Object manager

Abstract: An object based data processing system including an extensible set of object types and a corresponding set of "object managers" wherein each object manager is a program for operating with the data stored in a corresponding type of object. The object managers in general support at least a standard set of operations. Any program can effect performance of these standard operations on objects of any type by making an "invocation" request. In response to an invocation request, object management services (which are available to all object managers) identifies and invokes an object manager that is suitable for performing the requested operation on the specified type of data. A mechanism is provided for linking data from one object into another object. An object catalog includes both information about objects and about links between objects. Data interchange services are provided for communicating data between objects of different types, using a set of standard data interchange formats. A matchmaker facility permits two processes that are to cooperate in a data interchange operation identify each other and to identify data formats they have in common. A facility is provided for managing shared data "resources". Customized versions of resources can be created and co-exist with standard resources. A resource retrieval function determines whether a customized or a standard resource is to be returned in response to each request for a resource.

Abstract: An object oriented distributed computing system is provided. Processing means call a location service within automatically generated stubs in response to a request for a service provided by a particular object. The location service is automatically called on behalf of the requester to locate the target object when the request is issued. Multiple Object Managers reflecting multiple Object Models are permitted in the system. Programmers and users do not need to know the Object Model adhered to by an Object Manager. A request to any object in the system is independent of the Object Model of the sought object's Object Manager. A generic interface enables new Object Managers reflecting new Object Models to be easily added to the system. Availability of the target object is independent of association of the target object with a process at the time the request was issued. Deactivation of processes is automatically accomplished in response to the system needing resources.

Abstract: The present invention defines a consistent method and system for enabling components in an information system to invoke operations that may be distributed across multiple computing platforms, through the provision and use of executable operations whose behaviors are determined from information stored and extracted from a Catalog (164) using an Operation Definition Manager (82). The stored information is used by a Surrogate Object Definition Module (96) to define a Surrogate Object Type structure which enables execution of any of the operations described within it. A Surrogate Object Manager (94), along with an Operation Connection Manager (104, 118, 130 or 132), is provided which assists the user in developing applications by providing access to the definition of the input and output arguments of the operations included in the Surrogate Object Type structure (244). The present invention further includes an Operation Connection Manager (104, 118, 130 or 132) which, together with the Surrogate Object Manager (94), provides a consistent means for an Operation Requestor (92) to invoke an operation and exchange input and output arguments, independent of the intervening network communication protocol or the hardware platform type, operating system and database management system upon which the operation has been implemented.

Abstract: A distributed object oriented computer system that has two classes of object references: strong references and weak references. Weak references (or pointers) allow users to refer to an object, but does not prevent the object manager from deleting the object. A weak object reference can be converted into a strong object reference by execution of a "MakeStrong" operation, which generates a strong reference, and then deleting the weak reference. A strong object reference can be converted into a weak object reference by execution of a "MakeWeak" operation, which returns a weak reference to the object referred to in the operation's argument, and then deleting the strong reference. When an object no longer has any outstanding strong object references, deletion of the object is enabled. In another aspect of the invention, a portion of the computer's memory is set aside for a primary linker cache and a secondary linker image cache. Linker images, generated while loading programs for execution, are stored in the primary and secondary linker caches. Each linker image in the primary linker cache has strong object references to objects included in corresponding ones of the loaded programs, and each linker image in the secondary linker cache has weak object references to objects included in corresponding ones of the loaded programs.