EP0732834A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System and method for determining and manipulating configuration information of servers in a distributed object environment
Assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc
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Filing: 1996-03-14
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-03-14
Abstract
Abstract A computer system in a distributed object programming environment includes a number of host computers providing services to clients on a network through internally stored servers. Various types of configuration information for each server are available to clients through persistent server administrators, which are objects containing such information about individual servers. A server administrator can store such information as startup execution definitions, saved program definition, object interfaces and implementations, reaping, tracing, and logging configuration data. Being persistent and external to the server, the server administrator can manipulate and determine its information about a server in response to client requests without starting up the server, thereby facilitating system administration.
Inventors
- 👤 Roderick J. Mcchesney
- 👤 Gregory B. Nuyens
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 14:18
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/44; G06F9/445; G06F9/44505; H; H04; H04L; H04L41/00; H04L41/08; H04L41/085; H04L41/0853; H04L67/00; H04L67/01; H04L67/10; H04L67/1001; H04L69/00; H04L69/30; H04L69/32; H04L69/322; H04L69/329; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; H04L41/02; H04L41/0213; H04L41/0803; H04L41/0813; H04L41/082
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 33
Claim 1
Independent Claim
87 words
A computer system for accessing and manipulating configuration information about a server without starting up the server as a process, comprising: at least one persistent server administrator object associated with the server, and stored externally to the server, and including: a plurality of machine readable storage structures adapted to contain configuration information of the server; a plurality of machine executable structures adapted to access and manipulate the machine readable storage structures, the machine readable storage structures updated to include selected configuration information during registration of the server.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
52 words
The computer system of claim 1 further comprising: at least one client object executing as a client process; wherein the server administrator object is adapted to receive invocations of the machine executable structures from a client object, and in response to the invocations, to provide selected configuration information to the client object.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
112 words
The computer system of claim 1 further comprising: at least one client object executing as a client process; and a basic object adapter communicatively coupled between the client object and the server and adapted to provide the client object access to objects within the server, the basic object adapter further adapted to store execution configuration information of the server to invoke the server in response to a request from the client object; wherein the server administrator object is adapted to receive invocations of the machine executable structures from a client object, and in response to the invocations, to update the execution configuration information of the server stored in a basic object adapter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
53 words
The computer system of one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a primary storage adapted to store the server as a server process including objects and data; and a processing unit adapted to execute a server and object methods, each executed server or object method being a process in the primary storage;
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
60 words
The computer system of claim 4, wherein selected ones of the structures of the server administrator object further comprise: a process identification structure adapted to determine a process identifier of the server executing as a process by the processing unit without invoking the server if the server is not currently executing; and, a structure adapted to store the process identifier.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
95 words
The computer system of claim 1, wherein selected ones of the structures of the server administrator object further comprise: a name structure adapted to determine a name for the server, and a structure adapted to store the name; a host name structure adapted to determine a computer name of the host computer including the associated server, and a structure adapted to store the computer name; and an execution definition structure adapted to determine an execution definition structure containing at least a current pathname for the server, and a structure adapted to store the execution definition.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
59 words
The computer system of claim 6, wherein the execution definition structure is further adapted to establish a current program definition including a current set of command line arguments and a current set of environment parameters to be used with the server when the server is executed, and is coupled to a structure adapted to store the current program definition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
71 words
The computer system of claim 7, wherein selected ones of the structures of the server administrator object further comprise: a structure adapted to store a saved program definition for the server, the saved program definition including a backup pathname of the server, a backup set of command line arguments, and a backup set of environment parameters; and, a structure adapted to restore the current program definition with the saved program definition.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The computer system of claim 6, wherein the execution definition structure is further adapted to determine a pathname of a data directory associated with the server.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
64 words
The computer system of claim 1, wherein selected ones of the structures of the server administrator object further comprise: a structure adapted to determine whether the server associated with the server administrator is executing as a process without invoking the server if the server is not currently executing; and, a structure adapted to store a boolean value indicative of whether the server is executing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
50 words
The computer system of claim 1, wherein selected ones of the structures of the server administrator object further comprise: a structure adapted to establish a hold down value in an execution definition of the server used to invoke the server; and, a structure adapted to store the hold down value.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
61 words
The computer system of claim 1, wherein the machine executable structures of the server administrator object further comprise: a structure adapted to interpose an executable application for the server when the server is invoked; and, a structure adapted to store a program definition for the executable application, including a pathname for the executable application, and a set of command line arguments.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
156 words
The computer system of claim 1, wherein: the server further includes a machine executable deallocation structure adapted to automatically deallocate idle objects within the server when the server is executing as a process, the machine executable deallocation structure operating according to selected ones of the machine readable storage structures in the server administrator object; wherein the selected ones of the machine readable storage structures include: a first attribute that enables or disables the machine executable deallocation structure; a second attribute that establishes a cycle time for the machine executable deallocation structure; and, a third attribute that establishes an maximum time interval for which the server can be idle, such that the server is automatically shutdown by machine executable deallocation structure after a time interval equal to or exceeding the maximum time interval; and wherein selected ones of the machine executable structures of the server administrator object establish selected ones of the first, second, and third attributes.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
