Interprocess communication mechanism for heterogeneous computer process

• US 20050038871A1
• Filed: 09/23/2004
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dean, Dawson F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,418,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45

Abstract

A first computer process serves remote procedure calls received from an instruction set that executes within a second computer process, and the second computer process executes concurrently and independently of the first computer process. The remote procedure calls are served by the first computer process which: receives a request for a data file from the instruction set where the request is according to a data file retrieval protocol; determines that the request for the data file specifies a function which is defined within the first computer process where the function includes computer instructions that perform a task which is unrelated to both generation and retrieval of any data file specified in the request; and executes the function to execute the computer instructions in response to receipt of the request.

Claims

1. A method for serving remote procedure calls received from an instruction set that executes within a first computer process, the first computer process executing in a computing device that serves the remote procedure calls, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a data file from the instruction set, the request according to a data file retrieval protocol;

determining that the request for the data file specifies a function which is defined within a second computer process executing in the computing device independently of the instruction set and of the first computer process, the function including one or more computer instructions, execution of which performs a task which is unrelated to both generation and retrieval of any data file specified in the request; and

executing the function in the computing device to execute the one or more computer instructions in response to receipt of the request.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining that the request for the data file specifies a function comprises determining that the request includes a data file specification which is in a portion of a name space reserved for function requests.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising returning result data produced by execution of the function to the first computer process.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising generating a document which includes result data produced by execution of the function, and sending the document to the first computer process.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data file retrieval protocol is HTTP.

6. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing device to perform the method of claim 1.

7. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory operatively coupled to the processor; and

a first computer process configured to execute in the processor from the memory, the first computer process further configured to serve remote procedure calls received from an instruction set that executes within a second computer process, the second computer process configured to execute in the processor from the memory concurrently and independently of the first computer process, wherein the first computer process serves the remote procedure calls by;

receiving a request for a data file from the instruction set, the request according to a data file retrieval protocol;

determining that the request for the data file specifies a function which is defined within the first computer process, the function including one or more computer instructions, execution of which performs a task which is unrelated to both generation and retrieval of any data file specified in the request; and

executing the function in the computing device to execute the one or more computer instructions in response to receipt of the request.

8. A computing device as recited in claim 7, wherein determining that the request for the data file specifies a function comprises determining that the request includes a data file specification which is in a portion of a name space reserved for function requests.

9. A computing device as recited in claim 7, wherein the first computer process further serves the remote procedure calls by returning result data produced by execution of the function to the second computer process.

10. A computer device as recited in claim 7, wherein the first computer process further serves the remote procedure calls by generating a document which includes result data produced by execution of the function, and sending the document to the second computer process.

11. A computing device as recited in claim 7, wherein the data file retrieval protocol is HTTP.

12. A computing device, comprising:

a first computer process configured to serve remote procedure calls received from an instruction set;

a second computer process configured to execute the instruction set, the second computer process further configured to execute concurrently and independently of the first computer process;

the remote procedure calls served by the first computer process which is further configured to;

receive a request for a data file from the instruction set, the request according to a data file retrieval protocol;

determine that the request for the data file specifies a function which is defined within the first computer process, the function including one or more computer instructions, execution of which performs a task which is unrelated to both generation and retrieval of any data file specified in the request; and

execute the function to execute the one or more computer instructions in response to receipt of the request.

13. A computing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the first computer process is further configured to determine that the request includes a data file specification which is in a portion of a name space reserved for function requests.

14. A computing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the first computer process is further configured to return result data produced by execution of the function to the second computer process.

15. A computing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the first computer process is further configured to generate a document which includes result data produced by execution of the function, and send the document to the first computer process.

16. A computing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the first computer process is further configured to receive the request as an HTTP data file retrieval protocol.

17. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing device to:

execute a first computer process;

execute an instruction set within the first computer process;

receive a request for a data file from the instruction set to serve a remote procedure call, the request according to a data file retrieval protocol;

determine that the request for the data file specifies a function which is defined within a second computer process executing in the computing device independently of the instruction set and of the first computer process, the function including one or more computer instructions, execution of which performs a task which is unrelated to both generation and retrieval of any data file specified in the request; and

execute the function to execute the one or more computer instructions in response to receipt of the request.

18. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 17, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing device to determine that the request includes a data file specification which is in a portion of a name space reserved for function requests.

19. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 17, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing device to return result data produced by execution of the function to the first computer process.

20. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 17, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing device to generate a document which includes result data produced by execution of the function, and send the document to the first computer process.

21. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 17, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing device to receive the request as an HTTP data file retrieval protocol.

22. A computing device, comprising:

means to execute a first computer process, and execute an instruction set within the first computer process;

means to receive a request for a data file from the instruction set to serve a remote procedure call, the request according to a data file retrieval protocol;

means to determine that the request for the data file specifies a function which is defined within a second computer process executing in the computing device independently of the instruction set and of the first computer process, the function including one or more computer instructions, execution of which performs a task which is unrelated to both generation and retrieval of any data file specified in the request; and

means to execute the function to execute the one or more computer instructions in response to receipt of the request.

23. A computing device as recited in claim 22, further comprising means to determine that the request includes a data file specification which is in a portion of a name space reserved for function requests.

24. A computing device as recited in claim 22, further comprising means to return result data produced by execution of the function to the first computer process.

25. A computing device as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

means to generate a document which includes result data produced by execution of the function, and

means to send the document to the first computer process.