Service Manager for Multi-Service MFP Dependency Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack clarity on how multiple Web services on a multi-function peripheral (MFP) are related and how they depend on each other, leading to inconsistent user experiences due to differing interpretations of device metadata by clients.
Innovation Solution
A service manager is introduced to register and manage multiple Web services on an MFP, generating service relationship data and device metadata to determine dependencies and priorities, allowing for coordinated actions such as rebooting or terminating services based on criteria, and providing aggregated event or status data to clients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple Web services are hosted on an MFP without a service manager, then device functionality is expanded, but service management complexity increases and user experience consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the service management function by introducing a dedicated service manager component that is separate from the Web services themselves. This manager handles registration, dependency tracking, and coordination of multiple services, thereby reducing the complexity burden on individual services and enabling consistent management of expanded device functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The service manager acts as an intermediary between clients and multiple Web services. It receives client requests, determines which services should be activated based on dependency relationships, and coordinates service execution. This intermediary layer abstracts the complexity of managing multiple services from both clients and individual services, maintaining user experience consistency while enabling versatile device functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If clients interpret device metadata differently without standardized relationships, then client flexibility is maintained, but user experience consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of device metadata by introducing standardized relationship descriptors (such as dependency types: hard dependency, soft dependency, optional dependency). This parameter standardization allows clients to interpret metadata consistently while maintaining flexibility in how they handle different service configurations, resolving the contradiction between client flexibility and user experience consistency.
3Device complexity
If service dependencies are not tracked, then device complexity is reduced, but service reliability and availability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The service manager performs preliminary action by tracking and recording dependency relationships between services during the registration phase. It maintains a service dependency graph that maps out which services depend on which others. This preliminary tracking enables the system to proactively manage service reliability by knowing the dependency structure before failures occur, while the automated nature of this tracking minimizes management overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The service manager implements feedback mechanisms that monitor service status and use dependency information to determine appropriate actions. When a service fails or becomes unavailable, the manager uses feedback from the dependency graph to automatically adjust other services (e.g., shutting down dependent services or notifying clients), thereby maintaining service reliability without requiring complex manual intervention.
4Ease of manufacture
If no coordinated service actions are implemented, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but device reliability and availability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The service manager enables self-service by automatically determining which services should be activated or deactivated based on recorded dependency relationships and current system state. When a service is registered or fails, the manager autonomously uses the dependency graph to coordinate appropriate actions across other services without external intervention. This self-service capability maintains implementation simplicity while significantly improving device reliability and availability through coordinated service management.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are provided for managing multiple Web services on a single device. The device includes device metadata and a service manager. Each Web service registers with the service manager. Registration includes providing service metadata to the service manager. The service manager may generate (e.g., at least some) service relationship data based on the service metadata. The service relationship data indicates (either explicitly or implicitly) a relationship (e.g., a dependency) between a first Web service of the multiple Web services and a second Web service. In response to one or more criteria being satisfied with respect to the first Web service, the service manager uses the service relationship data and/or the device metadata to determine that one or more actions should be initiated with respective to the second Web service.