Data processing system

• US 6,871,203 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2000
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Thomas S., Benson, Donald Edward, Shah, Mayank V., Flowers, Philip Lester, Lee, Chris Myunghoon, Wang, Shirley S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HWANG, JOON H
• Application Number:
  US09/692,915
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-102, 707200-206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A technique for manipulating objects at a computer is described. The technique includes receiving one or more requests to manipulate an object, wherein each request is received from a different thread. Each request to manipulate an object generates a copy of the object and a unique identifier for each copy of the object. A request to manipulate a copy of an object is distinguished from other requests to manipulate other copies of the object using the unique identifier.

Additionally, a technique for accessing objects at a computer is described. The technique includes receiving a request from a client process for an object which is stored in an object server. A library server process is allocated to handle the object request. Transfer of the requested object is initiated. Thereafter, the library server process that was allocated to the object request is released.

Claims

1. A method of manipulating objects at a computer, the method comprising:

receiving one or more requests to manipulate an object;

for each request, generating a unique identifier for a copy of the object; and

associating the unique identifier with each request and its copy of the object to distinguish copies of the object from each other and to distinguish a copy of the object from an original object, so that multiple tasks involving the object may be executed simultaneously or in parallel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer is connected to one or more data stores through an intermediate processing computer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the intermediate processing computer is updated to reflect changes within the data stores.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the requests to manipulate comprises a request to store the object into a data store.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the computer is connected via a network to a library server and to one or more object servers and further comprising:

transmitting the request from the computer to the library server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier;

at the library server,

selecting an object server; and

transmitting the request to the object server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier; and

at the object serer, communicating with the computer to receive the object to be stored, using the unique identifier to identify the object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the requests to manipulates comprises a request to retrieve the object from a data store.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the computer is connected via a network to a library server and to one or more object servers and further comprising:

transmitting the request from the computer to the library server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier;

at the library server,

selecting an object server; and

transmitting the request to the object server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier; and

at the object server communicating with the computer to transmit the object to be retrieved, using the unique identifier to identify the object.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a different copy of the object exists for each of the requests.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a first copy of the object is distinguished from a second copy of the object.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a first copy of the object is distinguished from a second copy of the object.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein more than one request simultaneously manipulates a same object.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier further comprises a pointer referring to a set of object data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein thee set of object data comprises a location of the object.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of object data comprises an identification of the object.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the identification comprises an item number and a part number.

17. The method of claim 16, whet the identification further comprises a rep type.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of object data comprises a size of the object.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier comprises a memory address.

3. The method of clam 2, wherein the intermediate processing computer selects one of the data stores.

20. An apparatus for manipulating objects comprising:

a computer; and

one or more computer pr performed by the computer, for receiving one or more requests to manipulate an object, for each request, generating a unique identifier for a copy of the object, and associating the unique identifier with each request and its copy of the object to distinguish copies of the object from each other and to distinguish a copy of the object from an original object, so that multiple tasks involving the object may be executed simultaneously or in parallel.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the computer is connected to one or more data stores through an intermediate processing computer.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the intermediate processing computer selects one of the data stores.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, whets the intermediate processing computer is updated to reflect change within the data stores.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein one of the requests to manipulate comprises a request to store the object into a data store.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the computer is connected via a network to a library server and to one or more object servers and further comprising:

transmitting the request from the computer to the library server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier;

at the library server,

selecting an object server; and

transmitting the request to the object server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier; and

at the object server, communicating with the computer to receive the object to be stored, using the unique identifier to identify the object.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein one of the requests to manipulate comprises a request to retrieve data from a data store.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the computer is connected via a network to a library server and to one or more object servers and further comprising:

transmitting the request from the computer to the library server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier;

at the library server,

selecting an object server; and

transmitting the request to the object server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier; and

at the object seer, communicating with the computer to transmit the object to be removed, using the unique identifier to identify the object.

29. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein a fist copy of the object is distinguished from a second copy of the object.

30. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein a first copy of the object is distinguished from the original object.

31. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein more than one request wants to simultaneously manipulate a same object.

32. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the unique identifier further comprises a pointer referring to the set of object data.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the set of object data comprises a location of the object.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the set of object data comprises an identification of the object.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the identifier comprises an item number and a part number.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the identification further comprises a rep type.

37. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the set of object data comprises a size of the object.

38. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the unique identifier comprises a memory address.

40. The article of manufacture of claim 38, wherein the computes is connected to one or more data stores through an intermediate processing computer.

41. The article of manufacture of claim 40, where the intermediate processing computer selects one of the data stores.

42. The article of manufacture of claim 40, wherein the intermediate processing computer is updated to reflect changes within the data stores.

43. The article of manufacture of claim 38, wherein the request to manipulate comprises a request to store the object into a data store.

44. The article of manufacture of claim 42, wherein the computer is connected via a network to a library server and to one or more object servers and further comprising:

transmitting the request from the computer to the library server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier;

at the library server,

selecting an object server; and

transmitting the request to the object server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier; and

at the object server, communicating with the computer to receive the object to be stored, using the unique identifier to identify the object.

28. The apparatus of chim 20, wherein a different copy of the object exists for each of the requests.

39. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for manipulating objects at a computes, the method comprising:

receiving one or more requests to manipulate an object;

for each request, generating a unique identifier for a copy of the object; and

associating the unique identifier with each request and its copy of the object to distinguish copies of the object from each other and to distinguish a copy of the object from an original object, so that multiple tasks involving the object may be executed simultaneously or in parallel.

45. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the request to manipulate comprises a request to retrieve the object from a data store.

46. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein the computer in connected via a network to a library server and to one or more object servers and further comprising:

transmitting the request from the computer to the library server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier;

at the library server,

selecting an object server; and

transmitting the request to the object server, wherein the request includes the unique identifier; and

at the object sewer, communicating with the computer to transmit the object to be retrieved, using the unique identifier to identify the object.

47. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein a different copy of the object exists for each of the requests.

48. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein a first copy of the object is distinguished from a second copy of the object.

49. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein a first copy of an object is distinguished from the original object.

50. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein more than one request wants to simultaneously manipulate a same object.

51. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the unique identifier further comprises a pointer referring to a set of object data.

52. The article of manufacture of claim 51, wherein the set of object data comprises a location of the object.

53. The article of manufacture of claim 51, wherein the set of object data comprises an identification of the object.

54. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the identification comprises an item number and a part number.

55. The article of manufacture of claim 54, wherein the identification further comprises a rep type.

56. The article of manufacture of claim 51, wherein the set of object data comprises a size of the object.

57. The article of manufacture of claim 39 wherein the unique identifier comprises a memory address.