126 words
The computer system of claim 1, wherein: the computer system includes a machine executable logging structure adapted to log information regarding the execution of the server, the machine executable logging structure operating according to selected ones of the machine readable storage structures in the server administrator object; wherein the selected ones of the machine readable storage structures include: a first attribute that enables or disables logging by an operating system process; and a second attribute that identifies at least one log file used by the machine executable logging structure to store information, and that establishes a maximum file size for the log file; and wherein selected ones of the machine executable structures of the server administrator object establish selected ones of the first, and second attributes.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
91 words
The computer system of claim 1, wherein selected ones of the machine readable storage structures of the server administrator object further include: a structure adapted to store a heart beat interval value indicative of a frequency for the server to send a signal to the server administrator to indicate that the server is currently executing; and, a structure adapted to store a maximum value indicative of a maximum number of signals that the server administrator may not receive prior to initiating a process to determine whether the server is currently executing.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
103 words
The computer system of claim 1, wherein: the server further includes at least one tracing facility; the computer system further includes a machine executable tracing structure adapted to output conditional information according to at least one tracing facility in the server; and selected ones of the machine executable structures of the server administrator object further comprise: a structure adapted to define a tracing configuration including a tracing facility and a set of trace flags, and a structure adapted to store the tracing configuration; and, a structure adapted to update the tracing facilities in the server with tracing facilities stored in the server administrator.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
44 words
The computer system of claim 16, wherein selected ones of the machine executable structures include: a structure that enables at least one trace flag in a specified tracing facility; and, a structure that disables at least one trace flag in a specified tracing facility.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
50 words
The computer system of claim 1, wherein selected ones of the machine executable structures include: a structure adapted to store an identification of each object interface provided by the server; and, a structure adapted to store an identification of each object implementation in the server that implements a object interface.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
100 words
A method for determining and manipulating current configuration information for a server on a host computer, the method comprising the steps of: creating an instance of a persistent first object in a host computer; associating the first object with the server during installation of the server, the first object having access to current configuration information of the server; receiving by the first object a request from a client for current configuration information about the server; and returning to the client current configuration information without invoking the server when the server is not executing as a process on the host computer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of: storing in the first object current configuration information upon registration of the server; and updating selected stored current configuration information each time the server is executed as a process on the host computer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: receiving by the first object a request from a client for current process information about the server; and invoking from the first object a second object internal to server to obtain the process information.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 19, wherein the first object is a server administrator object.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: determining an execution definition for the server; and, storing the execution definition in the first object.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 23, wherein the execution definition includes a program definition, the method further comprising the steps of: storing a saved program definition for the server in the first object; altering the execution definition to provide a new program definition, and, restoring the saved program definition into the execution definition.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 23, further comprising the steps of: storing a hold down value in the execution definition; and suppressing execution of the server according to the hold down value when the server is invoked by a client.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: invoking a pseudo object to determine if the server is currently executing as a process; returning a process identifier if the server is executing; and, storing a value indicating that the server is executing.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: storing a program definition for an executable application in an execution definition of the server in the first object; and interposing the executable application according to the program definition when the server is invoked by a client.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
88 words
The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: storing in the first object an attribute for enabling or disabling a process for automatically deallocating idle objects within the server; storing in the first object an attribute for establishing a cycle time for the process; storing in the first object an attribute for establishing a maximum time interval for which the server can be idle before the server is shutdown by the process; and shutting down the server when the maximum time interval is equalled or exceeded.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: storing in the first object an attribute for enabling or disabling logging by an operating system process; storing in the first object an attribute for identifying at least one log file for storing information; and, storing in the first object an attribute for establishing a maximum file size for the log file.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
114 words
The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: storing in the first object a heart beat interval value indicative of a frequency for the server to send a signal to the first object to indicate that the server is currently executing; storing in the first object a maximum value indicative of a maximum number of signals that the first object may not receive prior to initiating a process to determine whether the server is currently executing; and initiating a process from the first object to determine whether the server is currently executing if the first object does not receive a number of signals equal to or exceeding the maximum number of signals.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: determining a tracing configuration including at least one tracing facility and a set of trace flags in the server; storing in the first object the tracing configuration; and periodically updating the tracing facilities in the server with tracing facilities stored in the first object.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of: selectively enabling at least one trace flag in a specified tracing facility in the first object.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: storing in the first object an identification of each object interface provided by the server; and, storing in the first object an identification of each object implementation in the server that implements a object interface.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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