Dynamic lookup service in a distributed system

• US 7,734,747 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2003
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Wollrath, Ann M., Murphy, Brian T., Arnold, Kenneth C. R. C., Pan, Zane, Scheifler, Robert W., Waldo, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza; Faruk
• Application Number:
  US10/669,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,448 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/203, 709217-219, 709/223, 709/238, 709/242, 709/245, 707/3, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0261 using reference counting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/54 by adding security routines or objects to programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/462 Lookup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• 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: G06F 9/548 Object oriented; Remote method invocation [RMI] non-remote method invocation G06F9/449
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40032 Details regarding a bus interface enhancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40169 Flexible bus arrangements arrangements for maintenance or administration involving management of faults; events, alarms H04L41/06; automatic restoration of network faults H04L41/0654
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/417 with deterministic access, e.g. token passing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• 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 67/561 : Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• 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

Abstract

An improved lookup service is provided that allows for the dynamic addition and deletion of services. This lookup service allows for the addition and deletion of services automatically, without user intervention. As a result, clients of the lookup service may continue using the lookup service and its associated services while the updates occur. Additionally, the lookup service provides a notification mechanism that can be used by clients to receive a notification when the lookup service is updated. By receiving such a notification, clients can avoid attempting to access a service that is no longer available and can make use of new services as soon as they are added to the lookup service.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a client lookup manager, from a client computer, a request to access a network service, said client lookup manager having an associated cache, said client computer being an element of a distributed system, said distributed system comprising a plurality of lookup services with associated network services; and

the client look up manager;

searching the associated cache for a service reference associated with an instance of the requested network service;

returning, when said searching step is successful, the instance of the requested network service to the client computer;

sending, when said searching step is unsuccessful, a request for the service reference to a lookup service, said service reference identifying the requested network service, said request including an integer argument representing a desired maximum number of references matching said service reference that should be returned; and

storing said matching references in the associated cache.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching step further comprises searching a table of the plurality of lookup services and the associated network services for said service reference.

3. A computer-readable storage device containing instructions encoded thereon for a data client lookup manager to implement a method, the method comprising the steps:

receiving, at a client lookup manager, from a client computer, a request to access a network service, said client lookup manager having an associated cache, said client computer being an element of a distributed system, said distributed system comprising a plurality of lookup services with associated network services; and

the client look up manager;

searching the associated cache for a service reference associated with an instance of the requested network service;

returning, when said searching step is successful, the instance of the requested network service to the client computer;

sending, when said searching step is unsuccessful, a request for the service reference to a lookup service, said service reference identifying the requested network service, said request including an integer argument representing a desired maximum number of references matching said service reference that should be returned; and

storing said matching references in the associated cache.

4. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 3, wherein the searching step further comprises searching a table of the plurality of lookup services and associated network services for the said service reference.

5. A distributed system comprising:

a server computer with a lookup service having references to a plurality of network services; and

a client computer including a client lookup manager with an associated cache, wherein said client lookup manager;

receives, from the client computer, a request to access a network service;

searches the associated cache for a service reference associated with an instance of the requested network service;

returns, when said searching step is successful, the instance of the requested network service to the client computer;

sends, when said searching step is unsuccessful, a request for the service reference to the lookup service, said service reference identifying the requested network service, said request including an integer argument representing a desired maximum number of references matching said service reference that should be returned; and

stores said matching references in the associated cache.