JP2004265096A - Service linking system, service linking method and service linking program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a service linking system, a service linking method and a service linking program capable of contributing to flexibly coping with changes of a system environment state and a service configuration and stable service provision even if a system environmental situation and the configuration of a service to be provided are changed on each computer system, in a computer system for providing various services for service users through a computer network. <P>SOLUTION: A server state management part 21 of the service linking system 2 periodically calculates server connection states and operation rates of servers of a server group 1 and leads server information which can provide a service with a certain threshold value. A service pattern management part 22 determines a providable service pattern from server connection information. A service generation part 23 generates a providable service to a service user terminal 4 from the server information of server operation rates which are equal to or larger than the threshold value and service-providable service patterns. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a service coordination system, a service coordination method, and a service coordination program that support service provision by linking various services provided by a plurality of servers to a service user via a computer network.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, with the spread of broadband, services related to management and protection of various types of copyright information have been started in addition to video content distribution services.
[0003]
Conventionally, when one computer system that provides a certain service via the above-described computer network is constructed, the convenience of the system has been improved by further patterning the processing process of the service function. In addition, one computer system that includes more functions has been constructed, and the automation of processing has been provided as a value-added element, thereby further improving the convenience of the system (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2003-6364
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the past, when the form of providing services to service users changed, it became necessary to construct a new system. For example, by changing the combination of constituent servers, it was possible to flexibly respond to changes in service form. Was difficult. In addition, it has been difficult to quickly respond to the addition or change of some functions of the service, a server failure, and the like, and it has been difficult to provide a stable service to service users. Therefore, there has been a demand for a service user to flexibly provide a service in accordance with a change in a state of a system environment or a form of providing a service.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even if the state of the system environment or the form of the service to be provided is changed on a computer system that provides various services to a service user via a computer network, It is an object of the present invention to provide a service cooperation system, a service cooperation method, and a service cooperation program that can flexibly cope and contribute to stable service provision.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a plurality of servers for providing a predetermined service to a user terminal via a computer network and the user terminal can communicate with each other via the computer network A service cooperation system for coordinating respective services provided by the plurality of servers according to the system environment of the plurality of servers, wherein the connection state with the plurality of servers and the plurality of A server status management unit for acquiring and managing server status management information relating to an operation status of a function provided by a server, and managing each service provided by the plurality of servers as master information regarding a service pattern, and from the master information. Latest information according to the latest connection status with the plurality of servers. Service pattern management means for generating service pattern information, and providing the user from the latest service pattern information based on a server operation rate calculated from the server state management information and a predetermined threshold of the server operation rate. And a service generation unit for selecting and generating a service.
[0008]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the server status management information includes a server connection information indicating whether or not there is a connection with each of the plurality of servers, and a predetermined connection between each of the plurality of servers. A connection time within a period, an operation time of each of the plurality of servers within a predetermined period, a server operation rate indicating a ratio of the operation time of each of the plurality of servers to the connection time, and determination of service availability. The gist of the present invention is to include a threshold value of a server operation rate to be used and information on servers that are equal to or more than the threshold value of the server operation rate.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of servers for providing a predetermined service to a user terminal via a computer network and a service cooperation system capable of mutually communicating with the user terminal via the computer network are provided. A service cooperation method for coordinating respective services provided by a plurality of servers in accordance with a system environment of the plurality of servers, comprising: a connection state with the plurality of servers at predetermined time intervals; A server status management step for acquiring and managing server status management information relating to the operation status of the function to be performed, and managing each service provided by the plurality of servers as master information regarding a service pattern, and from the master information, The latest connection status information with the server Service pattern management step of generating service pattern information; and providing the user with the latest service pattern information based on the server operation rate calculated from the server state management information and a predetermined threshold of the server operation rate. And a service generation step of selecting and generating a service.
[0010]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the server status management information includes a server connection information indicating whether or not there is a connection with each of the plurality of servers, and a predetermined connection between each of the plurality of servers. A connection time within a period, an operation time of each of the plurality of servers within a predetermined period, a server operation rate indicating a ratio of the operation time of each of the plurality of servers to the connection time, and determination of service availability. The gist of the present invention is to include a threshold value of a server operation rate to be used and information on servers that are equal to or more than the threshold value of the server operation rate.
