Method and system for providing version control of parameters in a command-based API using Java serialization

• US 20050097575A1
• Filed: 10/30/2003
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McCain, Brian S., Therrien, Amy L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,409,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44536 Selecting among different versions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

A technique for determining whether a server host supports the functions in a command sent by a client host. The client host formulates a command including a command object that contains parameter objects. The parameter objects, which represent the functions, are serialized, e.g., using the Java serialization command, and communicated to the server host. The server host attempts to deserialize the parameter objects. If it is successful, it is concluded that the server host supports the functions represented by the parameter objects. Or, it is concluded that the server host is incompatible with the functions represented by one or more parameter objects that cannot be deserialized. The server host may be a storage server, and the functions may be storage-related, such as a copy type to be performed.

Claims

1. A method for providing a command from a client-side host to a server-side host, comprising:

invoking a client-side API at the client-side host to pass in a set of parameter objects, and to provide a command object that contains the parameter objects;

wherein each of the parameter objects represents a different parameter of a command;

serializing the command and parameter objects to provide serialized command and parameter objects; and

communicating the serialized command and parameter objects to the server-side host as the command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the server-side host is adapted to attempt to deserialize the serialized command and parameter objects to determine whether the server-side host is compatible with the different parameters of the command that are represented by the parameter objects.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

if the server-side host cannot successfully deserialize at least one of the serialized parameter objects, the server-side host sends an error message to the client-side host to inform the client-side host that the server-side host does not support the parameter represented by the at least one serialized parameter object that cannot be successfully deserialized.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the server-side host cannot successfully deserialize the serialized parameter objects whose class type is not recognized by the server-side host.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the client-side API comprises a client-side of a command-based API.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the server-side host uses a server-side API of the command based API to attempt to deserialize the serialized command object and parameter objects.

7. A method for processing a command from a client-side host at a server-side host, comprising:

receiving serialized command and parameter objects at the server-side host as a command from the client-side host;

wherein the command object contains the parameter objects, and each of the parameter objects represents a different parameter of the command; and

deserializing the serialized command and parameter objects to determine whether the server-side host is compatible with the different parameters represented by the parameter objects.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the serialized command and parameter objects are obtained at the client-side host by invoking a client-side API at the client-side host to pass in a set of the parameter objects, containing the set of parameter objects in the command object, and serializing the command object and parameter objects contained therein.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein:

if the server-side host cannot successfully deserialize at least one of the serialized parameter objects, the server-side hosts sends an error message to the client-side host to inform the client-side host that the server-side host does not support the parameter represented by the at least one serialized parameter object that cannot be successfully deserialized.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the server-side host cannot successfully deserialize the serialized parameter objects whose class type is not recognized by the server-side host.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the server-side host uses a server-side API of a command based API to attempt to deserialize the serialized command and parameter objects.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the serialized command and parameter objects are obtained at the client-side host by invoking a client-side API at the client-side host that comprises a client-side of the command-based API.

13. A program storage device, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a server-side host to perform a method for processing a command from a client-side host, the method comprising:

receiving serialized command and parameter objects at the server-side host as a command from the client-side host;

wherein the command object contains the parameter objects, and each of the parameter objects represents a different parameter of the command; and

deserializing the serialized command and parameter objects to determine whether the server-side host is compatible with the different parameters represented by the parameter objects.

14. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein:

the serialized command and parameter objects are obtained at the client-side host by invoking a client-side API at the client-side host to pass in a set of the parameter objects, containing the set of parameter objects in the command object, and serializing the command object and parameter objects contained therein.

15. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein:

if the server-side host cannot successfully deserialize at least one of the serialized parameter objects, the server-side host sends an error message to the client-side host to inform the client-side host that the server-side host does not support the parameter represented by the at least one serialized parameter object that cannot be successfully deserialized.

16. The program storage device of claim 15, wherein:

the server-side host cannot successfully deserialize the serialized parameter objects whose class type is not recognized by the server-side host.

17. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein:

the server-side host uses a server-side API of a command based API to attempt to deserialize the serialized command and parameter objects.

18. The program storage device of claim 17, wherein:

the serialized command and parameter objects are obtained at the client-side host by invoking a client-side API at the client-side host that comprises a client-side of the command-based API.