International Business Machines Corporation

Robert William Phippen

Peter Andrew Broadhurst

Robert Bruce Nicholson

John Hosie

Callum Peter Jackson

Brian Hulse

John Michael Knapman

Gary Thornton

Rob Nicholson

Rob Breeds

Sarah Burwood

Graham Derek Wallis

Christoph Lingenfelder

Colin Leonard Bird

Jianjun Zhang

Dorian Birsan

Wolfgang Eibach

Allen V Chan

Mark Patrick Nuttall

Ian Westbrook Parkinson

Christopher F Markes

Kim Julian Clark

Brian Michael Petrini

Christof Menzenbach

Christopher Kalus

Amanda J Watkinson

Karl-Heinz Knobl

A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, by a computing device, user input defining a workflow; receiving, by the computing device, information defining schemas at convergence points in the workflow; determining, by the computing device, a set of mapping parameters at outputs of nodes of the workflow based on the schemas; receiving, by the computing device, input values to the mapping parameters; storing, by the computing device, the input values to the mapping parameters in a structure corresponding to the schemas; and executing, by the computing device, the workflow based on the input values to the mapping parameters, wherein the executing includes invoking one or more applications residing on one or more application servers through application programming interface (API) calls.

Simplifying data mapping in complex flows by defining schemas at convergence points in a workflow

Candidate duplicate events are identified as they are executed via data replication within a distributed system. A periodicity of the identified candidate duplicate events is identified. In response to identifying the periodicity, a delay is introduced into execution of a first event related to the candidate duplicate event. A feedback loop of the distributed system is identified based on an observed delay in the timing of another event of the candidate duplicate events.

Feedback loops in data replication

A facility for processing an event of a distributed processing environment is provided. The facility includes separating a plurality of processing flows into a plurality of flow groups, each flow group having a respective identifier. The identifier of each flow group is then associated with a respective topic. Based on the occurrence of an event, a message having a topic based on the event is published along with the identifier of the flow group associated with the topic. A processing flow of the flow group having the identifier of the message may then be used to process the event.

Event processing

A method and associated system. For each message of a message batch, the message is assigned by a consumer to a partition of a log. Each partition of the log is associated with a respective processing engine. The message batch includes messages that includes the message. The consumer stores an offset value for each partition. Responsive to completion, by a distributor, of sending a last message in the message batch to the consumer, the distributor ascertains a target offset value for each partition based on a current offset value. In response to a processing engine completing processing of a message assigned to the partition associated with the processing engine, the consumer updates the stored offset value associated with the partition. The distributor determines when all messages of the batch have been processed based on the target offset values and the stored offset values.

Batch processing of messages

There is disclosed a method, apparatus and computer program for deriving overlay information from a user input for a base message schema associated with a node in a message flow. The base message schema is presented to the user and has at least one variable portion. A user selection of a variable portion of the base schema is received. The user is then provided with possible overlay schema information for the selected variable portion. A user selection of the schema to be overlaid on the selected variable portion is received. The selected overlay schema is associated with the base schema.

Deriving overlay information from a user input for a base message schema associated with a node in a message flow

A method, system, and computer program product for optimizing runtime branch selection in a flow process are provided. The method includes gathering performance metrics of flow branch behavior for executed flows in a runtime system over time and using aggregated performance metrics for the behavior to determine an optimal ordering of branches for a currently running flow. The optimal ordering is determined by identifying one or more branch points in the flow, generating ordering permutations for at least a portion of the branches in the branch point for the flow to identify any permutations that have not been executed, gathering metrics for permutation(s) of the branch point in the flow, comparing the metrics to performance metrics of executed flows having substantially similar flow branch behavior, and identifying optimal branch ordering for the permutation(s) based upon the comparison. The method also includes executing the flow according to the optimal branch ordering.

Method, system, and computer program product for optimizing runtime branch selection in a flow process

There is disclosed a method, apparatus and computer program product for processing a message using a message processing node. A message is received at the message processing node and at least one parameter value is extracted from the message. An attempt is made to select a node from a library of pre-configured nodes by using the at least one parameter value and the message is processed using the selected node. In attempting to select a node, an attempt is made to locate a pre-configured node that is appropriate for the message received and responsive to being unable to locate such a pre-configured node, a new node is configured using any parameter values extracted from the message.

Method, apparatus and computer program for processing a message using a message processing node

A message transformation selection tool and method for use in a distributed message processing system running applications on subsystems using incompatible message formats, selects the most appropriate output message format for a given input message format. Firstly, the tool determines compatibility of each field of the input message format with fields of all possible output message formats. Next, it statistically analyses the values of message fields in messages stored in message logs for each of the subsystems. On the basis of this analysis, the tool selects the best fit output message into which to transform a given input message.

Message transformation selection tool

A message transformation selection tool and method for use in a distributed message processing system running applications on subsystems using incompatible message formats, selects the most appropriate output message format for a given input message format. Firstly, the tool determines compatibility of each field of the input message format with fields of all possible output message formats. Next, it statistically analyzes the values of message fields in messages stored in message logs for each of the subsystems. On the basis of this analysis, the tool selects the best fit output message into which to transform a given input message.

Message transformation selection tool and method

Provided are apparatus and a method for establishing communications between a Web client computer in a vehicle and a Web server computer connected to the Internet or an intranet, initiated from a remote Web Browser. The Web Browser sends a request to the server, which invokes a process at the server causing a SMS message to be sent to a telephone connected to the client computer. This SMS message includes an identification of the server process (such as a URL) and causes the client computer to establish communications with the server. This allows the Browser to interact with the client computer via a standard Browser request without the overheads of security exposure of requiring the client to be a Web server. The invention is useful for allowing a remote Browser to interact with a computer controlling a vehicle's electronic control systems.

Apparatus and method for establishing communication in a computer network

An inherently serial program is processed in parallel, thus leading to higher processing speeds, while maintaining a close approximation to the specific result obtained through a serial running of the program. This goal has been attained based on the fact that the desired degree of closeness between a parallel result and the serial result depends on the particular inherently serial program being run and the type of analysis being performed. That is, some inherently serial processes require a &ldquo;fine-tuned&rdquo; result while for others a &ldquo;coarser&rdquo; result is acceptable. The frequency at which the parallel branches consolidate their respective results is changed accordingly to alter the degree of closeness between the parallel processed result and the serially processed result.

Growing community of inventors

Romsey, United Kingdom

Robert William Phippen