Digital Equipment Corporation

Andrew P Wilson

Neal F Jacobson

Robert L Travis

Michael J Renzullo

Alan N Ewald

In response to a message requesting a method invocation from an application or user, a client application determines the proper method to be invoked by retrieving information from a class data base, comparing the retrieved information with user preferences, and selecting the proper method based upon the comparison. Server connection and start-up involves locating a platform capable of executing code associated with the selected method and, if necessary, executing a process to start an application associated with the selected method.

Method and apparatus for object-oriented invocation of a server

A method and apparatus providing for the interaction of processes in an object-oriented manner by which a system manages 'classes' of data instances and applications rather than managing the data itself. The names of classes may be stored in a data base which also contains other information about the classes, such as certain con, non attributes of applications or instances which are supported by the classes. Applications can remotely invoke other applications by sending messages with parameters. Using the message names, as well as information about the classes of certain parameters and certain preference information, a reference to a specific method is selected from the data base. That method will perform the operation specified in the message. Other information in the data base is then used to locate and execute the actual code to implement the referenced method.

Methods and apparatus for providing dynamic invocation of applications

The system for organizing communication among applications in a data processing network includes data bases and data base control means. The data bases include method entries, message entries, and class entries. Method entries refer to commands or other mechanisms used to invoke applications. Message entries each represent a type of operation which can be performed on instances in a class which correspond to that message and identify a method map which contains one or more references to method entries stored in the data base. Class entries, each of which is unique in a data base, contain information about classes consisting of instances which have common characteristics as well as identifying a corresponding group of message entries. The data base control means includes an invoker for identifying a method entry corresponding to the instance identifier and type of operation identified in a request for remote invocation of an application, and a dispatcher for transmitting the command identified in the method entry to the remote application. The system may include data bases in a data processing network comprised of one or more platforms or nodes and may be either global data bases accessible to the entire network or local data bases, each of which is accessible to only a part of the network.

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Burghfield Common, United Kingdom

Andrew P Wilson