asset type, a cache name, or a timestamp.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the package includes a complete instance of the asset or includes a first fragment of the asset.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a request for a second fragment of the asset;

sending a package including the second fragment of the asset; and

receiving a request for a next fragment until a complete instance of the asset is sent.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the asset descriptor manifest includes a plurality of asset manifest entries and the package includes a plurality of assets corresponding to a plurality of asset manifest entries.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said servicing includes:

receiving a target identifier associated with the target node;

searching a deployment queue for the target identifier; and

indicating, to the target node, whether the target identifier was found in the deployment queue.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said identifying includes:

receiving a target identifier associated with the target node;

creating a plurality of relational database views;

performing selections on a set of network database tables using the plurality of relational database views and the target identifier;

extracting at least one asset identifier associated with at least one asset that needs to be distributed to the target node.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein said creating a package includes:

identifying an asset manifest entry associated with the asset;

extracting a cache name and an offset from the asset manifest entry;

retrieving the asset from an archive associated with the cache name;

determining whether the asset is larger than a predetermined threshold;

dividing the digital asset into a plurality of fragments, each fragment being smaller than the predetermined threshold;

inserting a first fragment into the package; and

updating the offset to correspond to a boundary of the first fragment.

18. A non-transitory computer memory storage device that stores a computer program with instructions for distributing an asset to a multi-tiered network node, the instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to perform the steps of the method of claim 10.