Streaming of archive files

Abstract

Archive files can be streamed from a server to a client device by extracting individual files from the archive and streaming the extracted files from the server to the client device. The received files can then be stored at the client device for access by an application. A new archive file may be formed at the client device to contain the received streamed files. Predictive critiera may be used to determine the order in which the extracted files are streamed from the server to the client device.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of streaming an archive file from a server to a client device, the method comprising: 
 at a server, extracting ones of a plurality of modules from a first archive file;    streaming the extracted modules from the server to the client device;    receiving the streamed modules at the client device;    automatically constructing a second archive file at the client device, the second archive file comprising the received modules; and    providing data from at least one of the received modules in the second archive to an executing application.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the first archive file is a Java Archive file;  
 a first one of the streamed modules comprises a ZIP file end-of-central-directory record; and  
 the method further comprises allocating storage space at the client device for the second archive based on size information in the end-of-central-directory record.  
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the client device comprises a Java Micro Edition execution environment.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein streaming comprises streaming in accordance with predetermined criteria predicting an order of utilization of modules at the client device.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the first archive file comprises a Java Archive file;  
 a first one of the streamed modules comprises a Java class file;  
 the executing application comprises a Java application; and  
 providing data from at least one of the stored file to the executing application comprises dynamically loading the Java class file for access by the Java application.  
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein: 
 at least one of the modules in the Java Archive file comprises Java Archive meta-information comprising an identification of files in other ones of the modules; and  
 the method further comprises streaming the meta-information from the server to the client device and validating a file in a received modules using the meta-information.  
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein validating comprises comparing a file name and path associated with a file received in a streamed module to a file name and path specified in the meta-information.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the meta-information comprises a first digital signature and the method further comprises: 
 computing a second digital signature based on data in a first one of the received modules; and  
 comparing the second digital signature to the first digital signature to determine validity of a file received in a streamed module.  
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the method further comprises: 
 at the client device, processing a request from the executing application to access a file in a first one of the modules; and  
 determining if the first module is present in the second archive;  
 sending streaming control data to the server to request the first module when the first module is not present in the second archive, and  
 streaming the first module from the server to the client device in response to receipt of said streaming control data at the server.  
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein streaming the first module in response to the receipt of said streaming control data comprises interrupting streaming of another one of the modules.  
     
     
         11 . A computer-implemented method of transmitting data in an archive file from a server device to a client device, the client device comprising an execution environment configured to provide ones of a collection of logically separate files in a received archive file to an executing application in an execution-time determined order, the method comprising: 
 at the server device, extracting ones of a collection of logically separate files from a first archive file; and    streaming the extracted ones of the separate files from the server device to the client device.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 receiving the streamed files at the client device; and  
 constructing a second archive files at the client device from the received files.  
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the second archive file comprises a different arrangement of the streamed files than in the first file, said different arrangement being functionally equivalent to an arrangement of files in the first archive file.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the first archive comprises at least one file comprising non-executable data and at least one file comprising executable program code.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising 
 at the first computer, ordering the separate files extracted from the archive file based on criteria predicting an order of utilization of the separate files at the second computing device; and  
 streaming the separate files from the first computer to the second computer in accordance with the ordering.  
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein: 
 the criteria comprises data stored at the first computer in a streaming control database; and  
 the method further comprises: 
 receiving a request at the first computer from the second computer; and  
 modifying the predictive data stored in the streaming control database based on the request.  
 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein: 
 the criteria comprise data stored at the first computer in a streaming control database comprising transition records associating weighted values with execution transitions between selected files in the collection; and  
 ordering the separate files comprises ordering based on transition record values.  
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein ordering based on transition record values comprises processing transition record information using a path determination algorithm.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11  wherein streaming comprises: 
 receiving a first module in the module set while an application is executing;  
 storing the first module on local storage media at the second computer; and wherein the method further comprises integrating the first module with the executing application.  
 
     
     
         20 . A data storage apparatus comprising instructions to configure a computerized device to: 
 receive archive structure data from another computer, the archive structure data specifying a structure of a first archive file;    receive from the other computer ones of the plurality of modules derived from the first archive file;    in accordance with the archive structure data, construct a second archive file from the received ones of the plurality of modules to produce a second archive file functionally equivalent to the first archive file.    
     
     
         21 . The data storage apparatus of  claim 20  wherein: 
 the first archive file is a Java Archive file;  
 the archive structure data comprises a ZIP file central directory record; and 
 the instructions to construct the second archive file comprise instructions to position the received central directory record in the second archive in accordance with ZIP file format specifications.  
 
 
     
     
         22 . The data storage apparatus of  claim 21  wherein the instructions to construct in accordance with ZIP file format specifications further comprise instructions to position received ones of the modules in the second archive in an order of receipt of the modules and instructions to alter data in the second archive's central directory header to indicate the placement of the ones of the modules in the second archive.  
     
     
         23 . The data storage apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to: 
 process a request from an executing application to access data in a first one of the modules;  
 determine if the first module is present in the second archive;  
 send control data to the other computer to request the first module when the first module is not present in the second archive.  
 
     
     
         24 . A data storage apparatus comprising instructions to configure a computer to: 
 automatically extract a collection of logically separate modules from a first archive file; and    stream the extracted modules to a client device.    
     
     
         25 . The data storage apparatus of  claim 24  further comprising instructions to order the extracted modules based on criteria predicting an order of utilization of the modules at the client device and wherein the instructions to stream comprise instructions to stream in accordance with the ordering of the modules.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein: 
 the instructions to order the extracted modules comprise instructions to order in accordance with criteria retrieved from a streaming control database; and  
 the instructions further comprise instructions to: 
 modify the criteria stored in the streaming control database based on a module request received from the second computer.  
 
 
     
     
         27 . A system for transferring information modules between computers, the system comprising: 
 1) a first computer, the first computer comprising: 
 a. means for executing an application,  
 b. means for receiving a sequence of modules associated with the application and constructing an archive file comprising the received sequence of modules while the application is executing, and  
 c. means for integrating a first module in the constructed archive file with the application; and  
   2) a second computer, the second computer comprising: 
 a. means for extracting a collection of modules associated with the application from an archive file, and  
 b. means for transferring the selected sequences from the second computer to the first computer.