Remote procedure interface with support for multiple versions

• US 6,493,768 B1
• Filed: 02/17/1999
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boutcher, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): COURTENAY III, ST JOHN
• Application Number:
  US09/251,769
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• Field of Search: 709/310-320, 709/328-330, 717/168-178
• US Class Current: 719/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44536 Selecting among different versions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

A distributed computer system incorporating multiple computer processes enables a client computer process to request execution of a remote procedure on a server computer process even when the server computer process does not support a current version of the client computer process. A version map is utilized by the client computer process while requesting a remote procedure to format the request to a version supported by the server computer process, thus permitting client and server computer processes coresident in a distributed computer system to be upgraded independently while ensuring backward-compatibility with earlier versions.

Claims

1. In an environment having a first computer process supporting an upgraded version of a remote procedure interface and a second computer process supporting a prior version of the remote procedure interface, a method for requesting in the first computer process a remote procedure to be executed on the second computer process, comprising:

determining whether the second computer process supports the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface supported by the first computer process;

determining a mapping indication associated with the remote procedure if the second computer process does not support the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface; and

responding according to the mapping indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein responding according to the mapping indication includes directly mapping a first version of the remote procedure defined by the upgraded remote procedure interface to a second version of the remote procedure defined by the prior remote procedure interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein responding according to the mapping indication further includes, after directly mapping, requesting the second version of remote procedure to be executed on the second computer process.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein responding according to the mapping indication includes transforming parameters associated with the one remote procedure before or after execution of the one remote procedure on the second computer process.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein responding according to the mapping indication further includes, after transforming, requesting a second version of the remote procedure to be executed on the second computer process, wherein the second version of the remote procedure is defined by the prior version of the remote procedure interface and differs from a first version of the remote procedure defined by the upgraded remote procedure interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein responding according to the mapping indication includes requesting a different remote procedure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein responding according to the mapping indication includes returning a failed request indication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining whether the second computer process supports the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface includes accessing a cache to determine supported versions of the remote procedure interface for the second computer process; and

the method further includes requesting execution of a first version of the remote procedure defined by the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface if the second computer process is not in the cache and if, in the response to the request, the second computer process indicates that the first version is not supported, adding the second computer process to the cache.

9. A computer system, comprising:

an upgraded version of a remote procedure interface defining one or more remote procedures and at least one mapping indication associated with each of the remote procedures;

a first computer process, having access to the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface, for requesting one or the one or more remote procedures to be executed on a second computer process supporting a prior version of the remote procedure interface; and

a request handler residing in the first computer process that identifies a mapping indication associated with the one remote procedure if the second computer process does not support the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface and responds according to the mapping indication.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the request handler responds according to the mapping indication by directly mapping a first version of the one remote procedure defined by the upgraded remote procedure interface to a second version of the one remote procedure defined by the prior remote procedure interface.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the request handler responds to the mapping by requesting, after directly mapping, the second computer process to execute the second version of the one remote procedure.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the request handler responds according to the mapping indication by transforming parameters associated with the one remote procedure before or after execution of the one remote procedure on the second computer process.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the request handler responds to the mapping by requesting, after transforming, the second computer process to execute a second version of the one remote procedure wherein the second version of the one remote procedure is defined by the prior version of the remote procedure interface and differs from a first version of the one remote procedure defined by the upgraded remote procedure interface.

14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the request handler responds according to the mapping indication by requesting a substitute remote procedure.

15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the request handler responds according to the mapping indication by returning a failed request indication.

16. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the request handler determines whether the second computer process supports the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface by accessing a cache to determine supported versions of the remote procedure interface for the second computer process and the request handler request execution of a first version of the remote procedure defined by the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface if the second computer process is not in the cache and if, in response to the request, the second computer process indicates that the first version is not supported, adding the second computer process to the cache.

17. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface includes a plurality of mapping indicators associated with the one remote procedure, each of the plurality of mapping indicators corresponding to a different prior version of the remote procedure interface.

18. An article of manufacture for use in requesting a remote procedure to be executed on a second computer process, the article of manufacture comprising computer-readable storage medium having code embodied therein that causes a first computer process to perform the steps of:

determining whether the second computer process supports an upgraded version of a remote procedure interface supported by the first computer process;

determining a mapping indication associated with the remote procedure if the second computer process does not support the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface; and

responding according to the mapping indication.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein responding according to the mapping indication includes directly mapping a first version of the remote procedure defined by the upgraded remote procedure interface to a second version of the remote procedure defined by the prior remote procedure interface.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein responding according to the mapping indication further includes, after directly mapping, requesting the second version of remote procedure to be executed on the second computer process.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein responding according to the mapping indication includes transforming parameters associated with the one remote procedure before or after execution of the one remote procedure on the second computer process.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein responding according to the mapping indication further includes, after transforming, requesting a second version of remote procedure to be executed on the second computer process wherein the second version of the remote procedure is defined by the prior version of the remote procedure interface and differs from a first version of the remote procedure defined by the upgraded remote procedure interface.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein responding according to the mapping indication includes requesting a user-defined remote procedure.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein responding according to the mapping indication includes returning a failed request indication.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein:

determining whether the second computer process supports the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface includes accessing a cache to determine supported versions of the remote procedure for the second computer process; and

the code further causes the first computer process to perform the steps of requesting execution of a first version of the remote procedure defined by the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface if the second computer process is not in the cache and if, in response to the request, the second computer process indicates that the first version is not supported, adding the second computer process to the cache.

26. A method of transmitting a program product to a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a connection with the computer system; and

(b) transmitting the program product to the computer system, the program product being executable by a first computer process on the computer system to request execution of a remote procedure by a second computer process, the;

program product having code embodied therein that causes the first computer process to perform the steps of;

determining whether the second computer process supports an upgraded version of a remote procedure interface supported by the first computer process;

determining a mapping indication associated with the remote procedure if the second computer process does not support the upgraded version of the remote procedure interface; and

responding according to the mapping indication.

27. A method for requesting in a client computer process a particular remote procedure to be executed on a server computer process, wherein the client computer process supports a newer version of a remote procedure interface and the server computer process supports an older version of the remote procedure interface, the newer version and older version of the remote procedure interface each including one or more remote procedures and at least one remote procedure o the newer version having the same name as and at least one different construct than a corresponding remote procedure of the older version, the method comprising:

determining whether the server computer process supports the newer version of the remote procedure interface supported by the client computer process;

determining a mapping indication, between the newer and older versions of the remote procedure interface, associated with the particular remote procedure if the server computer process does not support the newer version of the remote procedure interface; and

responding according to the mapping indication.