Version resiliency for a host application and managed code

• US 8,181,188 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Quinn, Thomas E., Shneerson, Michael, Whitechapel, David A., Robertson, William A., Vajranabhaiah, Pallavi
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Application Number:
  US11/675,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20080201700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: 717/170, 719/328
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44536 Selecting among different versions

Abstract

A method and architecture for increasing version resiliency between a host application that is unmanaged code and managed code is provided. A version resiliency technique specifies that the host application and the managed code communicate via an adapter that implements a protocol to access an object exposed by the host application. The version resiliency technique specifies that when a new version of the host application that impacts an interface exposed by the object of the host application is released, a new version of the adapter that executes within the application domain of the custom code is released. A version of managed code that adheres to the protocol will correctly interact with new versions of the host application that include a new version of the object because a new implementation of the adapter is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for providing version resiliency between a host application that is unmanaged code and managed code, the host application and the managed code communicating via an adapter and a proxy that implement a protocol, by a method comprising:

when a new version of the host application that impacts an interface exposed by an object of the host application is released, releasing a new version of the adapter for the object that factors in the impact of the exposed object, the adapter for executing in the same application domain as the managed code, wherein the adapter and proxy are instantiated within the application domain of the managed code; and

when a new version of managed code that impacts an interface exposed by the proxy is released, releasing a new version of the proxy for the object that factors in the impact of the interaction.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein if a new version of the host application that does not impact an interface exposed by an object of the host application is released, a new version of the adapter need not be released.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the adapter can expose types of data that are not constrained by restrictions on inter-application domain communications.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the types of data that the adapter exposes include objects that adhere to the Component Object Model.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the managed code executes in a .NET FRAMEWORK.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the host application and the managed code are on different release cycles.

7. A method for providing version resiliency among a host application, a custom code runtime, and custom code, the host application being unmanaged code and the custom code being managed code, the host application and the custom code runtime communicating via an adapter that implements a protocol that is exposed to a proxy of the custom code, the host application, the custom code runtime, and the custom code executing in separate application domains, by a method comprising:

when a new version of the host application that impacts an interface exposed by an object of the host application is released, releasing a new version of a custom code runtime that provides an adapter for the object that factors in the impact of the exposed object, the adapter for executing as managed code within an application domain of the custom code runtime that is separate from the application domain of the host application and the application domain of the custom code so that when a version of the host application is released that impacts the interface exposed by the object, custom code can be developed to interact with the impacted interface via the adapter of the custom code runtime.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the object exposes an interface that adheres to the Component Object Model.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the managed code executes in a .NET FRAMEWORK.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the host application, the custom code runtime, and the custom code are on different release cycles.

11. A method for providing version resiliency among a host application, a custom code runtime, and custom code, the host application being unmanaged code and the custom code being managed code, the host application and the custom code runtime communicating via an adapter that implements a protocol that is exposed to a proxy of the custom code, the host application, the custom code runtime, and the custom code executing in separate application domains, by a method comprising:

when a new version of the host application that impacts an interface exposed by an object of the host application is released, releasing a new version of a custom code runtime that provides an adapter for the object that factors in the impact of the exposed object, the adapter for executing as managed code within an application domain of the custom code runtime that is separate from the application domain of the host application and the application domain of the custom code so that when a version of the host application is released that impacts the interface exposed by the object, custom code can be developed to interact with the impacted interface via the adapter of the custom code runtime; and

when a new version of custom code that impacts an interface exposed by the proxy is released, releasing a new version of the proxy for the object that factors in the impact of the interaction.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein if a new version of the host application that does not impact an interface exposed by an object of the host application is released, a new version of the custom code runtime need not be released.

13. A computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions for providing version resiliency between a host application that is unmanaged code and managed code, the host application and the managed code communicating via an adapter and a proxy that implement a protocol, by a method comprising:

when a new version of the host application that impacts an interface exposed by an object of the host application is released, releasing a new version of the adapter for the object that factors in the impact of the exposed object, the adapter for executing in the same application domain as the managed code, wherein the adapter and proxy are instantiated within the application domain of the managed code; and

when a new version of managed code that impacts an interface exposed by the proxy is released, releasing a new version of the proxy for the object that factors in the impact of the interaction.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13 wherein if a new version of the host application that does not impact an interface exposed by an object of the host application is released, a new version of the adapter need not be released.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14 wherein the managed code executes in a .NET FRAMEWORK.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14 wherein the host application and the managed code are on different release cycles.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13 wherein the adapter can expose types of data that are not constrained by restrictions on inter-application domain communications.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17 wherein the types of data that the adapter exposes include objects that adhere to the Component Object Model.