US 2010/0250648 A1 · CLIENT-SERVER SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACCESSING METADATA INFORMATION ACROSS A NETWORK USING PROXIES

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention include a computer-implemented systems and methods for accessing metadata across a network. A metadata server receives requests to access a data source from one or more clients. The metadata server is coupled between one or more backend servers and the clients. The backend servers may be coupled to the data sources of interest. The metadata server provides a metadata service proxy for establishing communications with the backend servers and for signaling the backend servers to establish connections to data sources. Data sources may be stateful or stateless. For stateless data sources, the metadata server may dynamically create reusable metadata service provider proxies that receive metadata from metadata service providers on the backend servers. For stateful data sources, unique metadata service provider proxies may be dynamically created and used to service client requests.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method of accessing metadata across a network, comprising:

opening first and second connection paths from first and second clients, respectively, to a data source through a metadata server;
browsing metadata at the data source by the first and second clients through the first and second connections paths, respectively;
dynamically generating a first proxy for the first client at the metadata server for communicating with the data source;
proxying a first request from the first client for a first subset of data from the data source over the first connection path through the first proxy;
receiving, at the metadata server, metadata from said data source in response to the first request;
sending to the first client a first response to the first request including the metadata;
during the sending of the first response to the first request, receiving a second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path;
and
sending to the second client a response to the second request.

6 more elements

A computer system for accessing metadata across a network comprising:

a server computer system coupled to a network;
a metadata server software component, executable on said server computer system, said metadata server software component opening first and second connection paths from first and second clients, respectively, to a data source on a remote server;
dynamically generating a first proxy for the first client for communicating with the data source;
proxying a first request from the first client for a first subset of data from the data source over the first connection path through the first proxy;
receiving metadata from said data source in response to the first request;
sending to the first client a first response to the first request including the metadata;
during the sending of the first response to the first request, receiving a second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path;
and
sending to the second client a response to the second request.

6 more elements

A computer readable medium embodying a computer program for performing a method of accessing metadata across a network, said method comprising:

opening first and second connection paths from first and second clients, respectively, to a data source through a metadata server;
browsing metadata at the data source by the first and second clients through the first and second connections paths, respectively;
dynamically generating a first proxy for the first client at the metadata server for communicating with the data source;
proxying a first request from the first client for a first subset of data from the data source over the first connection path through the first proxy;
receiving, at the metadata server, metadata from said data source in response to the first request;
sending to the first client a first response to the first request including the metadata;
during the sending of the first response to the first request, receiving a second request from the second client for a second subset of data from the data source over the second connection path;
and
sending to the second client a response to the second request.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Client-server systems and methods for accessing metadata information across a network using proxies

Life of this patent

Client-server systems and methods for accessing metadata information across a network using proxies

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20