[0011]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of servers for providing a predetermined service to a user terminal via a computer network, and a computer capable of mutually communicating with the user terminal via the computer network, include the plurality of servers. A service coordination program for coordinating services provided by a server according to the system environment of the plurality of servers, the connection status with the plurality of servers at predetermined time intervals and the functions provided by the plurality of servers Server status management information about the operating status of the server, and manages the server status management step, and manages each service provided by the plurality of servers as master information related to a service pattern. According to the latest connection status information of A service pattern management step of generating service pattern information; and providing the user from the latest service pattern information based on a server operation rate calculated from the server state management information and a predetermined threshold of the server operation rate. And a service generation step of selecting and generating a new service.
[0012]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the server status management information includes server connection information indicating whether or not there is a connection with each of the plurality of servers, and a predetermined period of time for each of the plurality of servers. The connection time, the operation time of each of the plurality of servers within a predetermined period, the server operation ratio indicating the ratio of the operation time of each of the plurality of servers to the connection time, and the determination of service availability. The gist of the present invention is to include a threshold value of a server operation rate to be used and information on servers that are equal to or more than the threshold value of the server operation rate.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the service cooperation system according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the service cooperation system 2 includes a plurality of servers, and is connected via a network 5 to a server group 1 that provides various services to the service user terminal 4. The service cooperation system 2 is connected to a plurality of service user terminals 4 via an application program 3 and a network 5. Here, the server group 1 includes, for example, a server having a user management function, a server having a copyright management function, a server having a content management function, and the like.
[0015]
More specifically, the service cooperation system 2 includes a server status management unit 21, a service pattern management unit 22, and a service generation unit 23, and provides a service user with a connection status and an operation status of the connected server group 1. In this system, services that can be provided are determined as appropriate, and the service provision is supported.
[0016]
The server status management unit 21 has a function of managing a connection status of each server of the server group 1 and an operation status of each server of the server group 1, and specifically, a server as shown in FIG. A status management table 24 is provided to periodically manage the status of the server group 1. Here, the server status management table 24 includes server connection information 241i (i = a,..., N) indicating the presence or absence of server connection, and server connection time 242i (i = a,. n) Server operation time 243i (i = a,..., n) indicating the server operation time per day, and server operation rate 244i (i = a,..., n) indicating the ratio of the server operation time to the server connection time. Is stored for each server. Also, a server operation rate threshold number 245 indicating a threshold at which a service can be provided, a server 246 equal to or higher than a threshold indicating server information indicating a server operation rate equal to or higher than the threshold, and a threshold indicating server information indicating a server operation rate lower than the threshold Less than 247 servers. Here, the threshold is set in advance in the service cooperation system 2, and more specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, it is determined whether the server operation rate of each connection server is equal to or more than the threshold. Is to determine whether the service can be provided. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, each server having the functions of user management, charging management, copyright management, and copyright protection is managed as a server that can provide a service. It is managed as an impossible server. As a result, even if a partial function of the service is added or changed, a server failure or the like occurs, a server that can provide the service can be quickly grasped, so that a stable service can be provided.
[0017]
The service pattern management unit 22 has a function of generating and managing the latest service pattern from the server connection information 241i managed by the server status management unit 21, and specifically has a function as shown in FIG. A service pattern master table 25 and a service pattern file 26 (hereinafter, the service pattern master table 25 and the service pattern file 26 are collectively referred to as a service pattern management table 27) are provided to periodically generate the latest service patterns. Here, the service pattern master table 25 is a master table that stores a combination of servers and services provided by the servers for all the servers in the server group 1. What is used. The service pattern file 26 is a file that stores the latest service pattern that can be provided by selecting only the connected server from the servers in the service pattern master table 25. The server connection information 241i managed by the server status management unit 21 is used for the connected server information. For example, if a service pattern master table 25 as shown in FIG. 4 is created and the connected server is “user management”, “billing management”, or “copyright management”, a service pattern that can be provided is provided. "User management service", "Charge management service", and "Copyright management service" are generated.
[0018]
The service generation unit 23 selects a service that can be provided from the server operation rate 244i managed by the server status management unit 21 and the service pattern file 26 managed by the service pattern management unit 22, and stores the service information. It has the function of generating. As a result, of the service patterns of the connected server, only the services for which it is determined that the service can be provided are provided to the service user.
