Integrated plant environment utilizing an advanced program-to-program server enabling communications between programs running in different computing environments

• US 5,802,293 A
• Filed: 04/16/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dow Benelux BV (Dow, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: van der Sijpt, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US08/633,144
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.31, 395/200.33, 395/200.57, 395/200.6, 395/200.79
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

The present invention provides for an integrated plant environment which includes a business computing environment, such as an IBM environment, to run business programs that manage business aspects of the plant, a second, different computing environment, such as a DEC environment, configured to run manufacturing programs that control production of products, a gateway configured to allow communication between the business programs and the manufacturing programs, and an advanced program-to-program server which enables communication between the two different computing environments. The present invention also includes a method for interfacing programs in a first computing environment with programs in a second computing environment. The method consists of allocating a server process to a first program in one of the first and second computing environments, wherein the first program in turn requests a session with a second program in the other of the first and second computing environments, establishing a first session between said first program and said allocated server process, and establishing a second session between said second program and said allocated server process. The first and second sessions host a conversation between said first program and said second program.

Claims

1. An integrated computer environment, comprising:

a business computing environment, comprising at least one first computing system configured to run business programs;

a plurality of second computing systems, configured to run client application programs, wherein said first and second computing systems are not of the same computing environment;

a gateway configured to allow communication between said business programs running on said first computing system and said client application programs running on one of said plurality of second computing systems;

an advanced program-to-program server, configured to establish and maintain a predetermined fixed number of first sessions with said business programs running on said first computing system and to establish, on receipt of a connection request, a second session with one of said client application programs running on one of said plurality of second computing systems, thereby establishing a server/client relationship such that said client application programs in each of said plurality of second computing systems can communicate with said business programs in said first computing system via said gateway; and

an installed client-server program in each of said second computing systems for providing transparent communication between any of said client application programs and said first computing system, said installed client-server program having routines for enabling communication session connectivity to said advanced program-to-program server.

2. A computer integrated environment, comprising:

an IBM LU6.2 computing environment, configured to run business programs;

a VAX/VMS computing environment, configured to run client application programs;

an installed client-server program in said VAX/VMS computing environment for providing transparent communication between any of said client application programs and any of said business programs, said installed client-server program having routines for enabling communication session connectivity to an advanced program-to-program server; and

an advanced program-to-program server, configured to establish a server/client relationship such that said client application programs can communicate with said business programs, wherein said advanced program-to-program server comprises;

a server process, configured to establish and maintain a predetermined fixed number of logical unit sessions allowing said business programs to initiate conversations with said client application programs; and

a controller process, coupled to said server process, configured to accept connection requests from said business and client application programs and to allocate a server process to a program requesting connection.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a gateway configured to allow communications between said business programs and said client application programs.

4. A method for interfacing at least one of a plurality of programs in a first computing environment configured to run business programs with at least one of a plurality of programs in a second computing environment configured to run client application programs, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an advanced program-to-program server, configured to establish a server/client relationship such that said client application programs can communicate with said business programs, said advanced program-to-program server having

a server process, configured to establish and maintain a predetermined fixed number of logical unit sessions allowing said business programs to initiate conversations with said client application programs, and

a controller process coupled to said server process, configured to accept connection requests from said business programs and client application programs and to allocate a server process to a program requesting connection;

(b) installing a client-server program in said second computing environment for providing transparent communication between any of said client application programs and any of said business programs, said installed client-server program having routines for enabling communication session connectivity to said advanced program-to-program server;

(c) allocating a server process to a first program in one of the first and second computing environments, said first program requesting a session with a second program in the other of the first and second computing environments;

(d) establishing a first session between said first program and said allocated server process; and

(e) establishing a second session between said second program and said allocated server process;

wherein said first and second sessions host a conversation between said first program and said second program.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of receiving a request from said first program for a conversation with said second program.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step (a) comprises the steps of:

determining whether one of a plurality of server processes is available to provide the session requested by said first program;

allocating said server process to said first program if said server process is available; and

informing said first program that a server process is not available if one of said plurality of server processes is not available.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of deallocating the session said first and second programs.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said session is deallocated in response to a termination request received from one of said first and second programs.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said server processes are initially created by said controller process.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said server processes are created when said requesting program requests connection to said specified program.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of attempting to re-establish said session if said session terminates prematurely.

12. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of performing protocol conversions necessary to effectuate communications between said first and second programs.