Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Distributed data processing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-28
2003-10-14
Najjar, Saleh (Department: 2157)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Distributed data processing
C709S241000, C709S241000, C709S241000, C709S220000, C709S222000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06633898
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a distributed processing system comprising a server and a client connected to each other through a network for providing services to a user, a distributed processing method, a computer-readable recording medium with a program for making a computer execute the method recorded therein, a server, and a client device. More specifically, this invention relates to a distributed processing system which reduces work loads to the server and the client both when executing a service program required for realizing the service and also reduces the needs for maintenance of the service program, a distributed processing method, and a computer-readable recording medium with a program for making a computer execute the method recorded therein, a server device and a client device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, with consolidation and improvement of infrastructure for communications and also with popularization of LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, a distributed processing system enabling users to receive desired services through a network has been generally used. Especially the client server system comprising a plurality of client devices (described simply as client hereinafter) used by the user and a server device (described simply as server) which provides the services, with which a client can receive a desired service by accessing the server, has been established as an optimal network connection system for sharing or managing service resources on the network.
On the other hand, by expanding mutual connection between networks each independently functioning in an area or in a business organization from LAN to WAN (Wide Area Network) and further to Internet, a scale of networks to which a user, namely the client can be connected is becoming larger. Further, a number of users making use of a network, namely a number of the clients belonging to each network is also increasing, and with the expansion of the network scale as described above, work load to a server and communication traffics have been becoming disadvantageously larger.
To solve the problems as described above, at present, there is a tendency for distribution of work load during execution of services by preparing a plurality of servers corresponding to types of services to be provided even in a small-scale network. For instance, various types of server such as a data base server for providing a data base service, a file server for managing files in batch, a mail server for managing electronic mails (emails), and a computational server dedicated for large-scale and complicated computation are distributed on a network.
As described above, because technological progress in the field of software for service transaction on a network is observed, a technological progress in devices connected to a network, especially in hardware available as a client is strongly desired. A client generally comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for executing an operating system or various types of application programs, a memory for storing therein data or programs executed by the CPU, input devices such as a keyboard or a mouse, and a display unit such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display. A server has the same configuration as that of a client, but sometimes peripheral device(s) for providing various types of service may be connected thereto.
As for configuration of a client, the specification is largely classified according to the type of the CPU used, and in many cases, by employing an operating system suited to this CPU the client may be operate as a stand-alone machine.
Thus, even between clients based of different types of hardware specifications, there are needs and inevitability for effective utilization for common resources by connecting the resources to a network. Namely, user's demands for receiving required services provided through a server from clients in which different types of hardware specifications are used increasingly becoming higher. To satisfy the needs and demands, it is required to provide a service program for accessing a server which provides the services, in addition to execute communications using the same communication protocol as that employed in the network, namely to make the communication interfaces common. This service program is executed on the client, so that the service program must be prepared discretely according to hardware specifications of the client, especially an operating system being used on the client.
In the distributed type of groupware or distributed type of network services or the like based on the conventional technology, functions required for the services are previously registered in a server or a client in the form of the above mentioned service program. This service program flexibly responds to the differences in the interfaces between different types of hardware specifications or differences in the interfaces between the operating systems and provides services from the servers to the clients.
As an example of a case in which a client receives services from a server, a case in which a client acquires desired data from a data base of the server is explained here. The server as a destination for access comprises a storage device such as a large capacity hard disk or the like. This server is a data base server with a data base constructed on a memory area of this storage device. The client has a service program (described as retrieving program hereinafter) previously installed therein for accessing this data base server to retrieve and acquire desired data.
To begin with, the client starts the retrieving program. It is assumed herein that connection with the data base server has been established at this stage. This retrieving program generally includes a query input processing for accepting input of conditions for retrieving (a query), and a result display processing for displaying a result of retrieving transferred from the server. A user completes input of a query using an input device provided in the client and by inputting keywords or successively selecting the categories shown by the retrieving program.
When query input processing is over, the retrieving program transmits information for the inputted query to the data base server, and requests for retrieval and transfer of the data. A service program corresponding to the retrieving program of the client is executed as a daemon in the data base server. The data base server identifies the data desired by the user from the vast amount of data accumulated in a storage device of the server immediately when information for the query is received from the client. Then the data base server transmits the identified data to the client who had requested the data.
The retrieving program in the client receives this data transmitted from the data base server and displays the data on a display unit. Thus, the user can acquire the desired data. As described above, the client can make use of a vast amount of required data only by incorporating a retrieving program which is a relatively small scale program as the service program.
As an another example of the distributed processing system based on the conventional technology, there is the client server system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 10-21081. This client server system divides an application program being executed by a client (a service program) into a plurality of modules which can be executed discretely. The application program comprising the plurality of modules is stored in a storage device of the server. When a client accesses this server to make use of any service, the client downloads in a storage device of the client only the module(s) required for execution of the program of application programs stored in the server and executes the module(s).
While executing one module, if it is required to execute another module, the client downloads this additionally required module from the server. When downloading a module(s), if a total volume of the down-loaded module (s) exceeds a specified capacity, the
Seguchi Yoshiyuki
Yamashima Hiroyuki
Fujitsu Limited
Najjar Saleh
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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