[0019]
The application program 3 acquires the service information generated by the service generation unit 23 of the service cooperation system 2, generates an application to be provided to the service user terminal 4, and provides the service.
[0020]
The service user terminal 4 can access the application program 3 via the network 5 and use various services provided in the server group 1.
[0021]
Next, the operation of the service cooperation system 2 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the outline of the operation of the service cooperation system 2, and FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of each unit in the service cooperation system 2.
[0022]
First, when the servers of the server group 1 connect to the service cooperation system 2 via the network 5, the server status management unit 21 of the service cooperation system 2 periodically checks the connection information of this server and the operation information of the server at the time of connection. Are collected (steps S01 and S02). As a result, the information on the presence or absence of the server connection is stored in the server status management table 24 as connection information 241i. Further, a server connection time 242i per day is calculated from the server connection information 241i collected periodically, and stored in the server status management table 24 (step S03).
[0023]
Next, the server state management unit 21 periodically measures the operation time of the connected server, that is, the time during which the function of the connected server is activated (step S04). In this method, the operating time is calculated by reading the time during which the activation process of the server function is activated. The operating time is stored in the server status management table 24 as the server operating time 243i. Then, a server operation rate 244i (= server operation time 243i / server connection time 242i) is calculated from the server connection time 242i and the server operation time 243i of the server state management table 24, and stored in the server state management table 24 (step S05). .
[0024]
Next, the service status management unit 21 updates the server information on whether the service can be provided (step S06). This is to calculate a server 246 that is equal to or more than the threshold value and a server 247 that is less than the threshold value from the predetermined server operation rate threshold number 245 and the server operation rate 244i, and store them in the server state management table 24. The server connection time 242i, the server operation time 243i, the server operation rate 244i, the server 246 having the server operation rate threshold or more and the server 247 having the server operation rate less than the threshold are updated at the same timing.
[0025]
Next, the service pattern management unit 22 acquires the server connection information 241i from the server status management table 24, creates a service pattern file 26 with reference to the service pattern master table 25, and performs service pattern management. It is stored in the table 27 (steps S07, S08). The service pattern file 26 is updated at the same time as the update of the server connection information 241i of the server status management table 24.
[0026]
Next, the service generation unit 23 obtains the latest service pattern file 26 in the service management table 27, further obtains server information 246 that is equal to or larger than the threshold stored in the server status management table 24, and provides the latest service. A possible service (a service whose server operation rate is equal to or more than a threshold and which a connected server has) is selected, and service information is generated (steps S09, S010, S11).
[0027]
Then, the service generation unit 23 transmits the generated service information to the application program 3, and the application program 3 forms the generated service as an interface, and provides the service to the service user terminal 4 via the network 5. .
[0028]
Therefore, according to the service cooperation system 2 of the present embodiment, the server operation rate is calculated from the connection state of the plurality of connected servers and the operation state of the server, the latest service pattern file is generated, The service that can be provided can be determined and generated from the server information of the server operation rate and the latest service pattern file. Therefore, even if a server to be connected is added, changed, or failure occurs, stable service to the service user can be obtained. The service can be provided, and a flexible response to a service change can be made in constructing the service environment.
[0029]
In addition, by managing the operating status of the server, it is possible to minimize the impact on services without stopping all services according to the situation at each time. And the reliability is improved.
[0030]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications and changes can be made to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the server operation rate is calculated from the server connection time and the operation time per day, but it is not necessary to limit the server operation rate to one day, and the server operation rate is calculated from the connection time and the operation time in a predetermined period. May be calculated.
