Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Serge Andre Rigori

Osman Abdoul Ismael

Pierre Delisle

Florent Autreau

A service gateway connects at least one local client to an external network. The service gateway is operable to hold at least one service module for providing a corresponding service and to maintain a record identifying each service module held by the service gateway with an associated pointer to that service module. The service gateway includes a control mechanism providing a number of functions. The control mechanism is operable in response to a request for a service provided by a service module not present at the service gateway, to send a message to an external source for resolving the absence of a service module at the gateway in one or more iterations until a response from the external service identifies information including a service module held by the gateway that enables resolution of the absent service module(s). The service gateway is thus arranged to provide an iterative, or recursive, process for repeatedly seeking a further service until the necessary software and/or data is available at the service gateway to satisfy the original service request.

Extendable provisioning mechanism for a service gateway

Remote access to a target object, in particular a target bean object, is provided by generating a client object or objects forming a representation of a target object. The client object(s) identify(ies) methods of the target object which are accessible remotely and implements the remotely accessible methods. The target object is associated with a network adaptor for a network protocol at the remote station. The client object is associated with a network adaptor for the network protocol at the client machine. A client application can then access the target object by instantiating the client object. The target object does not need to be modified or to include specific communications code to be manipulated by a remote object.

Remote object access

Remote access to objects such as beans is provided by mapping objects onto an HTML page at the network station at which the objects are located. An HTML generator running on the same virtual machine is used dynamically to map the beans onto the HTML page. Remote access for browsing the modifying the object is then possible using a web browser supporting HTTP or HTML protocols without having to specially modify an object to permit access, for example by the provision of remote access code in the object. An application for remote bean access is in the context of a network agent for a network management system.

Method and system for remotely browsing objects

A generic management framework for a network management system enables management services and management agents to be added in use as required. Management services can be loaded or plugged into the framework dynamically. As a result a management structure can be provided which is scalable and dynamic and can evolve as requirements change. Management information is modelled as management beans. Network management adaptors can also be added as required to the framework to support protocols such as HTTP, SSL, RMI, SNMP. Remote applications can thereby control the management beans remotely through different protocols.

A network management system is generated by composing a network management model using a bean-based environment and then compiling the model to implement the computer network management system in the bean-based environment. Beans provide a set of properties, a set of methods for performing actions, and support for events and for introspection. The beans are directly able to model the characteristics of components of a system to be modelled. The beans can also be compiled directly to provide the implementation of the model. As a result, the need for a separate environment for modelling a management system from that used to implement that management system can be avoided.

Bean-based management system

An applications programming interface 20 to a telecommunications management network includes a command language interpreter 24 and a compiler 40. A command string input/output format is provided, the command strings 42 including network management parameters. The interpreter includes interpreter scripts for converting the network management parameters between the command string format and a network management protocol compatible format. The compiler compiles interpreter scripts for encoding and decoding user defined parameter types, which are then loaded dynamically to the interpreter. The interface provides a convenient 'command line' API, while at the same time permitting extensions to the interpreter in a dynamic manner.

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Proveyzieux, France

Serge Andre Rigori