Methods and apparatus for allowing user configuration of dynamic endpoint generators and dynamic remote object discovery and brokerage

• US 9,729,394 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintex USA LLC (The Nintex Group Pty Limited)
• Original Assignee: SourceCode Technology Holdings, Inc. (Nintex Global Ltd.)
• Inventors: Cowan, Jr., Richard Grimes, du Preez, Jacobus, Petro, Anthony Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Application Number:
  US14/461,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20140359088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 709220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]

Abstract

A method for allowing user configuration of an endpoint for consuming a business object includes: loading a definition of the business object, the definition having properties and methods; mapping the definition to endpoint-supported protocols; and allowing user configuration of the endpoint based upon at least one of: (i) services configuration, (ii) protocol configuration, or (iii) managed configuration.

Claims

1. A method for allowing user configuration of an endpoint for consuming a business object, the method comprising:

loading, in a processor, a definition of the business object, the definition of the business object, which is included within a file, specifying at least one of a property and a method related to a data source that is used by the business object to access data from the data source;

mapping, via the processor, the definition to endpoint-supported protocols;

allowing, via the processor, user configuration of the endpoint at a plurality of different levels by receiving, from a user over a network connection to the processor, configuration settings related to endpoint generation for the business object, the configuration settings including at least one of (i) an indication whether the endpoint is enabled for the business object, (ii) an indication the business object is excluded from having endpoints, and (iii) an indication whether the endpoint is isolated;

determining, via the processor, whether the endpoint is to be generated based on at least one of the configuration settings; and

responsive to determining the endpoint is to be generated, generating, via the processor, the endpoint for the business object,

wherein the plurality of different levels includes a services level, a protocol level, and a managed level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration settings include a services configuration that includes user configuration of at least one of:

(i) whether services are enabled to run, or (ii) whether the endpoint should be generated in response to the creation of the business object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the configuration settings include a protocol configuration that includes user configuration of overriding the services configuration and specifying an endpoint address per endpoint type.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the endpoint type includes (i) Windows Communication Foundation (“

WCF”

), (ii) representational state transfer (“

REST”

), or (iii) WCF and REST.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the configuration settings include a managed configuration that includes user configuration of at least one of:

(i) whether a static endpoint is generated for the business object, (ii) whether a static endpoint is generated for a category of business objects, and (iii) whether the endpoint is isolated.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication as to whether the endpoint is isolated includes a specification of at least one of:

(i) memory isolation, (ii) address isolation and (iii) security binding isolation.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the managed configuration includes user configuration of overriding the protocol configuration and includes user configuration of whether a server rebuilds some or all the endpoints on the server.

8. The method of claim 7, further including allowing user configuration of whether information about the server rebuilding some or all the endpoints on the server is published.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the property related to the data source specifies the data to be accessed from the data source, and the method related to the data source specifies an action that is performed on the data from the data source.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for allowing user configuration an endpoint for consuming a business object, the instructions causing a computing device to:

load a definition of the business object, the definition specifying at least one of a property and a method related to a data source that is used by the business object to access data;

map the definition to endpoint-supported protocols;

allow user configuration of the endpoint at a plurality of different possible levels by receiving, from a user over a network connection, configuration settings related to endpoint generation for the business object, the configuration settings including at least one of (i) an indication whether the endpoint is enabled for the business object, (ii) an indication the business object is excluded from having endpoints, and (iii) an indication whether the endpoint is isolated;

determine the endpoint is to be generated based on at least one of the configuration settings; and

generate the endpoint for the business object after determining the endpoint is to be generated,

wherein the plurality of different possible levels includes a services level, a protocol level, and a managed level.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the configuration settings include a services configuration that includes user configuration of at least one of:

(i) whether services are enabled to run, or (ii) whether the endpoint should be generated in response to the creation of the business object.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the configuration settings include a protocol configuration that includes user configuration of overriding the services configuration and specifying an endpoint address per endpoint type.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the endpoint type includes (i) Windows Communication Foundation (“

WCF”

), (ii) representational state transfer (“

REST”

), or (iii) WCF and REST.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the configuration settings include a managed configuration that includes user configuration of at least one of:

(i) whether a static endpoint is generated for the business object, (ii) whether a static endpoint is generated for a category of business objects, and (iii) whether the endpoint is isolated.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, which includes allowing user configuration of whether the endpoint is isolated via one of:

(i) memory isolation, (ii) address isolation, and (iii) security binding isolation.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the managed configuration includes user configuration of overriding the protocol configuration and includes user configuration of whether a server rebuilds some or all the endpoints on the server.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, which includes allowing user configuration of whether information about the server rebuilding some or all the endpoints on the server is published.

17. A system for allowing user configuration of an endpoint for consuming a business object, the system including a processor structured to cause the system to:

load a definition of the business object, the definition having properties and methods related to at least one data source that is used by the business object;

map the definition to endpoint-supported protocols;

allow user configuration of the endpoint at different levels by receiving, from a user over a network connection, a configuration setting related to endpoint generation for the business object, the configuration settings including at least one of (i) an indication whether the endpoint is enabled for the business object, (ii) an indication the business object is excluded from having endpoints, and (iii) an indication whether the endpoint is isolated;

determine whether the endpoint is to be generated based on the configuration setting; and

responsive to determining the endpoint is to be generated, generate the endpoint for the business object,

wherein the different levels include a services level, a protocol level, and a managed level.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the configuration settings include a services configuration that includes user configuration of at least one of:

(i) whether services are enabled to run, or (ii) whether the endpoint should be generated in response to the creation of the business object.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the configuration settings include a protocol configuration that includes user configuration of overriding the services configuration and specifying an endpoint address per endpoint type.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the endpoint type includes (i) Windows Communication Foundation (“

WCF”

), (ii) representational state transfer (“

REST”

), or (iii) WCF and REST.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the configuration settings include a managed configuration that includes user configuration of at least one of:

(i) whether a static endpoint is generated for the business object, (ii) whether a static endpoint is generated for a category of business objects, and (iii) whether the endpoint is isolated.

22. The system of claim 21, which includes allowing user configuration of whether the endpoint is isolated via one of:

(i) memory isolation, (ii) address isolation, and (iii) security binding isolation.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the managed configuration includes overriding the protocol configuration and includes user configuration of whether a server rebuilds some or all the endpoints on the server.

24. The system of claim 23, which includes allowing user configuration of whether information about the server rebuilding some or all the endpoints on the server is published.