[0031]
The operation of the service cooperation system 2 according to the above-described embodiment is realized by executing a program stored in the service cooperation system 2, and this program includes a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD. -It can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a ROM or distributed via a communication network.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even if the state of the system environment and the form of the service to be provided are changed on a computer system that provides various services to a service user via a computer network, a plurality of services are provided. Since the latest provisionable service is generated by appropriately managing the connection state of the connected server and the operation state of the server, it is possible to flexibly respond and contribute to the stable provision of the service.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a service cooperation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a server status management table of the service cooperation system according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a server operation rate and a threshold of a service cooperation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a service pattern master table of the service cooperation system according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation outline of the service cooperation system according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of the service cooperation system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 server group 2 service cooperation system 3 application program 4 service user terminal 5 network 21 server status management unit 22 service pattern management unit 23 service generation unit 24 server status management table 25 service pattern master table 26 service pattern file 27 service pattern management table

Claims (6)

A plurality of servers for providing a predetermined service to a user terminal via a computer network; and the user terminal and the plurality of servers capable of communicating with each other via the computer network; Service cooperation system that cooperates according to the system environment of the server,
Server state management means for acquiring server state management information relating to connection states with the plurality of servers and operation states of functions provided to the plurality of servers at predetermined time intervals, and managing the server state management information;
Service pattern management means for managing each service provided by the plurality of servers as master information relating to a service pattern, and generating the latest service pattern information from the master information in accordance with information relating to the latest connection state with the plurality of servers; When,
Service generation means for selecting and generating a service that can be provided to the user from the latest service pattern information based on a server operation rate calculated from the server state management information and a predetermined threshold of the server operation rate; and ,
Service cooperation system characterized by having. The server status management information includes:
Server connection information indicating the presence or absence of connection with each of the plurality of servers;
Connection time within a predetermined period with each of the plurality of servers;
Operating time of each of the plurality of servers within a predetermined period;
A server operation rate indicating a ratio of the operation time of each of the plurality of servers to the connection time,
A threshold of the server operation rate used for determining whether or not the service can be provided;
Information about a server that is equal to or greater than the server operation rate threshold;
The service cooperation system according to claim 1, comprising: A plurality of servers for providing a predetermined service to a user terminal via a computer network and a service cooperation system capable of mutually communicating with the user terminal via the computer network are provided by the plurality of servers. A service linking method for linking services according to the system environment of the plurality of servers,
A server status management step of acquiring server status management information relating to a connection status with the plurality of servers and an operation status of a function included in the plurality of servers at predetermined time intervals, and managing the server status management information;
A service pattern management step of managing each service provided by the plurality of servers as master information relating to a service pattern and generating the latest service pattern information from the master information according to information relating to the latest connection state with the plurality of servers; When,
A service generation step of selecting and generating a service that can be provided to the user from the latest service pattern information based on a server operation rate calculated from the server state management information and a predetermined threshold of the server operation rate; ,
A service cooperation method characterized by executing: The server status management information includes:
Server connection information indicating the presence or absence of connection with each of the plurality of servers;
Connection time within a predetermined period with each of the plurality of servers;
Operating time of each of the plurality of servers within a predetermined period;
A server operation rate indicating a ratio of the operation time of each of the plurality of servers to the connection time,
A threshold of the server operation rate used for determining whether or not the service can be provided;
Information about a server that is equal to or greater than the server operation rate threshold;
4. The service cooperation method according to claim 3, comprising: A plurality of servers for providing a predetermined service to a user terminal via a computer network, and a computer capable of communicating with the user terminal and the computer via the computer network each provide services provided by the plurality of servers. A service cooperation program that cooperates according to the system environment of the plurality of servers,
A server status management step of acquiring server status management information relating to a connection status with the plurality of servers and an operation status of a function included in the plurality of servers at predetermined time intervals, and managing the server status management information;
A service pattern management step of managing each service provided by the plurality of servers as master information relating to a service pattern and generating the latest service pattern information from the master information according to information relating to the latest connection state with the plurality of servers; When,
A service generation step of selecting and generating a service that can be provided to the user from the latest service pattern information based on a server operation rate calculated from the server state management information and a predetermined threshold of the server operation rate; ,
A service cooperation program that causes the computer to execute the following. The server status management information includes:
Server connection information indicating the presence or absence of connection with each of the plurality of servers;
Connection time within a predetermined period with each of the plurality of servers;
Operating time of each of the plurality of servers within a predetermined period;
A server operation rate indicating a ratio of the operation time of each of the plurality of servers to the connection time,
A threshold of the server operation rate used for determining whether or not the service can be provided;
Information about a server that is equal to or greater than the server operation rate threshold;
6. The service cooperation program according to claim 5, comprising:

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