Method and apparatus for transporting behavior in an event-based distributed system

• US 6,463,446 B1
• Filed: 03/20/1998
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Jones, Peter C., Waldo, James H., Wollrath, Ann M., Arnold, Kenneth C.R.C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLEURANTIN, JEAN B
• Application Number:
  US09/044,933
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: 707/103-104, 707/202-203, 707/102, 709/330
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0261 using reference counting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/417 with deterministic access, e.g. token passing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/433 with asynchronous transmission, e.g. token ring, register insertion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

In a distributed computing system, a first process may register interest in an event occurring in another address space or physical machine in such a way as to allow the subsequent notification of the event'"'"'s occurrence to contain an object that includes methods that are to be run on receipt of the notification. When the notification is received, either by the first process or by some other entity designated by the first process to be the final point of notification, the methods may be executed as specified by the first process.

Claims

1. A method for controlling program execution in a distributed computer system comprising the steps of:

registering interest in an occurrence of an event in the distributed computer system, the registration of interest including information identifying the occurrence of the event, an identifier of a software entity in the distributed system, and a first object including a process and parameter data corresponding to the process;

monitoring at least a portion of the distributed computer system for the occurrence of the registered event; and

notifying the software entity identified in the registration of interest when the event occurs, the notification including a copy of the first object and an identification of the event that occurred.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification step further includes the step of using a generic notify method to notify the software entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of registering interest further includes registering interest by a process located in a virtual machine different than the virtual machine in which the software entity is located.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the distributed computer system is performed by a process in a virtual machine different than the virtual machine in which the software entity is located.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of registering interest further includes registering interest by a registering process located in an address space different from an address space in which the software entity is located.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of registering interest further includes registering interest by a registering process and the step of monitoring includes a monitoring process, wherein the registering process is located in an address space different from an address space in which the monitoring process is located.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the distributed computer system is performed by a registering process in an address space different from an address space in which the software entity is located.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of registering interest includes registering interest in an occurrence of a change in system state.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of registering interest includes registering interest in an occurrence of one selected from the group consisting of a timer event, a mouse click event, and a disk access event.

10. The method of claim 1, which further comprises the step of executing at least one method contained within the first object in response to the notifying step.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the notification step further includes the step of using a generic notify method to notify the software entity.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of registering interest further includes registering interest by a process located in a virtual machine different from the virtual machine in which the software entity is located.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of monitoring the distributed computer system is performed by a process in a virtual machine different from the virtual machine in which the software entity is located.

14. A protocol for controlling the execution of processes in a distributed computer system, the protocol comprising the steps of:

receiving a registration of interest in an event that is expected to occur in the distributed computer system, the registration including an identifier of a software entity in the distributed system and a first object, the first object including computer instructions for performing a process and parameter data corresponding to the process;

monitoring the distributed system for the occurrence of the registered event; and

notifying the software entity identified in the registration of interest when the event occurs, the notification including a copy of the first object and an identification of the event that occurred.

15. The protocol of claim 14, wherein the notify step further includes the step of using a generic notify method to notify the software entity.

16. The protocol of claim 14, wherein the step of receiving further includes receiving a registration of interest from a process located in an address space different from an address space in which the software entity is located.

17. The protocol of claim 14, wherein the step of monitoring the distributed system is performed by a process in an address space different from an address space in which the software entity is located.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of registering interest further includes registering interest by a registering process and the step of monitoring includes a monitoring process, wherein the registering process is located in an address space different from an address space in which the monitoring process is located.

19. The protocol of claim 14, wherein the event includes a change in system state.

20. The protocol of claim 14, wherein the event includes one selected from the group consisting of a timer event, a mouse click event, and a disk access event.

21. A computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling program execution in a distributed computer system, the instructions causing the distributed computer system to perform the steps of:

registering interest in an event in the distributed computer system, the registration of interest including information identifying the event, an identifier of a software entity in the distributed system, and computer code for executing a process;

monitoring at least a portion of the distributed computer system for the occurrence of the registered event;

notifying the software entity identified in the registration of interest when the event occurs, the notification including a copy of the computer code and an identification of the event that occurred; and

executing methods contained within the computer code in response to the notifying step.

22. A computer readable medium containing instructions for implementing a protocol for controlling the execution of processes in a distributed computer system, the instructions causing a computer in the distributed computer system to perform the steps of:

receiving a registration of interest in an event in the distributed computer system, the registration including an identifier of a software entity in the distributed system and a first object, the first object including computer instructions for performing a process and parameter data corresponding to the process;

monitoring the distributed system for the occurrence of the registered event; and

notifying the software entity identified in the registration of interest when the event occurs, the notification including a copy of the first object and an identification of the event that occurred.