Method and apparatus for dynamically customizing and extending functions of a server program to enable and restrict functions of the server

• US 6,826,571 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Murray, Janet L., Kao, I-Ming, Baer, William J., Robertson, Jerry D., Picciano, Deidra S., Jacob, Pedro Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Veillard, Jacques
• Application Number:
  US09/220,291
• Time in Patent Office: 2,169 Days
• Field of Search: 707/103.R, 707/104.1, 707/101, 707/102, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/10, 709/203, 709/213, 709/204, 709/223, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A flexibly adaptable, i.e., configurable and/or extensible, asset management system is disclosed for processing and querying assets, representing data. The system comprises three layers: a Client Application layer, for manipulating and browsing assets, an Asset Manager Server layer, for providing programming interface services specific for assets types, such as storing, querying, and retrieving assets representing data to and from a Data Store, representing the third layer. The Asset Manager Server layer further provides communication services to support the Client Application layer and file transfer between the Client Application layer and the Asset Manager Server layer. The Asset Manager Server includes several configurable and/or extensible modules, including a Client Adapter module, a Schema Adapter module and a Resources module.

Claims

1. A flexibly adaptable asset management system for deploying asset management functions to a client application for manipulating assets, representing data, in a data store, and for dynamically customizing and extending interface functions, the system comprising:

an asset manager server disposed between the client application and the data store, the asset manager server including;

at least one client adapter for providing the interface functions between the client application and the asset manager server; and

at least one schema adapter for mapping the assets to the data stored in the data store and for transferring the data to and from the data store in response to methods invoked in the at least one client adapter of the client application,

wherein, the at least one client adapter is flexibly adaptable, thereby allowing the system to do one or more of handle different asset types and handle additional client applications.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one schema adapter is specific to a particular one of the assets, an asset being meta data for a particular data type.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the asset manager server further includes:

at least one object oriented class, wherein an instance of the object oriented class encapsulates the data and associated behaviors for transferring between the at least one schema adapter and the client application through the at least one client adapter.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the interface functions include querying, retrieving and manipulating assets.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the client adapter further provides for file transfer between the client application and the asset manager server.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising external services for providing a link between the at least one schema adapter and the data store.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one client adapter is identified by a unique identifier.

8. A system for flexibly adapting an asset manager for deploying asset management functions to a client application for manipulating assets, representing data, in a data store, and for dynamically customizing and extending interface functions, the system comprising:

an asset manager server disposed between the client application and the data store, the asset manager server including;

at least one client adapter for providing the interface functions between the client application and the asset manager server; and

at least one schema adapter for mapping the assets to the data stored in the data store and for transferring the data to and from the data store in response to methods invoked in the at least one client adapter of the client application,

wherein, the at least one client adapter is flexibly adaptable, thereby allowing the system to do one or more of handle different asset types and handle additional client applications,

further wherein, a new client adapter is created by;

defining user interactions of the client application with the asset manager server to be performed by the new client adapter;

defining an application programming interface for the new client adapter to encapsulate functionality to facilitate the user interactions;

defining a load time interface for the new client adapter; and

defining a run time interface for the new client adapter.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the at least one schema adapter is specific to a particular one of the assets, an asset being meta data for a particular data type.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the asset manager server further includes:

at least one object oriented class, wherein an instance of the object oriented class encapsulates the data and associated behaviors for transferring between the at least one schema adapter and the client application through the at least one client adapter.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the application programming interface is defined by creating the interface functions necessary to facilitate the user interactions.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the load time interface is defined by:

registering the interface functions with the asset manager server,

wherein the interface functions establish communication between the new client adapter, the at least one schema adapter and the client application.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein ones of the interface functions are executed to thereby include the new client adapter in a directory of all of the at least one client adapter in the asset manager server.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the new client adapter is identified by a unique identifier.

15. The system according to claim 8, the run time interface is defined by:

defining responsibilities of the at least one client adapter;

establishing a connection between the at least one client adapter and the client application; and

selecting the particular one of the assets to thereby identify one of the at least one schema adapter with which the at least one client adapter will communicate.

16. A method of flexibly adapting an asset management system for deploying asset management functions to a client application for manipulating assets, representing data, in a data store, and for dynamically customizing and extending interface functions, the system comprising:

an asset manager server disposed between the client application and the data store, the asset manager server including;

at least one client adapter for providing the interface functions between the client application and the asset manager server; and

at least one schema adapter for mapping the assets to the data stored in the data store and for transferring the data to and from the data store in response to methods invoked in the at least one client adapter of the client application,

wherein, the at least one client adapter is flexibly adaptable, thereby allowing the system to one or more of handle different asset types and handle additional client applications,

the method comprising creating a new client adapter by;

defining user interactions of the client application with the asset manager server to be performed by the new client adapter;

defining an application programming interface for the new client adapter to encapsulate functionality to facilitate the user interactions;

defining a load time interface for the new client adapter; and

defining a run time interface for the new client adapter.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the at least one schema adapter is specific to a particular one of the assets, an asset being meta data for a particular data type.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the step of defining an application programming interface comprises creating the interface functions necessary to facilitate the user interactions.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step of defining the load time interface comprises the step of:

registering the interface functions with the asset manager server,

wherein the interface functions establish communication between the new client adapter, the at least one schema adapter and the client application.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein ones of the interface functions are executed to thereby include the new client adapter in a directory of all of the at least one client adapter in the asset manager server.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein the new client adapter is identified by a unique identifier.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein the step of defining the run time interface comprises the steps of:

defining responsibilities of the at least one client adapter;

establishing a connection between the at least one client adapter and the client application; and

selecting the particular one of the assets to thereby identify one of the at least one schema adapter with which the at least one client adapter will communicate.

23. A program storage device readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for flexibly adapting an asset management system for deploying asset management functions to a client application for manipulating assets, representing data, in a data store, and for dynamically customizing and extending interface functions, the system comprising:

an asset manager server disposed between the client application and the data store, the asset manager server including;

at least one client adapter for providing the interface functions between the client application and the asset manager server; and

at least one schema adapter for mapping the assets to the data stored in the data store and for transferring the data to and from the data store in response to methods invoked in the at least one client adapter of the client application,

wherein, the at least one client adapter is flexibly adaptable, thereby allowing the system to do one or more of handle different asset types and handle additional client applications,

the method comprising creating a new client adapter by;

defining user interactions of the client application with the asset manager server to be performed by the new client adapter;

defining an application programming interface for the new client adapter to encapsulate functionality to facilitate the user interactions;

defining a load time interface for the new client adapter; and

defining a run time interface for the new client adapter.

24. The program storage device according to claim 23, wherein the at least one schema adapter is specific to a particular one of the assets, an asset being meta data for a particular data type.

25. The program storage device according to claim 23, wherein the step of defining an application programming interface comprises creating the interface functions necessary to facilitate the user interactions.

26. The program storage device according to claim 25, wherein the step of defining the load time interface comprises the step of:

registering the interface functions with the asset manager server,

wherein the interface functions establish communication between the new client adapter, the at least one schema adapter and the client application.

27. The program storage device according to claim 25, wherein ones of the interface functions are executed to thereby include the new client adapter in a directory of all of the at least one client adapter in the asset manager server.

28. The program storage device according to claim 23, wherein the new client adapter is identified by a unique identifier.

29. The program storage device according to claim 23, wherein the step of defining the run time interface comprises the steps of:

defining responsibilities of the at least one client adapter;

establishing a connection between the at least one client adapter and the client application; and

selecting the particular one of the assets to thereby identify one of the at least one schema adapter with which the at least one client adapter will communicate.