Centralized Metadata Retrieval for Web Services
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods require large amounts of duplicated metadata for various types of web services across different installations and applications, leading to inefficient data storage and transfer, and necessitate widespread changes when metadata is modified.
Innovation Solution
A method where metadata for computer service types is stored only on a provider system, allowing consumer systems to dynamically retrieve the necessary metadata through a metadata connection before establishing a web service connection, reducing redundant data storage and enabling centralized management of metadata changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metadata is provided in every installation to support web services, then services can operate independently, but data storage and transfer requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts metadata from individual service installations and consolidates it into a separate, centralized repository. Services reference metadata by identifier rather than containing it locally, thus extracting the burden of metadata storage from each service while maintaining service independence through references to the centralized store.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized metadata repository serves multiple services across multiple installations simultaneously. A single metadata set can be referenced by numerous services, making the metadata storage universal rather than duplicated, thereby reducing total storage requirements while supporting service independence.
2Ease of operation
If the same metadata is duplicated across numerous different applications and installations, then each installation has complete local support, but data storage and transfer requirements are magnified
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of duplicating actual metadata content across installations, the system creates lightweight copies in the form of references or pointers to the centralized metadata. These references are small and can be stored locally for quick access, while the actual metadata remains stored once in the centralized repository.
3Adaptability or versatility
If metadata changes are implemented in each installation separately, then each installation can be updated independently, but administrative burden increases significantly in large enterprises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the metadata management function into a centralized repository that is accessible by all services. This allows metadata updates to be performed in a single location and automatically propagated to all consuming services, combining what would otherwise be numerous separate update operations into one unified action.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for retrieval of computer service type metadata. An embodiment of a method includes receiving a request from a consumer for a computer service, the computer service including a type, with the type having a set of allowed values. The method further includes configuring a first connection for computer service metadata and providing the set of allowed values via the first connection. The method also provides for configuring a second connection for computer service access.