The present invention employs a generative approach for configuring systems such that a system may be configured based on component or resource requests, or input in the form of need. The present invention provides a constraint-based configuration system using a structural model hierarchy. The structural aspects of the model provide the ability to define a model element as being contained in, or by, another model element. In addition, the structural model provides the ability to identify logical datatype and physical interconnections between elements and establish connections between elements. To configure a system, the present invention accepts input in the form of requests (e.g., component or resource) or needs, such as an expression of a need for a desktop computer system to be used in a CAD (i.e., computer-aided design) environment. Using this information, the present invention configures a system by identifying the resource and component needs, constraints imposed on or by the resources or components identified, and the structural aspects of the system.

Method and apparatus for configuring systems

User interface objects are stored in a user interface object archive which is a database physically located in the shared library of an associated application program. In order to facilitate "localization", or preparation of an application developed in one language for use in an "area" or a locale which uses another language, the user interface objects are stored in a hierarchical locale tree within the archive. All objects are stored in the base or root of the hierarchy, but only those objects which require a translation are stored in an area associated with a more specific locale. At runtime, a complete collection of objects is assembled by starting at the desired locale and proceeding up the hierarchy level-by-level. Translated objects at lower levels of the hierarchy "override" those at higher levels so that the most complete translations of each object are obtained during this search. The user interface objects which are stored in an archive are actually created via a predefined "constructor" program, and, in order to allow newly-created user interface objects to use the predesigned constructor program, each user interface object is contained in a special "escort" object that interfaces with the constructor program. A user can edit an existing object, and change its class. This results in a new object of the new class being created. The existing attributes of the old object are transferred to the new object. Only the attributes known to the common base class or classes of the two objects are transferred. The new object is substituted for the old object, and the old object is deleted.

Method and apparatus for dynamic update of an existing object in an object editor

A method, system and program for testing programmatic interfaces by systematically exploring valid call sequences defined by a collection of subroutines with a collection of data. The subject invention does not explicitly write unit tests. Instead, it provides the tools to develop rules which model and verify the correct operation of software while leaving the complexities of test selection, execution, sequencing, coverage, and verification to an automated system. The number of test scenarios generated by the system depends upon cumulative execution time and is reliably independent of human effort.

Automated testing system

Object-oriented client-server facility (CSF) and networking service facility (NSF) interfaces implement communication between application programs residing in client and server nodes at a distributed services network. The CSF interface includes remote procedure call (RPC) objects for invoking and responding to service requests at the nodes and application programming interface (API) objects for transporting those requests between the nodes. However, the API objects only provide communication transports within a node. Accordingly, the API and RPC objects interact with dynamically-configurable protocol stacks within the NSF interfaces to complete the transport mechanism needed by an application program on the client node when accessing services on a remote server node.

Object-oriented remote procedure call networking system

On a multi-node client server network, a client node obtains access to remote services by means of a communications directory service located in each node of the network. The communications directory service includes a tree structure to which existing directory services and other network services can be added. The tree structure has a plurality of nodes each of which includes specific methods that query and browse the associated directory service if such actions are supported by the underlying service. The communications directory service further includes shared libraries which store a service object associated with each service offered on the network. The service object, in turn, includes the service exchange address and communication link configuration information. A client desiring to access a remote service retrieves the appropriate service object from the communications directory service and uses the service object to set up the communications path.

System for activating new service in client server network by reconfiguring the multilayer network protocol stack dynamically within the server node

An object placement method and apparatus which obtains efficiency and optimized placement by providing a library of object placement patterns, each pattern in said library representing a plurality of objects filling a pattern line or series of pattern lines of a three-dimensional space. For each pattern line, a first type object (for example, a first size object) to be placed is selected and the pattern which minimizes the portion of the three-dimensional space used to place a number of first type objects, subject to at least one constraint factor, is determined. A representation of the objects in the rows according to the determined pattern may be provided. According to another aspect of the invention, linking restrictions between the objects of differing sizes may be provided. The linking restrictions are patterns from the library which may not be employed with objects of differing types in a line of the three-dimensional space. The linking restrictions may reject patterns that lead to irregular pattern geometries, inefficient use of space, unstable characteristics or any other undesirable configuration of the two object types in a single pattern line. The element placement technique of the present invention determines the patterns which minimize the portions of the three-dimensional space used to place the objects consistent with at least one constraint factor without violating the linking restrictions.

C. Pat Joiner

Papers

Object placement method and apparatus