Object-oriented system, method and article of manufacture for a client-server session web access in an interprise computing framework system.

• US 6,052,711 A
• Filed: 07/01/1996
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Gish, Sheri L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peikari, B. James
• Application Number:
  US08/675,252
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.33, 395/200.31, 395/200.3, 395/200.45, 395/200.46, 395/200.47, 395/200.57, 395/200.67, 395/200.75
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

An interprise computing manager in which an application is composed of a client (front end) program which communicates utilizing a network with a server (back end) program. The client and server programs are loosely coupled and exchange information using the network. The client program is composed of a User Interface (UI) and an object-oriented framework (Presentation Engine (PE) framework). The UI exchanges data messages with the framework. The framework is designed to handle two types of messages: (1) from the UI, and (2) from the server (back end) program via the network. The framework includes a component, the mediator which manages messages coming into and going out of the framework. The system includes software for a client computer, a server computer and a network for connecting the client computer to the server computer which utilize an execution framework code segment configured to couple the server computer and the client computer via the network, by a plurality of client computer code segments resident on the server, each for transmission over the network to a client computer to initiate coupling; and a plurality of server computer code segments resident on the server which execute on the server in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a particular client utilizing the transmitted client computer code segment for communicating via a particular communication protocol. Communication is initiated utilizing the network to acquire characteristics of the client from the network.

Claims

1. A server for a distributed system, comprising:

(a) a plurality of client computers;

(b) a plurality of server computers;

(c) a network connecting the plurality of client computers to the plurality of server computers;

(d) a client computer which executes a client computer application which gathers information about the client computer and contacts a server computer using the network;

(e) the server computer authenticates the information about the client computer and initiates a server computer code segment responsible for communicating with the client computer; and

(f) the server computer transmits a client computer code segment for execution at the client computer to facilitate communication between the client computer and the server computer.

2. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a plurality of definitions that define the plurality of client computer code segments and each of the plurality of definitions defining how to associate the plurality of client computer code segments and the plurality of server computer code segments into applications in response to a request by the client computer.

3. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, in which the server computer code segment includes at least one instance of a communication library code segment configured to couple an associated one of the plurality of server computer code segments to the execution framework code segment, and the client computer includes at least one instance of a communication library code segment configured to couple an associated one of the plurality of client code segments transmitted to the client computer to the execution framework code segment.

4. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a web connection which facilitates communication from the client computer to the server computer.

5. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 4, wherein the web is the Internet.

6. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a communication protocol corresponding to the client code segment and the server code segment which is supported by a communication library on the client computer and the server computer.

7. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a code segment which authenticates an initial request from a client computer before downloading a client code segment and initiating secure communication.

8. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, wherein a listener socket is opened on the server, and the port number of the listener socket is transmitted as part of the code segment transmitted to the client computer.

9. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, wherein authentication information includes a password.

10. A method for enabling a distributed system, including a plurality of client computers coupled via a network to a plurality of server computers, comprising the steps of:

(a) executing a client computer application on the client computer which gathers information about the client computer and contacts a server computer using the network;

(b) authenticating the information about the client computer at the server computer;

(c) initiating a server computer code segment to communicate with the client computer; and

(d) transmitting a client computer code segment for execution at the client computer to facilitate communication between the client computer and the server computer.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, including invoking a plurality of definitions that define the plurality of client computer code segments and each of the plurality of definitions defining how to associate the plurality of client computer code segments and the plurality of server computer code segments into applications in response to a request by the client computer.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, in which the server computer code segment includes at least one instance of a communication library code segment configured to couple an associated one of the plurality of server computer code segments to the execution framework code segment, and the client computer includes at least one instance of a communication library code segment configured to couple an associated one of the plurality of client code segments transmitted to the client computer to the execution framework code segment.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, including the step of utilizing a web connection which facilitates communication from the client computer to the server computer.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the web is the Internet.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, including the step of using a communication protocol corresponding to the client code segment and the server code segment which is supported by a communication library on the client computer and the server computer.

16. The method as recited in claim 10, including the step of authenticating an initial request from a client computer before downloading a client code segment and initiating secure communication.

17. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein a listener socket is opened on the server, and the port number of the listener socket is transmitted as part of the code segment transmitted to the client computer.

18. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein authentication information includes a password.

19. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system, comprising:

(a) a client computer code segment for residence on a client computer and including an user interface;

(b) a server computer code segment for residence on a server computer coupled to the client computer;

(c) a code segment to enable a connection to a network connecting a plurality of client computers to a plurality of server computers;

(d) a code segment which executes a client computer application on the client computer which gathers information about the client computer and contacts the server computer using the network;

(e) a code segment which authenticates the information about the client computer and initiates the server computer code segment responsible for communicating with the client computer; and

(f) a code segment which transmits the client computer code segment for execution at the client computer to facilitate communication between the client computer and the server computer.

20. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 19, including a plurality of definitions that define the plurality of client computer code segments and each of the plurality of definitions defining how to associate the plurality of client computer code segments and the plurality of server computer code segments into applications in response to a request by the client computer.

21. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 19, in which the server computer code segment includes at least one instance of a communication library code segment configured to couple an associated one of the plurality of server computer code segments to the execution framework code segment, and the client computer includes at least one instance of a communication library code segment configured to couple an associated one of the plurality of client code segments transmitted to the client computer to the execution framework code segment.

22. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 19, including a web connection which facilitates communication from the client computer to the server computer.

23. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 22, wherein the web is the Internet.

24. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 19, including a communication protocol corresponding to the client code segment and the server code segment which is supported by a communication library on the client computer and the server computer.

25. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 19, including a code segment which authenticates an initial request from a client computer before downloading a client code segment and initiating secure communication.

26. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein a listener socket is opened on the server, and the port number of the listener socket is transmitted as part of the code segment transmitted to the client computer.

27. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein authentication information includes a password.