Web Service Integration with Actor Model via Event Broker

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Web services and clustered actor models have compatibility issues due to asynchronous and event-driven nature of actor systems, which are not easily integrable with synchronous request/response-based web services.

Innovation Solution

Integration of web services into an actor model using an event broker and protocol adapters, where each adapter converts web service messages into events, allowing asynchronous consumption and providing a consistent programming model for different technologies like SOAP and REST.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If web services use synchronous request/response pattern, then communication simplicity is improved, but compatibility with asynchronous actor models deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication simplicityVSAvoidcompatibility with actor models

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces protocol adapters as intermediary components that sit between web services and the actor model system. These adapters translate synchronous web service requests into asynchronous events that the actor model can consume, and translate actor responses back into web service responses. This intermediary layer enables compatibility between the two different communication paradigms without requiring changes to either the web service interface or the actor model core.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the communication parameter from synchronous to asynchronous by introducing event-driven messaging. Web service requests are transformed into events with messages that can be processed asynchronously by actors. The system maintains the appearance of synchronous communication to web services while actually using asynchronous processing internally, changing the temporal parameter of communication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If actor models use asynchronous event-driven processing, then system scalability is improved, but integration with synchronous web services deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem scalabilityVSAvoidintegration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the integration problem into separate protocol adapters for different web service protocols (SOAP, REST, etc.). Each adapter handles a specific protocol independently, allowing the core actor model to remain unchanged while supporting multiple web service technologies. This segmentation reduces integration complexity by breaking down the monolithic integration challenge into manageable, protocol-specific components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The event broker serves as a universal intermediary that can handle events from multiple different sources and routes them to appropriate actors. It provides multi-functional capability to manage different web service protocols, event types, and actor routing in a single centralized component, reducing overall system complexity despite the asynchronous architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Adaptability or versatility

If protocol adapters convert web service messages to events, then asynchronous processing capability is improved, but system component count increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveasynchronous processing capabilityVSAvoidsystem component count

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple protocol-specific adaptations into a single event broker component that handles event routing, message conversion, and actor coordination centrally. Instead of having separate conversion logic distributed across multiple components, the event broker consolidates these functions, reducing system complexity while maintaining asynchronous processing capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS8990286B2Integration of web services with a clustered actor based model

Publication Date: 2015.03.24 ORACLE INT CORP

AI summary

In accordance with various embodiments, systems and methods that integrates web services into an actor model are provided. Such a system can include an event broker, which is operable to manage events between one or more actors and a plurality web services. The system can also include a plurality of protocol adapters. Each protocol adapter is associated with a different one of the plurality of web services. The system can further include a web services bundle which is a common library shared by the plurality of protocol adapters. Each protocol adapter can convert web services messages received from a web service into events and publish the events using the event broker.