Methods and apparatus for conspiracy between objects

• US 5,969,967 A
• Filed: 12/31/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Aahlad, Yeturu, Dinkins, Jefferson A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US09/001,765
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 364/131, 364/132, 364/133, 364/134, 364/140.01, 364/140.02, 364/140.03, 364/140.04, 364/148.02, 364/148.03, 364/148.04, 364/148.05, 370/254, 395/700, 395/600, 395/650, 395/200.1, 395/200.11, 395/200.12, 395/200.15, 395/200.73, 709/221, 709/223, 709/227, 709/237
• US Class Current: 700/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548

Abstract

A number of methods and apparatus are disclosed for providing a service in a distributed object operating environment. According to some embodiments of the present invention, methods and apparatus for providing a conspiracy among objects in a object operating environment are disclosed. In particular, conspiracies within a distributed object operating environment are contemplated. In general, the present invention teaches mechanisms by which a collection of objects can form a conspiracy wherein objects can both communicate behind the object interfaces and share all resources. In some embodiments, the collection of objects work together to provide a service to clients. According to one embodiment, the objects which are members of the conspiracy may be distributed objects located in separate processes. In some embodiments, objects which are members of the conspiracy are able to perform interactions with one another behind the interface (i.e. without having to communicate through the interface) and also share persistent state. Three specific embodiments of the present invention are described, these being (1) a shared servant conspiracy model, (2) a shared object conspiracy model, and (3) a hybrid object conspiracy model. Each of these embodiments incorporates the conspiracy concept of the present invention yet they each have particular advantages which will be apparent upon reading the detailed description of the figures.

Claims

1. A computer implemented service arranged to reside within a server process executed on a computer that is arranged to be a part of a distributed object environment based computing system, the service comprising:

a conspiracy servant;

a plurality of conspirator objects, each conspirator object having an associated object reference and an associated skeleton, the conspirator objects being arranged to process collectively requests received from clients, the skeletons each being arranged to pass incoming client requests to the conspiracy servant; and

wherein the conspiracy servant is a arranged to provide the requested services that are requested of each of the conspirator objects and wherein the collective processing of the requests by the conspirator objects includes communication among the conspirator objects independent of the interfaces presented to the clients by the conspirator objects.

2. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 1 further comprising a servant lookup table that is accessible to the skeletons and is intended to reside in the process and identifies the location of all servants available for use in the process, including the conspiracy servant.

3. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 1 wherein the distributed objects each have a distinct interface.

4. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 1 wherein the conspiracy servant is arranged to return results directly to the client.

5. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 1 wherein the skeletons are arranged to unmarshal client requests received from remote clients.

6. A computer implemented service arranged to be a part of a distributed object environment based computing system, the service comprising:

a conspiracy object including a conspiracy skeleton and a conspiracy servant, the conspiracy object further being configured to communicate with associated conspirator objects independent of the interface presented by the conspiracy object to external clients of the conspiracy object; and

a plurality of distributed conspirator objects, each distributed conspirator object having an associated conspirator object reference, an associated conspirator skeleton that is arranged to receive requests from clients, and an associated conspirator servant, the conspirator skeleton being arranged to pass incoming client requests directly to the conspirator servant, the conspirator servant knowing the object reference associated with the conspiracy object so that the conspiracy skeleton can make requests to the conspiracy servant;

wherein the conspiracy object is arranged to provide the requested services that are requested of each of the conspirator objects by collective processing of such requested services in conjunction with the associated conspirator objects.

7. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 6 further comprising a servant lookup table that is available to the skeletons and identifies the location of various servants, including the conspiracy servant.

8. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 6 wherein the conspirator objects each have a distinct interface.

9. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 6 wherein the conspiracy servant is arranged to return results to the conspirator servants and the conspirator servants are arranged to return results to the client.

10. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 9 wherein the conspirator servants are arranged to partially process the client request.

11. A computer implemented service arranged to reside within a server process executed on a computer that is arranged to be a part of a distributed object environment based computing system, the service comprising:

a conspiracy object including a conspiracy skeleton, a conspiracy servant, and a conspiracy engine, the conspiracy object further having an associated conspiracy object reference that permits access to the conspiracy skeleton and that is not accessible to external clients of the conspiracy object; and

a plurality of distributed conspirator objects, each distributed conspirator object having an associated conspirator skeleton that is arranged to receive requests from clients, an associated conspirator object reference that permits access to the conspiracy skeleton and may be known by external clients, and an associated conspirator servant, the conspirator skeleton being arranged pass incoming client requests directly to the conspiracy servant, the conspiracy servant knowing the object reference associated with the conspiracy object so that the conspirator servant can make requests to the conspiracy object; and

wherein the conspiracy servant is arranged to return a direct pointer to the conspiracy engine to the conspirator servants when a request is made to the conspiracy object such that the conspirator servants can communicate directly with the conspiracy engine to process thereby services requested of the conspiracy object from a client collectively without using elements of the interface of the conspiracy object that are accessible to the client.

12. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 11 further comprising a servant lookup table that is available to the skeletons and identifies the location of various servants, including the conspiracy servant.

13. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 11 wherein the conspirator objects each have a distinct interface.

14. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 11 wherein the conspiracy engine is arranged to return results to the conspirator servants and the conspirator servants are arranged to return results to the client.

15. A computer implemented service as recited in claim 14 wherein the conspirator servants are arranged to partially process the client request.

16. A computer implemented method for providing a service to clients, the service being implemented within a server process, the method comprising the computer controlled steps of:

providing a conspiracy servant and a plurality of associated conspirator objects, each conspirator object including a corresponding conspirator skeleton and each conspirator object being configured to function in association with at least one other conspirator object without using the interface of the other conspirator object that is accessible to the clients;

receiving at a first conspirator skeleton a first invocation request for a first conspirator object associated with the first conspirator skeleton;

causing the first conspirator skeleton to directly invoke the conspiracy servant;

returning a result directly from the conspiracy servant to a client that initiated the first conspirator invocation request;

receiving at a second conspirator skeleton a second invocation request for a second conspirator object associated with the second conspirator skeleton, the first and second conspirator skeletons being distinct from one another;

causing the second conspirator skeleton to directly invoke the conspiracy servant; and

returning a result directly from the conspiracy servant to a client that initiated the second conspirator invocation request.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein each time one of the conspirator skeletons invokes the conspiracy servant, the invoking skeleton checks an active servant lookup table to determine whether the conspiracy servant is identified as active in the lookup table, and when it is determined that the conspiracy servant is not identified as active in the lookup table the invoking skeleton creates the conspiracy servant and identifies the conspiracy servant as active in the lookup table.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 wherein when the conspiracy servant is created, a conspiracy ID is used as a key in the lookup table and a pointer to the conspiracy servant is stored as a value that corresponds to the key.

19. A method as recited in claim 18 wherein when the conspiracy servant is identified as active in the lookup table, the invoking skeleton identifies the conspiracy servant using the conspiracy ID and utilizes the stored value that corresponds to the conspiracy ID to locate the conspiracy servant.

20. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein each of the conspirator skeletons share a single conspiracy ID that operates as the skeleton'"'"'s servant ID.

21. A computer implemented method for providing a service to clients, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

providing a conspiracy servant and a plurality of associated conspirator objects, each conspirator object including a corresponding conspirator skeleton and each conspirator object being configured to function in association with at least one other conspirator object without using the interface of the other conspirator object that is accessible to the clients;

receiving at a first conspirator skeleton a first invocation request for a first conspirator object associated with the first conspirator skeleton;

causing the first conspirator skeleton to directly invoke the conspiracy servant;

causing the first conspirator servant to invoke a conspiracy object reference associated with the conspiracy object, the conspiracy object reference not available to clients that are not part of the service;

returning a result from the conspiracy servant to a client that initiated the first conspirator invocation request;

receiving at a second conspirator skeleton a second invocation request for a second conspirator object associated with the second conspirator skeleton;

causing the second conspirator skeleton to invoke the conspiracy servant;

causing the second conspirator servant to invoke a conspiracy object reference associated with the conspiracy object, the conspiracy object reference not available to clients that are not part of the service;

returning a result from the conspiracy servant to a client that initiated the second conspirator invocation request; and

returning results from the conspirator servants to their respective clients.

22. A computer implemented service arranged to reside within a server process executed on a computer that is arranged to be a part of a distributed object environment based computing system, the service comprising:

a plurality of conspirator objects, each conspirator object having an associated object reference and an associated skeleton that is arranged to receive requests from clients that reside outside of the service process, the skeletons each being arranged to pass incoming client requests directly to the conspiracy servant, each conspirator object having an object interface that defines services the conspirator object can provide to clients, the services the conspirator object can provide being a subset of the plurality of computer services performed by the conspiracy servant, the plurality of services including services available only to other conspirator objects and not accessible through the interface of the conspirator object by the clients of the conspirator object; and

wherein the conspiracy servant is arranged to provide the requested services that are requested of each of the conspirator objects.