Abstract: The invention provides a software component plugin framework. The system described supports dynamic loading, instantiation, and unloading of interface implementations (plugin modules), together with encapsulation of these interface implementations. The many benefits provided by the invention include software reuse, interoperability and fast product development cycles.

Abstract: A system or framework for high availability clustering that includes a cluster server having a variety of resources and interfaces, including a cluster application program interface, group services, failure management, resource management, membership services, communications, a heartbeat interface, cluster database and management, a JNDI interface, and a resource API interface. The resource API allows the cluster server to talk to a variety of plug-ins, which in turn interface with other resources and application servers and support high availability framework for those resources and servers.

Abstract: The current structure for starting and shutting down a server is complicated and affords little administrative control. A server must be started in one long-running step and cannot be shutdown without risk of disrupting in-flight work. The ability to bring up a server quickly and bring down a server gracefully is crucial to improving availability. A server configuration in which a server that is brought up as a hot-stand by server for a running, active server can significantly reduce downtime (failover time) in the case of an outage. A server that can be suspended gracefully can be removed from service without disrupting clients. These new features require improvements to the server lifecycle to clearly articulate the distinction between an initialized server and an active server (for hot standby) and between a suspending server and a suspended server (for graceful suspend) and to simplify the lifecycle by removing circular initialization dependencies between services and clarifying the lifecycle contract.

Abstract: The invention provides a software component plugin framework. The system described supports dynamic loading, instantiation, and unloading of interface implementations (plugin modules), together with encapsulation of these interface implementations. The many benefits provided by the invention include software reuse, interoperability and fast product development cycles.

Abstract: The invention provides a software component plugin framework. The system described supports dynamic loading, instantiation, and unloading of interface implementations (plugin modules), together with encapsulation of these interface implementations. The many benefits provided by the invention include software reuse, interoperability and fast product development cycles.

Abstract: A Java-based system or framework for high availability Java-based clustering that includes a cluster server having a variety of resources and interfaces, including a cluster application program interface, group services, failure management, resource management, membership services, communications, a heartbeat interface, cluster database and management, a JNDI interface, and a resource API interface. The resource API allows the cluster server to talk to a variety of plug-ins, which in turn interface with other resources and application servers and support high availability framework for those resources and servers.

Abstract: The current structure for starting and shutting down a server is complicated and affords little administrative control. A server must be started in one long-running step and cannot be shutdown without risk of disrupting in-flight work. The ability to bring up a server quickly and bring down a server gracefully is crucial to improving availability. A server configuration in which a server that is brought up as a hot-stand by server for a running, active server can significantly reduce downtime (failover time) in the case of an outage. A server that can be suspended gracefully can be removed from service without disrupting clients. These new features require improvements to the server lifecycle to clearly articulate the distinction between an initialized server and an active server (for hot standby) and between a suspending server and a suspended server (for graceful suspend) and to simplify the lifecycle by removing circular initialization dependencies between services and clarifying the lifecycle contract.

Abstract: The invention provides a software component plugin framework. The system described supports dynamic loading, instantiation, and unloading of interface implementations (plugin modules), together with encapsulation of these interface implementations. The many benefits provided by the invention include software reuse, interoperability and fast product development cycles.