Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

The invention relates to a software module, more particularly to a Name Service for providing client software objects with the software object reference of other software objects in a software system. Look-up requests to the Name Service are made by the objects as ordinary synchronous procedure calls. If a client requests the software object reference of a software object from the Name Service and that request cannot be satisfied by the tables of the Local Name Service, a fake software object reference is returned to the client. This allows look-up requests to terminate within a given time frame. The fake software object reference actually points back to the Name Service. When the client attempts to send a message to the software object, it does so in an asynchronous fashion. The object saves its current context and relinquishes control of the process thread and waits for a reply to its message. The Local Name Service receives the message and sends an off-node query to attempt to locate the software object reference. When it receives a reply to the query, it returns an error message to the client causing the client to repeat the look-up process. The Local Name Service is now ready to respond to the query and returns to the client the software object reference of the software object sought. This invention allows look-up requests to complete within a time length similar to that of a local look-up, without requiring the entire Name Service table to be stored on every node, and without the complexity of sending an additional asynchronous message to the Name Service before each intended asynchronous message to another object. This invention is particularly useful in the context of asynchronous software systems.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim