Abstract:
An intelligent self-configurable adapter is provided. Before transferring data, the adapter configures itself. After configuring itself, the adapter then starts transmitting the data. During data transmission, the adapter monitors the connection to ensure that the transmission is within a certain performance level. If the data transfer falls below the performance level, the adapter may reconfigure itself using a recovery strategy.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Technical Field  
         [0002]     The present invention is directed to business software integration. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an intelligent self-configurable adapter used in software integration.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     With the ever-increasing number of companies doing business electronically, software integration has become more and more of a requirement. Software integration is the seamless integration of disparate applications on disparate systems to provide business solutions. Specifically, companies seeking to make information available on-demand to employees, customers, suppliers and partners are providing customized interfaces to information aggregated from disparate sources. Application developers creating these business solutions inevitably have to integrate data and functionality from existing applications with the newly-customized interfaces.  
         [0005]     To facilitate software integration, integration-ready applications have been designed. An integration-ready application has its point (or points) of integration isolated from all layers of the application. One method that has been used to isolate an application&#39;s integration logic is to use adapters.  
         [0006]     An adapter is a device that is used to convert data from one format into another. Thus, the adapter receives data in one format and transmits the data into another format. Traditionally, adapters were components of packaged integration software that were purchased from Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) vendors. As such, the adapters were static. A static adapter is an adapter that cannot reconfigure itself when needed. For example, suppose an adapter is configured to transfer data between one application on one system and another application on another system using HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol). Suppose further that for some reason the data transfer fails, a static adapter may not be able to reconfigure itself to use another transport protocol to accomplish its task even if the other protocol is available.  
         [0007]     Some recently developed adapters have been able to reconfigure themselves in cases of failure. However, reconfiguration is based on pre-defined scenarios. For example, one scenario may state that if HTTP is being used to transfer data and it fails then use UDP (User Datagram Protocol). In certain instances, these pre-defined scenarios may not be flexible enough. For example, if the adapter was not designed to take advantage of a particular scenario, even if the scenario is the best one available or it is the only one available, it will not be used.  
         [0008]     Thus, what is needed is an intelligent self-configurable adapter that may advantageously use a best suited configuration to transfer information.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention provides an intelligent self-configurable adapter. When the adapter is to transmit data between two computing devices, it first accesses a descriptor file which contains certain instructions. The instructions include which transport module that should be used to transmit the data and whether the data is to be transmitted securely. The adapter then downloads the transport module and a security module, if one is needed, and configures itself. After downloading the requisite modules and configuring itself, the adapter may then start transmitting the data.  
         [0010]     During the data transmission, the adapter monitors the connection to ensure that the transmission is within a certain performance level. If data transmission falls below the performance level, the adapter may reconfigure itself using a recovery strategy.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is an exemplary block diagram illustrating a distributed data processing system according to the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is an exemplary block diagram of a server apparatus according to the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is an exemplary block diagram of a client apparatus according to the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  depicts an exemplary application integration system.  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  depicts an exemplary descriptor file.  
         [0017]      FIG. 6 a  flowchart of a process that may be used to implement the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]     With reference now to the figures,  FIG. 1  depicts a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which the present invention may be implemented. Network data processing system  100  is a network of computers in which the present invention may be implemented. Network data processing system  100  contains a network  102 , which is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within network data processing system  100 . Network  102  may include connections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables.  
         [0019]     In the depicted example, server  104  is connected to network  102  along with storage unit  106 . In addition, clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  are connected to network  102 . These clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  may be, for example, personal computers or network computers. In the depicted example, server  104  provides data, such as boot files, operating system images, and applications to clients  108 ,  110  and  112 . Clients  108 ,  110  and  112  are clients to server  104 . Network data processing system  100  may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown. In the depicted example, network data processing system  100  is the Internet with network  102  representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial, government, educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. Of course, network data processing system  100  also may be implemented as a number of different types of networks, such as for example, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN).  FIG. 1  is intended as an example, and not as an architectural limitation for the present invention.  
         [0020]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a block diagram of a data processing system that may be implemented as a server, such as server  104  in  FIG. 1 , is depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Data processing system  200  may be a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality of processors  202  and  204  connected to system bus  206 . Alternatively, a single processor system may be employed. Also connected to system bus  206  is memory controller/cache  208 , which provides an interface to local memory  209 . I/O bus bridge  210  is connected to system bus  206  and provides an interface to I/O bus  212 . Memory controller/cache  208  and I/O bus bridge  210  may be integrated as depicted.  
         [0021]     Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge  214  connected to I/O bus  212  provides an interface to PCI local bus  216 . A number of modems may be connected to PCI local bus  216 . Typical PCI bus implementations will support four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. Communications links to network computers  108 ,  110  and  112  in  FIG. 1  may be provided through modem  218  and network adapter  220  connected to PCI local bus  216  through add-in boards.  
         [0022]     Additional PCI bus bridges  222  and  224  provide interfaces for additional PCI local buses  226  and  228 , from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported. In this manner, data processing system  200  allows connections to multiple network computers. A memory-mapped graphics adapter  230  and hard disk  232  may also be connected to I/O bus  212  as depicted, either directly or indirectly.  
         [0023]     Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in  FIG. 2  may vary. For example, other peripheral devices, such as optical disk drives and the like, also may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted. The depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention.  
         [0024]     The data processing system depicted in  FIG. 2  may be, for example, an IBM e-Server pSeries system, a product of International Business Machines Corporation in Armonk, N.Y., running the Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX) operating system or LINUX operating system.  
         [0025]     With reference now to  FIG. 3 , a block diagram illustrating a data processing system is depicted in which the present invention may be implemented. Data processing system  300  is an example of a client computer. Data processing system  300  employs a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus architecture. Although the depicted example employs a PCI bus, other bus architectures such as Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) and Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) may be used. Processor  302  and main memory  304  are connected to PCI local bus  306  through PCI bridge  308 . PCI bridge  308  also may include an integrated memory controller and cache memory for processor  302 . Additional connections to PCI local bus  306  may be made through direct component interconnection or through add-in boards. In the depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter  310 , SCSI host bus adapter  312 , and expansion bus interface  314  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by direct component connection. In contrast, audio adapter  316 , graphics adapter  318 , and audio/video adapter  319  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by add-in boards inserted into expansion slots. Expansion bus interface  314  provides a connection for a keyboard and mouse adapter  320 , modem  322 , and additional memory  324 . Small computer system interface (SCSI) host bus adapter  312  provides a connection for hard disk drive  326 , tape drive  328 , and CD-ROM/DVD drive  330 . Typical PCI local bus implementations will support three or four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors.  
         [0026]     An operating system runs on processor  302  and is used to coordinate and provide control of various components within data processing system  300  in  FIG. 3 . The operating system may be a commercially available operating system, such as Windows XP™, which is available from Microsoft Corporation. An object oriented programming system such as Java may run in conjunction with the operating system and provide calls to the operating system from Java programs or applications executing on data processing system  300 . “Java” is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Instructions for the operating system, the object-oriented operating system, and applications or programs are located on storage devices, such as hard disk drive  326 , and may be loaded into main memory  304  for execution by processor  302 .  
         [0027]     Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware in  FIG. 3  may vary depending on the implementation. Other internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash ROM (or equivalent nonvolatile memory) or optical disk drives and the like, may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in  FIG. 3 . Also, the processes of the present invention may be applied to a multiprocessor data processing system.  
         [0028]     As another example, data processing system  300  may be a stand-alone system configured to be bootable without relying on some type of network communication interface, whether or not data processing system  300  comprises some type of network communication interface. As a further example, data processing system  300  may be a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, which is configured with ROM and/or flash ROM in order to provide non-volatile memory for storing operating system files and/or user-generated data.  
         [0029]     The depicted example in  FIG. 3  and above-described examples are not meant to imply architectural limitations. For example, data processing system  300  may also be a notebook computer or hand held computer in addition to taking the form of a PDA. Data processing system  300  also may be a kiosk or a Web appliance.  
         [0030]     The present invention provides a system, apparatus and method of implementing a self-configurable adapter. The invention may be local to client systems  108 ,  110  and  112  of  FIG. 1  or to the server  104  or to both the server  104  and clients  108 ,  110  and  112 . Further, the present invention may reside on any data storage medium (i.e., floppy disk, compact disk, hard disk, ROM, RAM, etc.) used by a computer system.  
         [0031]      FIG. 4  depicts an exemplary application integration system  400 . The exemplary application integration system  400  includes a client application  410 , a repository  416 , an adapter  420  and an enterprise information system (EIS)  430 . The client application  410  may be installed on any one or all of clients  108 ,  110  and  112  and contains a service module  412  and an event module  414 . The service module  412  is used to request services and to receive responses to requests from the EIS  430 . The event module is used to receive event notifications from the EIS  430 .  
         [0032]     The EIS  430  may be on server  104  and is a software module that provides information infrastructure for an enterprise. An EIS or Enterprise Information Services offers a set of services to clients through local and/or remote interfaces. In this case, these interfaces may be called adapters. Adapters are disclosed in INSTALLATION OF DATA-DRIVEN BUSINESS INTEGRATION ADAPTERS, by Gilfix et al. (IBM Docket No. AUS920030101US1), filed on ______ and in DATA-DRIVEN APPLICATION INTEGRATION ADAPTERS, by Gilfix et al. (IBM Docket No. AUS920030081US1), filed on ______. Both applications, as is the present invention, are assigned to IBM Corp. and the disclosure of both applications is herein incorporated by reference.  
         [0033]     When client application  410  submits a service request to EIS  430 , it is done through the adapter  420 , which may be installed on client  110 . The service request may be in the form of an extensible Markup Language (XML) document. When the adapter receives the XML document representing the service request, the adapter  420  uses an XML schema that is associated with the service request to translate the request to a format that the EIS  430  expects. A schema is an agreement on a common vocabulary for a particular application that involves exchanging documents. It is a model for describing structure of information.  
         [0034]     After the adapter has translated the XML document into a format understandable by the EIS  430 , the adapter  420  may forward the document to EIS  430  over network  440 . Based on the location of server  104 , the network  440  may be a LAN, WAN etc. The EIS  430  then ensures that the proper application on the server  104  receives the requested service. When the response to the requested service is ready, it is transferred to the adapter  420  in the form of an XML document. The adapter  420  then translates the XML document into a format understandable by the client application  410  before delivery.  
         [0035]     Service requests may be synchronous or asynchronous. For synchronous service requests, the client application  410  may stop all activities until a response is received. For asynchronous service requests, the client application  410  may continue to perform other tasks, but polls periodically for the response or may receive the response through a callback method. Particularly, when the client application  410  places an asynchronous request, the request is not passed immediately to the adapter  420  but rather is placed, for example, into a JMS (Java Message Service) queue system. Then, a message-driven Java bean (not shown) may pull the request off the JMS queue and pass it to the adapter  420 , which will translate and forward the request to EIS  430 . When a response to the requested service is received by the adapter  420 , it will be passed to the client application  410  by the callback method or by polling.  
         [0036]     Event notifications are always asynchronous and are used by the EIS  430  to notify client application  410  that an unsolicited task has been completed. To receive an event notification, however, the client application  410  must have subscribed to listen for the event in a message broker queue and/or a JMS queue. Specifically, the message broker (not shown) which may be embedded in the adapter  420  uses topic files to publish the event notification. The topic file associates a topic name with a schema definition. Thus, when an XML document representing the event notification is received, it will be translated, via the schema, into a format understandable by the client application  410 . (Note that all needed schemas may be stored in repository  416 ).  
         [0037]     After translation, the event is sent to an event router (not shown). The event router then sends the event notification to the message broker and JMS queues. An event router is used because there may be a plurality of client applications  410  on any one of the client systems  108 - 112  which may have subscribed to listen for the event. Just as well, there may be a plurality of client applications  410  on any one of the client systems  108 - 112  which may have not subscribed to listen for the event. Thus, the router is used as an efficient method of notification delivery.  
         [0038]     According to the present invention, the adapter  420  is a shell of an adapter. That is, the adapter  420  contains the most rudimentary software needed to download transport and/or security modules and to configure itself. Thus, before passing requests, responses and event notifications to either the EIS  430  or the client application  410 , the adapter  420  must first configure itself. To do so, it may retrieve a descriptor file from a registry. The descriptor file may contain the transport information and requirements of the client application  410 . For example, when the client application  410  requests a service, it does so by specifying the service name, the name of the application on the server that may perform the function and the XML document representing the request. Using the application name passed by the client application  410 , the adapter  420  may properly configure itself to perform the requested task.  
         [0039]      FIG. 5  depicts a portion of an exemplary descriptor file. The portion is a table on which the name of each application that may be used by the client application  410  is cross-referenced with one or more transports. For example, application 1  may use HTTPS or FTP to transfer or receive information from the EIS  430 . HTTPS transfers information using HTTP over a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection. SSL works by using a private key to encrypt data that is transferred over the SSL connection. By convention, URLs that require an SSL connection start with HTTPS instead of HTTP. Thus, before using HTTP to transfer the information, the adapter  420  may download an HTTP and an SSL module.  
         [0040]     Alternatively, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) may be used. Since security is required for application 1  and since FTP does not provide any form of security, the adapter  420  may download from a component library a Kerberos module. Kerberos is a network authentication protocol. It is designed to provide strong authentication for client/server applications by using secret-key cryptography. A free implementation of this protocol is available from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  
         [0041]     Returning to  FIG. 5 , JMS transport may be used for application 2 . Application 3  requires a non-secure HTTP transport whereas application N  requires an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) transport. SMTP is a protocol for sending e-mail messages between servers. Most e-mail systems that send mail over the Internet use SMTP to send messages from one server to another; the messages can then be retrieved with an e-mail client using either POP (Post Office Protocol) or IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).  
