Method and apparatus for dynamic distributed computing over a network

• US 7,210,148 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Waldo, James H., Wollrath, Ann M., Arnold, Kenneth C. R. C., Jones, Peter C.
• Primary Examiner(s): BULLOCK JR, LEWIS ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US09/809,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20010049713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,230 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-253, 718100-105, 718/1, 707/1, 707/8, 707200-202, 719310-332
• US Class Current: 719/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/549 Remote execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database

Abstract

A homogeneous execution environment operates within a heterogeneous client-server network. A client selects a server and transmits a procedure call with parameters. In response, a server dynamically and securely downloads code to a compute server; invokes a generic compute method; executes the code on the compute server; and returns the results to the calling client method, preserving the result on the compute server if requested. This technique is efficient in that it does not require multiple copies of code to be downloaded or compiled since server byte-codes can be executed on each of the different systems, therefore downloading or compiling multiple copies of code can be avoided. The code can be compiled once and downloaded as needed to the various servers as byte-codes and then executed.

Claims

1. A method performed on a processor operatively coupled to a collection of servers, which enables a client associated with the processor to dynamically distribute a task to a server, the method comprising:

selecting a server to process the task;

forming a task request from parameters and data;

sending the task request to the selected server, wherein the selected server;

downloads a class definition after receiving the task request, wherein the class definition maps locations of information in the task request and allows the selected server to process the task request;

extracts parameters and data from the task request using the downloaded class definition; and

invokes a generic compute technique capable of executing a plurality of types of tasks, wherein the generic compute technique executes the task request using the extracted parameters and data; and

receiving results associated with the executed task request from the selected server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is operatively coupled to a computer system having a primary storage device, a secondary storage device, a display device, and an input/output mechanism.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the task is developed in a programming language and environment compatible with each of the server computers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the environment includes a remote procedure call subsystem.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the remote procedure call subsystem is the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is selected from a plurality of heterogeneous computer systems.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the selected server has the lowest load characteristic compared with average load characteristic of the servers over a predetermined time period.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the server comprises selecting the server based on the overall processing load distribution among the collection of servers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the server comprises selecting the server based on the specialized computing capabilities of each server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the specialized computing capabilities include a capability to render images.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending step further comprises the substeps of:

determining if code related to the requested task is present on the selected server; and

downloading the code onto the selected server when the code is not present on the selected server.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending step further comprises:

providing the task as a parameter to the generic compute method.

13. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of indicating to the server that results from a computed task should be stored in a result cache on the selected server for subsequent tasks to use.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the results are used for further processing on the client.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the results comprise an object.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the server downloads the class definition from a location indicated by a URL parameter in the task request.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the server provides the task request as a parameter to the generic compute technique.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the specialized computing capabilities include a capability to render images.

18. A method performed on a processor operatively coupled to a collection of servers, which enables a server associated with the processor to dynamically receive and process a task from a client computer wherein the task is in an executable programming language compatible with each of the server computers, the method comprising:

downloading a class definition after receiving a task request, wherein the class definition maps locations of information in the task request and allows the server to process the task request;

assembling parameters and data from a the task request into a task, using the downloaded class definition;

invoking a generic compute method, capable of processing a plurality of types of tasks, on the server, wherein the generic compute method executes the task and generates results; and

returning results to the client.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the processor is operatively coupled to a computer system having a primary storage device, a secondary storage device, a display device, and an input/output mechanism.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the task is developed in a programming language and environment compatible with each of the server computers.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the task is developed using the Java programming language and environment.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the environment includes a remote procedure call subsystem.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the remote procedure call subsystem is the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) system.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the assembling step further comprises:

determining if types related to the task are available on the server;

when types are not available on the server, downloading the types onto the server from a location as indicated by the parameters provided by the client; and

executing the task based upon the data and parameters provided by the client.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the determining step and the downloading steps are performed by a remote procedure call (RPC) subsystem.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the determining step is performed by a Remote Method Invocation (RMI) type of remote procedure call subsystem.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising the substep of storing the results from the task in a cache if a subsequent task will use the results.

28. A computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system comprising a collection of servers to perform a method for enabling a client to dynamically distribute a task to a server, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a server to process the task;

forming a task request from parameters and data;

sending the task request to the selected server, wherein the selected server;

downloads a class definition after receiving the task request, wherein the class definition maps locations of information in the task request and allows the selected server to process the task request;

extracts parameters and data from the task request using the downloaded class definition; and

invokes a generic compute method capable of executing a plurality of types of tasks, wherein the generic compute technique executes the task request on the selected server using the extracted parameters and data; and

receiving results associated with the executed task request from the selected server.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the computer system is operatively coupled to a primary storage device, a secondary storage device, a display device, and an input/output mechanism.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the task is developed in a programming language and environment compatible with each of the servers.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 30, wherein the environment includes a remote procedure call subsystem.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the remote procedure call subsystem is the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) system.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the selected server is selected from a plurality of heterogeneous computer systems.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein selecting the server comprises selecting the server based on the overall processing load distribution among the collection of servers.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein selecting the server comprises selecting the server based on a lowest load characteristic compared to an average load characteristic of the servers over a predetermined period of time.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein selecting the server comprises selecting the server based on the specialized computing capabilities of each server.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the sending step further comprises:

determining whether code related to the requested task is present on the selected server; and

downloading the code onto the selected server if the code is not present on the selected server.

39. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the sending step further comprises:

providing the task as a parameter to the generic compute method.

40. The computer readable medium of claim 28 further comprising the step of indicating to the server that results from a computed task should be stored in a result cache on the selected server for subsequent tasks to use.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the results are used for further processing on the client.

42. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the results comprise an object.

43. A computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system comprising a collection of servers to perform a method for enabling a server to dynamically receive and process a task from a client computer wherein the task is in an executable programming language compatible with each of the servers, the method comprising:

downloading a class definition after receiving a task request, wherein the class definition maps locations of information in the task request and allows the server to process the task request;

assembling parameters and data from the task request into a task, using the downloaded class definition;

invoking a generic compute method, capable of processing a plurality of types of tasks, on the server, wherein the generic compute method executes the task and generates results; and

returning results to the client.

44. The computer readable medium of claim 43, wherein the computer system is operatively coupled to a primary storage device, a secondary storage device, a display device, and an input/output mechanism.

45. The computer readable medium of claim 43, wherein the task is developed in a programming language compatible with each of the servers.

46. The computer readable medium of claim 43, wherein the task is developed using a Java programming language and environment.

47. The computer readable medium of claim 43, wherein the environment includes a remote procedure call subsystem.

48. The computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein the remote procedure call subsystem is the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) system.

49. The computer readable medium of claim 43, wherein the assembling step further comprises:

determining if types related to the task are available on the server;

when the types are not available on the server, downloading the types onto the server from a location as indicated by the parameters provided by the client; and

executing the task based upon the data and parameters provided by the client.

50. The computer readable medium of claim 49, wherein the determining step and the downloading steps are performed by a remote procedure call (RPC) subsystem.

51. The computer readable medium of claim 50, wherein the determining step is performed by a Remote Method Invocation (RMI) type of remote procedure call subsystem.

52. The computer readable medium of claim 43, further comprising:

storing the results from the task in a cache if a subsequent task will use the results.