Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Vanessa McDonnell

Kevin Joseph McDonnell

Andy Kittridge Turk

Brian Skinner

Chiaming Yang

A method and apparatus of performing active update notification. Components of an application are able to specify interest in a data object or set of data objects by registering an interest object with an update management component of the application. The interest object specifies the interested application component, as well as the identity of one or more data objects or an attribute value or range of values to associate with data objects. When modifications are made to data objects corresponding to the registered interest objects, the interested application component or components receive an update notification from the update management component. In one embodiment, active update notification is performed within a multi-tier application. An update management component exists at the application server on the application tier, as well as at each client in the client tier. In the application tier, the update management component maintains, with respect to clients and servers, a registry of interest objects of sufficient depth to determine which clients or other servers may be interested in changes to data objects. Update notifications are then sent only to the interested clients or servers. The interest registry of the update management component in the interested client is used to resolve the interested application component, and to forward the update notification appropriately.

Method and apparatus of performing active update notification

An integrated three-tier application framework with automated class and database table generation. Schema information in the form of metadata structures is used to generate data classes for the client tier and the application tier. Corresponding client tier and application tier data classes implement a common interface that supports generalized access by other system components. Based on the schema information, factory classes are automatically generated for the client tier and application tier which permit instantiation of the generated data classes. Also, database configuration is automated by the generation of database table creation commands from the schema information. In one embodiment, a framework of management components are provided for both the client and application tiers to handle inter-tier communication, transparent caching of data objects in a public store, handling of changes to data via change objects, handling of updates in response to data changes, and resolution of query objects into database queries. Common methods are generated within each data class which recognize the use of a public store and the application of a change object scheme. Further, methods and attributes are inherited from framework superclasses that identify and interface with a public store, and that confer the concept of identity on a data class, as well as the ability to discover the attributes of the data class.

Growing community of inventors

Union City, CA, United States of America

Vanessa McDonnell