         [0042]     Once the adapter downloads the proper transport module as well as any needed security module, it may configure itself for use. Then, the adapter  420  may connect with EIS  430  to send or receive the information. As the information is being sent or received, the adapter may monitor the transfer rate of the information to ensure performance and efficient communication. If communication fails or performance drops below a pre-defined level (this may be defined either in the descriptor file or in the adapter configuration file), the adapter  420  may notify the user. After notification and/or under user control, the adapter  420  may reconfigure itself based on one of different recovery methods.  
         [0043]     One recovery method that may be used by the adapter  420  may be to update, re-arrange or turn on/off components in the existing configuration. For example, the adapter  420  may call the components in a different order. The adapter  420  may further disable security or perhaps switch encryption levels given a particular Service Level Agreement (SLA). An SLA is a contract between an Application Service Provider (ASP) and an end-user which stipulates and commits the ASP to a required level of service. An SLA should contain a specified level of service, support options, enforcement or penalty provisions for services not provided, a guaranteed level of system performance as relates to downtime or uptime, a specified level of customer support and what software or hardware will be provided and for what fee.  
         [0044]     Another recovery strategy is to use failover. Failover is the case in which backup transport mechanisms are used. For example, in the case of application 1  where the adapter  420  may be using the first transport protocol (i.e., HTTPS) to transfer the data, if the transfer rate falls below performance, the adapter  420  may switch over to FTP. In that case, the adapter may pause to download the FTP module and the requisite Kerberos module and change the transport mechanism.  
         [0045]     A further recovery strategy is to search the network or registry for alternative measures. A suitable alternative measure may be to find a descriptor file from the registry that matches the meta-data of the original descriptor file. Namely, it has to match the business object and data format of the original file. For example, if the transfer of information requires a secure connection, then a suitable descriptor file should also call for a secure connection. Further, the format of the XML document representing the information being transferred must be the same as that of the original descriptor file.  
         [0046]     One method of searching the network is for the adapter  420  to determine whether a different server  104  suits the required integration role. For example, if the adapter is using JMS to transfer information and notices a decline in performance, it may scan port  80  (the normal http port) of the different server  104 . If a file is received from port  80 , the adapter may examine the message contents. Using RosettaNet, for example, the adapter  420  may then determine if the new message received via HTTP is comparable in type and content to the earlier message received via JMS. Using this information, the adapter  420  may then determine whether this is a suitable backup measure. Note that Rosettanet is system-to-system XML-based dialogs that define business processes between trading partners. It includes a business document with vocabulary, and a business process with the choreography of the message dialog.  
         [0047]     Thus, if and as long as data transfers are below a performance level, the adapter  420  may continually reconfigure itself. Therefore, the adapter  420  is not restricted to any one configuration but rather uses the configuration that is best suited to transfer the information.  
         [0048]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart of a process that may be used by the present invention. The process starts when the adapter  420  is to transfer data between the EIS  430  and the client application  410  (step  600 ). The adapter may access a descriptor file to configure itself. Using the name of the application that is providing the information or is requested to perform a service, the adapter  420  may parse the descriptor file to determine what transport module as well as needed security module to download. Once the transport and security modules have been determined, they are downloaded. After downloading the requisite modules, the adapter  420  may use configuration parameters such as hostnames, port numbers, transport parameters (e.g. GET vs. POST for HTTP), user authentication (e.g. username/password pairs) from the descriptor file to configure the modules for use. The adapter  420  may then establish a connection with the EIS  430  for the transmission of the information. The adapter  420  will monitor the transmission for efficiency and performance. If performance is within specification (as may be specified in the descriptor file) throughout the transmission, the adapter may not need to reconfigure itself (steps  602  to  616 ).  
         [0049]     If at any time the transmission falls below performance, the adapter may use one of the different recovery strategies that may be available. The first recovery strategy that may be used by the adapter may be to update, re-arrange or turn on/off components etc. in the existing configuration. This strategy may be used first because it may be less time consuming to implement than the other strategies. If after implementing the first recovery strategy, the transmission is still below performance, the adapter  420  may implement a second recovery strategy. A typical second recovery strategy may be a failover strategy. To use a failover strategy, however, an alternative transport protocol must have been made available in the descriptor file. If a failover strategy is used, the adapter may have to re-configure itself.  
         [0050]     In any case, if the adapter cannot implement a failover strategy or if after implementing the failover strategy, the transmission is still below performance, the adapter  420  may use a third recovery strategy. The third recovery strategy may entail searching the registry or the network for a suitable alternative measure. If one is found, the adapter  420  may, using Rosettanet, reconfigure itself. However, if a suitable alternative measure is not found, the adapter  420  may continue the transmission using its present configuration (steps  610 ,  618 - 622 ).  
         [0051]     The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.