System and method for communications in a distributed computing environment
First Claim
1. A system for communication in a distributed computing environment, comprising:
- a client system having a client application;
a server system having a server object;
a network connecting the client system to the server system;
a client-side object request broker, embodied on a computer memory, executing on the client system and operable to provide client-side communication support for communications between the client application and the server object, the client-side object request broker divided into a plurality of communication layers including an application layer, a proxy layer, a reference layer, and an object layer, the reference layer operable to remove communication protocol details for accessing the server object from the proxy layer and place into the proxy layer a link to a reference object configured to manage the communication protocol details, the reference layer shielding the other layers from communication messaging protocol details used to communicate with the server object;
a server-side object request broker, embodied on the computer memory, executing on the server system and operable to provide server-side communication support for communications between the client application and the server object, the server-side object request broker having a different communication messaging protocol than the client-side object request broker.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for communications in a distributed computing environment is provided that includes an application layer (132), a proxy layer (134), a reference layer (136), and an object layer (138). The application layer (132) provides communications between an application (108) and an operating entity. The proxy layer (134) provides communications between the application (108) and a remote proxy (154). The remote proxy (154) is a local representative for a requested object (110) residing in an address space different from an address space in which the application (108) resides. The reference layer (136) provides communications between the remote proxy (154) and the requested object (110). The reference layer (136) includes communication protocol details to support transmission of messages across a network (106) linking the remote proxy (154) and the requested object (110). The object layer (138) includes the requested object (110). The object layer (138) maintains the separation of communication protocol details within the reference layer (136).
123 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for communication in a distributed computing environment, comprising:
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a client system having a client application; a server system having a server object; a network connecting the client system to the server system; a client-side object request broker, embodied on a computer memory, executing on the client system and operable to provide client-side communication support for communications between the client application and the server object, the client-side object request broker divided into a plurality of communication layers including an application layer, a proxy layer, a reference layer, and an object layer, the reference layer operable to remove communication protocol details for accessing the server object from the proxy layer and place into the proxy layer a link to a reference object configured to manage the communication protocol details, the reference layer shielding the other layers from communication messaging protocol details used to communicate with the server object; a server-side object request broker, embodied on the computer memory, executing on the server system and operable to provide server-side communication support for communications between the client application and the server object, the server-side object request broker having a different communication messaging protocol than the client-side object request broker. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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2. A distributed communications system, comprising:
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an application layer, embodied on a computer memory, on a client system for executing applications and applets and for interacting with one or more users or operating entities, the application layer providing communications between applications or applets and users or other operating entities; a proxy layer, embodied on the computer memory, on the client system for providing communications between the application or applet and a remote proxy, the remote proxy residing in the client system and representing a server object in a server system; a reference layer, embodied on the computer memory, for providing communication messaging protocol specific links with server objects existing on other computers, the reference layer providing communications between the proxy layer and an object layer, the reference layer operable to remove communication protocol details for accessing server objects from the proxy layer, wherein the application layer and the proxy layer are not aware of communication details in the reference layer, the reference layer including a client-side object request broker executing on the client system and a server-side object request broker executing on the server system, the client-side object request broker having a different communication messaging protocol than the server-side object request broker; and anthe object layer, embodied on the computer memory, for providing communications between the server object and the reference layer.
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3. A method for communications in a distributed computing environment, comprising;
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requesting a method invocation on a server object residing on a second computer from an application in an application layer residing on a first computer, the first computer and the second computer each including an object request broker having different communication messaging protocols; generating a remote proxy on the first computer; removing communication messaging protocol details for accessing the server object from the remote proxy; placing the communication messaging protocol details into the a reference object; forwarding the method invocation to the remote proxy in a proxy layer, the remote proxy locally representing the server object; forwarding the method invocation to a reference layer where a the reference object encodes the method invocation into a communication messaging protocol used for communications with the server object, wherein the application and the remote proxy are not aware of the communication messaging protocol the reference layer; transmitting the encoded method invocation through the reference layer where a second reference object residing on the server object'"'"'s computer decodes the method invocation into a format recognizable by the server object; forwarding the decoded method invocation to the server object in an object layer; and invoking an associated method on the server object. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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5. A system for communications in a distributed computing environment, comprising:
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an application layer, embodied on a computer memory, for providing communications between an application and an operating entity; a proxy layer for providing communications between the application in the application layer and a remote proxy in the proxy layer, the remote proxy being generated for locally representing a requested object for interactions with the application, the requested object residing in an address space different from an address space of the application; a reference layer, embodied on the computer memory, for providing communications between the remote proxy and the requested object, the reference layer including a reference object having communication protocol details to support transmission of messages across a network linking the remote proxy and the requested object, the reference layer operable to remove the communication protocol details placed into the remote proxy for accessing the requested object and insert into the remote proxy a link to the reference object, wherein the application layer and the proxy layer are not aware of the communication protocol details in the reference layer, wherein the reference layer includes a client-side object request broker executing on a client system and a server-side object request broker executing on a server system and a network connecting the client system to the server system, the client-side object request broker and the server-side object request broker having non-compatible communication messaging protocols; an object layer, embodied on the computer memory, including the requested object, the object layer providing a separation of communication messaging protocol details in the reference layer.
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14. A computer-implemented method for communications in a distributed computing environment, comprising:
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requesting a method invocation for a method of a server object on a server computer at a server system by an application on a client computer at a client system, the server system including a server-side object request broker having a different communication messaging protocol than a client-side object request broker on the client system; generating a remote proxy on the client system to locally represent the server object; forwarding the method invocation to the remote proxy on the client system; forwarding the method invocation to a first reference object from the remote proxy, the first reference object residing on the client system; removing communication messaging protocol details for accessing the server object from the remote proxy; placing the communication messaging protocol details into the first reference object; encoding the method invocation into a communication messaging protocol used for communications with the server object, the communication messaging protocol being identified by the first reference object, wherein the application and the remote proxy are not aware of the communication messaging protocol in the first reference object; transmitting the encoded method invocation across a network; receiving the encoded method invocation in a second reference object on the server system; decoding the encoded method invocation into a format recognizable by the server system; forwarding the decoded method invocation to the server object; invoking the method on the server object. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A client system comprising:
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a client application, embodied on a computer memory, that is executable by the client system in an application layer; and a client-side object request broker, embodied on the computer memory, that is operable to support communications between the client application and a server object via a network, the client-side object request broker having a plurality of communication layers including a proxy layer and a reference layer, the reference layer operable to remove communication protocol details for accessing the server object from the proxy layer and insert into the proxy layer a link to a reference object configured to manage the communication protocol details such that the application layer and the proxy layer are not aware of the communication protocol details used to communicate with the server object, wherein the client-side object request broker uses a different communication protocol than a server-side object request broker that supports the server object. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A server comprising a server-side object request broker that:
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is embodied on a computer memory; resides in a different address space from a client system having client-side object request broker; and is operable to provide access to a server object requested by the client-side object request broker to the client-side object request broker, the client-side object request broker configured to remove communication protocol details for accessing the server object from a proxy layer at the client system and replace the communication protocol details with a link to a reference layer at the client system to cause a client application and a remote proxy at the client system to be unaware that the server object was obtained from the different address space. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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Specification