APPLICATION COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20010039565A1
• Filed: 06/29/1998
• Published: 11/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: GUPTA, ABHAY K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,446,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/541 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• 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 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

One or more embodiments of the invention comprise a computing environment that offers a level of decentralization wherein application server code resident on a remote application server can be distributed to a local server. The local server becomes a local application server for a client. A request for information by a client is serviced by the local application server. If the information is available on the local application server, the local application server satisfies the request using this information. If the information is not available locally, the local application server can access the remote application server to obtain the requested information. When the information is copied to the local application server, the local application server retains a copy of the information and forwards a copy to the client. Thus, subsequent requests can be satisfied without accessing the remote application server. Where the information cannot be transferred to the local application server, the local application server can establish a proxy to the remote application server that forwards a client request to the remote application server and a response from the remote application server to the client. The client communicates with the remote application server via the proxy on the local application server and is unaware of the remote application server. During a login process, the client establishes its identity which can be used for multiple applications and information requests. The local server generates a credential for the client that can be used to authorize access to any application server and/or service needed by the client.

Claims

1. A multi-tiered network computing environment comprising:

a first server tier comprising at least one application server, said application server including application software programs and services;

a second server tier comprising at least one server configured to maintain a cache of application software received from said application server;

a client tier comprising at least one client coupled to said second server tier.

2. The computing environment of

claim 1

wherein said server of said second server tier further comprises a login service configured to accept login information from said client and verification of said client.

3. The computing environment of

claim 2

wherein said login service is configured to generate a credential for use by said client to access multiple applications and services.

4. The computing environment of

claim 1

wherein said server of said second server tier is configured to acquire a proxy service, said proxy service configured to forward network messages between said client and a service executing on said first server.

5. The computing environment of

claim 1

wherein said server of said second server tier is configured to acquire a service from said first server tier in response to a request for said service.

6. The computing environment of

claim 1

wherein said server of said second server tier further comprises an application locator configured to identify a location of application software using a name of said application software specified in said request.

7. The computing environment of

claim 1

wherein said server of said second server tier further comprises a service locator configured to identify a location of a service using a name of said service specified in said request.

8. The computing environment of

claim 1

further comprising a database tier having at least one database server configured to process requests for stored data.

9. A method of computing in a networked environment comprising:

receiving at a local server tier a request from a client tier;

a server on said local server tier determining whether said request can be satisfied using cached software resident on said server;

performing the following if said request cannot be satisfied by said cached software;

consulting a repository to determine the location of software to satisfy said request; and

acquiring said software from an application server located in an application tier to said server from said location.

10. The method of

claim 9

further comprising:

a client in said client tier logging into said server;

said server maintaining information for said client that can be used by said client to gain access to multiple applications.

11. The method of

claim 10

further comprising the steps of:

generating a credential from said information about said client, said credential including a signature for said local server;

submitting said credential to said application server; and

said application server verifying said client by verifying said signature of said local server and said credential of said client.

12. The method of

claim 9

wherein said request is for application software, said method further comprising the step of forwarding said software to said client.

13. The method of

claim 9

wherein said request is for a service, said service is a servlet written in the Java programming language.

14. The method of

claim 9

wherein said request is for application software, said application software is written in the Java programming language.

15. The method of

claim 9

wherein said request is for a service, said step of acquiring further comprises the steps of:

determining whether said service can be copied to said server;

acquiring a proxy to said service onto said server when said service cannot be copied to said server; and

transmitting a handle to said proxy to said client.

16. The method of

claim 9

wherein said request is for a service, said step of acquiring further comprises the steps of:

determining whether said service can be copied to said server;

copying said service onto said server when said service can be copied to said server; and

transmitting a handle to said service to said client.

17. The method of

claim 9

further comprising the step of:

said server maintaining a most recent version of said cached software on said server.

18. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for computing in a networked environment comprising;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to receive at a local server tier a request from a client tier;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to determine by a server on said local server tier whether said request can be satisfied using cached software resident on said server;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to execute the following if said request cannot be satisfied by said cached software;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to consult a repository to determine the location of software to satisfy said request; and

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to acquire said software from an application server located in an application tier to said server from said location.

19. The computer program product of

claim 18

further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to login into said server as a client of said server;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to maintain information by a server for said client that can be used by said client to gain access to multiple applications.

20. The computer program product of

claim 19

further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to generate a credential from said information about said client, said credential including a signature for said local server;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to submit said credential to said application server; and

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to verify said client using said signature of said local server and said credential of said client.

21. The computer program product of

claim 18

wherein said request is for a service, said computer readable code configured to cause a computer to acquire further comprises:

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to determine whether said service can be copied to said server;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to obtain a proxy to said service onto said server when said service cannot be copied to said server; and

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to acquire said service onto said server when said service can be copied to said server.

22. A configurable server comprising:

a processor;

an application locator coupled to said processor configured to locate a plurality of application code in response to a request for application code that is not resident on said server;

a service locator coupled to said processor configured to locate a plurality of services in response to a request for a service which is not resident on said server;

a download service coupled to said processor configured to acquire said plurality of application code located by said application locator and said plurality of services located by said service locator.

23. The server of

claim 22

wherein said download service is configured to acquire a proxy in place of said service.

24. The server of

claim 22

wherein said application locator is configured to locate said plurality of application code using a name specified in said request for application code.

25. The server of

claim 22

wherein said service locator is configured to locate a said plurality of services using a name specified in said request for a service.