Smart cache for a server test environment in an application development tool

• US 8,793,663 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Xu, Li, Zhang, Jianjun
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEBERT, THEODORE E
• Application Number:
  US12/982,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20120174078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 717/131
• US Class Current: 717/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0875 with dedicated cache, e.g. instruction or stack

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for a smart cache for server testing in an application development tool. In an embodiment of the invention, method of smart caching of service data during application testing in a development tool for a service invoking application is provided. The method includes loading source code for a computer program into a development tool executing in memory of a computing system. The method further includes executing the source code from the development tool. In this regard, the execution of the source code invokes a service responsive to a directive to invoke the service disposed in the source code. Finally, the method includes invoking the service in a container instance in response to a first invocation of the service from the computer program. However, a data set for the service is located in a cache and returned the data set to the computer program in lieu of invoking the service in the container instance for all other invocations of the service.

Claims

1. A method of smart caching of service data during application testing in a development tool for a service invoking application, the method comprising:

loading source code for a computer program into a development tool executing in memory of a client computing system;

executing the source code from the development tool, the execution of the source code invoking a service responsive to a directive to invoke the service disposed in the source code;

invoking the service in a container instance of a host server coupled to the client computing system over a communications network in response to a first invocation of the service from the computer program and returning a resultant data set for the service to the computer program;

storing the resultant data set in a cache in the host server; and

returning the stored resultant data set to the computer program in lieu of invoking the service in the container instance in response to a second or any subsequent invocation of the service from the computer program;

wherein the resultant data set for the service is stored in the cache in the host server after the first invocation;

persisting the resultant data set for the service in a fixed storage of the host server in response to a shutdown of the development tool; and

,

restoring the resultant data set for the service to memory of the host server upon the development tool being restarted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein invoking the service in the container instance of the host server in response to the first invocation of the service from the computer program and returning the resultant data set for the service to the computer program, further comprises:

determining whether or not a smart cache module has been activated in the container instance;

if the smart cache module has been activated, invoking the service in the container instance in response to the first invocation of the service from the computer program and returning the resultant data set for the service to the computer program; and

,

if the smart cache module has not been activated, invoking the service in the container instance in response to the second or any subsequent invocation of the service from the computer program.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising activating the smart cache module in response to determining that a threshold response time has been exceeded for prior invocations of the service in the container instance.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising deleting all entries in the cache in response to a de-activation of the smart cache module.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising deleting the cache in response to the shutdown of the development tool.

6. A software development data processing system comprising:

a client computing system comprising memory and at least one processor;

a development tool executing in the memory of the client computing system;

a container instance executing in memory of a host server computing system coupled to the client computing system over a communications network;

a service executing in the container instance;

a cache coupled to the container instance for storing a resultant data set for the service after a first invocation of the service; and

,

a smart cache module executing in the memory of the host server computing system, the module comprising program code enable to invoke the service in the container instance in response to the first invocation of the service from a computer program executing from source code loaded in the development tool and return a resultant data set for the service to the computer program;

store the resultant data set in the cache;

return the stored resultant data set to the computer program in lieu of invoking the service in the container instance in response to a second or any subsequent invocation of the service from the computer program;

persist the resultant data set for the service in a fixed storage of the host server computing system in response to a shutdown of the development tool; and

,

restore the resultant data set for the service to the memory of the host server computing system upon the development tool being restarted.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the container instance is an application server.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the source code incorporates asynchronous Javascript and extensible markup language (AJAX) technology.

9. A computer program product for smart caching of service data during application testing in a development tool for a service invoking application, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code for loading source code for a computer program into a development tool executing in memory of a client computing system;

computer readable program code for executing the source code from the development tool, the execution of the source code invoking a service responsive to a directive to invoke the service disposed in the source code;

computer readable program code for invoking the service in a container instance of a host server coupled to the client computing system over a communications network in response to a first invocation of the service from the computer program and returning a resultant data set for the service to the computer program

computer readable program code for storing the resultant data set in a cache in the host server; and

computer readable program code for returning the stored resultant data set to the computer program in lieu of invoking the service in the container instance in response to a second or any subsequent invocation of the service from the computer program;

wherein the resultant data set for the service is stored in the cache in the host server after the first invocation;

computer readable program code for persisting the resultant data set for the service in a fixed storage of the host server in response to a shutdown of the development tool; and

,

computer readable program code restoring the resultant data set for the service to memory of the host server upon the development tool being restarted.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program code for invoking the service in the container instance in response to the first invocation of the service from the computer program and returning the resultant data set for the service to the computer program further comprises:

computer readable program code for determining whether or not a smart cache module has been activated in the container instance;

computer readable program code for, if the smart cache module has been activated, invoking the service in the container instance in response to the first invocation of the service from the computer program and returning the resultant data set for the service; and

,

computer readable program code for, if the smart cache module has not been activated, invoking the service in the container instance in response to the second or any subsequent invocation of the service from the computer program.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising computer readable program code for activating the smart cache module in response to determining that a threshold response time has been exceeded for prior invocations of the service in the container instance.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising computer readable program code for deleting all entries in the cache in response to a de-activation of the smart cache module.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising computer readable program code for deleting the cache in response to the shutdown of the development tool.