Feature set negotiation framework

• US 9,215,150 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2013
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Fischer, Martin, Schmidt, Olaf
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tseng, Leon Y
• Application Number:
  US13/927,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20150006690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/223, 709/226
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager

Abstract

Disclosed in some examples are systems, methods, and machine readable mediums which provide a framework for client discovery of server features. In some examples, the client (e.g., the cloud service) may send a service request that requests data from the server (e.g., data source) processed according to one or more desired features from the server. The response from the data source may include feature indicators, which may indicate whether various features are supported at the data source.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending, from a first server in accordance with a command received by the first server from a computing device, a service request to a second server, the service request including a request for data and including a first set of feature indicators representative of a first set of features according to which the data is to be processed, the first set of features being specific to a user of the first server, the service request being sent to an address specific to the first set of feature indicators, the first set of features causing the second server to perform a modification of the data to generate modified data;

receiving, at the first server, a response to the service request from the second server, the response including modified data processed by the second server according to the first set of features, at least a portion of unmodified data provided by the second server, and a second set of feature indicators, the second set of feature indicators being generated by the second server based on a second set of features supported by the second server and represented by the second set of feature indicators, wherein the first server is configured by a first version of a software and the second server is configured by a second version of the software;

based on the second set of feature indicators in the response, determining from the received response that a feature indicator among the first set of feature indicators is excluded from the second set of feature indicators; and

generating a notification indicative of the service request and the feature indicator determined to be excluded from the second set of feature indicators.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the service request to the second server comprises sending the service request to a Universal Resource Identifier specific to the first set of feature indicators.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein based on determining that the feature indicator is excluded from the second set of features, executing the feature, represented by the feature indicator excluded from the second set of feature indicators, to generate the modified data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of feature indicators are arranged according to a defined structure, the defined structure being a predetermined object structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first server includes a cloud service application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first server stores the second set of feature indicators received from the second server along with a plurality of other feature indicators from respective plurality of other servers.

7. A system comprising:

a computing device comprising one or more computer processors configured to include;

a service module implemented by the one or more processors configured to provide a first server;

an input and output module configured to;

send, from the first server in accordance with a command received by the first server from a computing device, a service request to a second server, the service request including a request for data and including a first set of feature indicators representative of a first set of features according to which the data is to be processed, the first set of features being requested from the second server, the first set of features being specific to a user of the first server, the service request being sent to an address specific to the first set of feature indicators, the first set of features causing the second server to perform a modification of the data to generate modified data;

receive, at the first server, a response from the second server, the response including modified data processed by the second server according to the first set of features, at least a portion of unmodified data provided by the second server, and a second set of feature indicators, the second set of feature indicators being generated by the second server based on a second set of features supported by the second server and represented by a second set of feature indicators, wherein the first server is configured by a first version of a software and the second server is configured by a second version of the software; and

a feature module configured to;

based on the second set of feature indicators in the response, determining from the received response that a feature indicator among the first set of feature indicators is excluded from the second set of feature indicators; and

generate a notification indicative of the service request and the feature indicator determined to be excluded from the second set of feature indicators.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the input and output module is configured to send the service request to the second server by at least sending the service request to a Universal Resource Identifier specific to first set of feature indicators.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the feature module is configured to execute the feature, represented by the feature indicator excluded from the second set of feature indicators, to modify the data requested in the service request, based on determining that the feature indicator is excluded from the second set of features.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the second set of feature indicators are arranged according to a defined structure, the defined structure being a predetermined object structure.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the first server includes a cloud service application.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the feature module is configured to store the second set of feature indicators received from the second server along with a plurality of other feature indicators from respective plurality of other servers.

13. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium that stores instructions which when performed by a machine, cause the machine to execute a network-based application, which causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

sending, from a first server in accordance with a command received by the first server from a computing device, a service request to a second server, the service request including a request for data and including a first set of feature indicators representative of a first set of features according to which the data is to be processed, the first set of features being specific to a user of the first server, the service request being sent to an address specific to the first set of feature indicators, the first set of features causing the second server to perform a modification of the data to generate modified data;

receiving, at the first server, a response from the second server, the response including modified data processed by the second server according to the first set of features, at least a portion of unmodified data provided by the second server, and a second set of feature indicators, the second set of feature indicators being generated by the second server based on a second set of features supported by the second server and represented by a second set of feature indicators, wherein the first server is configured by a first version of a software and the second server is configured by a second version of the software;

based on the second set of feature indicators in the response, determining that a feature indicator among the first set of feature indicators is excluded from the second set of feature indicators; and

generating a notification indicative of the service request and the feature indicator determined to be excluded from the second set of feature indicators.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions for sending the service request to the second server include instructions, when performed by the machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

sending the service request to a Universal Resource Identifier specific to the first set of feature indicators.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions for determining that the feature indicator is excluded from the second set of feature indicators, executing the feature, represented by the feature indicator excluded from the second set of feature indicators, to generate the modified data.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the second set of feature indicators is arranged according to a defined structure, the defined structure being a predetermined object structure.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first server includes a cloud service application.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions comprise instructions, which when performed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

storing the second set of feature indicators received from the second server along with a plurality of other feature indicators from respective plurality of other servers.