Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer data routing – Least weight routing
Reexamination Certificate
1995-02-17
2001-09-11
Courtenay, III, St. John (Department: 2151)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer data routing
Least weight routing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289394
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an agent management system, and more particularly to a system for monitoring and controlling an agent from its external environment, in a distributed processing system comprising a single computer or a plurality of computers inter-connected through a workstation and agents being application objects for autonomously operating thereon, and also to a system for constituting the agents to operate in such a manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1
of the accompanying drawings shows a composition of an application coordinating operation system described in Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 4-192112 filed by the present applicant. In
FIG. 1
, the numerals designate respectively:
65
, a process-request input means;
66
, a process-request accept means for accepting a process request from the process request input means
65
;
71
, an application coordinating operation environment which is composed of an environmental information monitoring means
67
for monitoring environmental information based on the process request from the processing request receiving means
66
, coordinating operation environmental state information
68
, and an environmental state information access means operating based on the application program
70
;
72
, a processed results output means for outputting a processed result of the environmental information monitoring means
67
in the application coordinating operation environment
71
.
In the aforementioned composition, the application coordinating operation environment
71
monitors the environmental information using the environmental state information access means
69
, the coordinating operation environmental state information
68
and the environmental information monitoring means
67
in accordance with the plurality of application programs
70
on the basis of the process request having been input from the process request input means
65
to the process request accept means
66
, and outputs the processed results to the processed results output means
72
.
In this application coordinating operation system, since a plurality of application programs
70
can actively function, it is possible to obtain desired processed results just by issuing process requests from the process-request input means
65
without requiring the system user to clearly indicate the names and positions of a plurality of applications to be used, the starting order of the applications, or data transference relationship among the applications.
FIG. 2
is a conceptual view of a conventional method for encapsulating applications shown in FIG. [2.1] of “Tools-Unifying Method in Software Developing Environment “Soft Beech/Encapsulator in UNIX”” (published by Yokogawa Hewlett Packard Co., Ltd. in July 1992).
As shown in
FIG. 2
, a window-based interface is accommodated at a portion where a standard input “stdin” and a standard output “stdout” are mutually communicated like in a pipeline, and are encapsulated.
This conventional encapsulating method is based on a so-called pipeline model in which an existing application program in the UNIX operating system reads out data from the standard input “stdin” and writes through the standard output “stdout” and a not shown standard error “stderr”. In such a state, according to this method, the user can input and output instructions to the application (command of the UNIX) through the window-based interface i.e. a graphical user interface (GUI) without needing to change the source code of the application. This process is called encapsulation.
On the other hand,
FIG. 3
shows a system diagram showing a conventional method for encapsulating applications described in “A Framework “SoftBench” Having Realized Inter-tools Unification” (published by Yokogawa Hewlett Packard Co., Ltd. in September 1992). This is a specific example of the concept shown in FIG.
2
. In
FIG. 3
, the numerals designate respectively:
73
, an operating system including signal processing
74
;
75
, a system call;
76
, a BMS (Broadcast Message Server);
77
, an event handler;
78
, a system event trap;
79
, a message event trap;
80
, a program capable of being executed by an existing application;
81
, an application event trap;
82
, a user event trap;
83
, an X server;
84
, a human interface including a display terminal
85
;
86
, a standard input (Stdin);
87
, a standard output (Stdout) and a standard error output (stderr); and
88
, an EDL (Enclosing-type encapsulating program: Encapsulator describing language).
In the aforementioned composition, when the existing application
80
follows a pipeline model, a GUI object suitable for the input/output form of the data to/from the application is set. The EDL
88
is used to describe the event handler
77
in order to connect the input/output data patterns to the GUI object. The event handler
77
newly provides a GUI object being displayed on the X server
83
of the display terminal
85
presenting the human interface
84
, and the user event trap
82
in the event handler
77
receives the event generated by the GUI object. The corresponding data defined in the event handler
77
are then input to the existing application
80
through the standard input
86
.
The output from the existing application
80
is transferred to the application event trap
81
via the standard output and standard error output
87
, and is also displayed on the screen of the display terminal
85
through the X server
83
to be viewed by the user.
It is also possible to describe: the issuance of the system call
75
; processing of the signal from the operating system
73
; or the communicating operation with the BMS
76
; in the event handler
77
.
The signal processing
74
is accepted by the system event trap
78
and is then processed in the event handler
77
. The BMS
76
controls the broadcasting of the message between other applications. The message event trap
79
receives the message from the BMS
76
, and cooperation with other applications can thus be indirectly realized. These series of processes are described as an encapsulated program in the form of the event handler
77
by use of the EDL
88
.
This encapsulating program is processed in accordance with the operation shown by way of a flow diagram in FIG.
15
.
FIG. 4
is equivalent to FIG. [2.3] shown in the aforementioned “Tools-Unifying Method in a Software Developing Environment “Soft Becch/Encapsulator” in UNIX” (published by Yokogawa Hewlett Packard Co., Ltd. in July 1992).
When the system starts operating, an action function is set in step S
1
.
In the next step S
2
, the event to be dealt with in the system is defined by use of a function make—event.
In step S
3
, the construction of the GUI i.e. the object, is defined by use of a function make—manager and make—object.
In step S
4
, the system enters an event processing loop with display and start functions, and thereafter, processes
1
,
2
and n of steps S
5
, S
6
and Sn respectively corresponding to each event are continued by an event-driven method.
Since the conventional autonomous coordinating environment is constructed as the aforementioned application coordinating operation system, it is possible to readily monitor and control the autonomous coordinating environment from the outside. It is quite hard, however, to finely monitor and control the applications and agents actually operating and functioning in that environment directly from the outside in accordance with the external environment.
Further, if there is any information becoming newly necessary and which has not been previously provided in the agents or applications, it is impossible to add and monitor/control such information in order to monitor and control the agents and the applications in such a system.
Meanwhile, even when monitoring/controlling operations being common to a plurality of agents or applications in a system are to be executed, it is necessary to previously build in each agent application the common method necessary
Courtenay III St. John
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
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