Application Execution System, Computer, Application Execution Device, And Control Method And Program For An Application Execution System

Abstract

An application execution system enables stable system operation without being affected by server performance or line quality, and without quitting the application. The application execution system 1 has an application server 2 and an application execution device 4 connected by a first network 6 , and has the application execution device 4 and a client terminal 5 connected by a second network 7 . The application execution device 4 detects the status of the acquired application 11 a , runs the application 11 a if the application is normal and has the application server 2 run the application if an error or problem is detected. Based on the execution request from the application execution device 4 , the application server 2 runs a substitute application 11 b.

1 . An application execution system comprising:
 an application server that stores an application and an application execution device that runs the application acquired from the application server, the application server and the application execution device connected by a first network; and   a client terminal that requests execution of the application by the application execution device, the application execution device and the client terminal connected by a second network;   wherein the application execution device comprises:
 a first storage device that stores the application acquired from the application server; 
 a first processing unit that detects if execution of the application is normal or has an error; 
 wherein the first processing unit executes the application and sends resulting output data to the client terminal when the first processing unit determines that execution of the application is normal and an application execution request is received from the client terminal; and 
 wherein the first processing unit sends a substitute execution request to the application server when the first processing unit detects an error and an application execution request is received from the client terminal; and 
   wherein the application server comprises:
 a second storage device that stores a substitute application that is identical to the application; and 
 a second processing unit that executes the substitute application and returns resulting output data to the client terminal based on the substitute execution request. 
   
   
   
       2 . The application execution system described in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first processing unit sends synchronization data including application account information and session information to the application server; and   the application server updates the substitute application based on the received synchronization data.   
   
   
       3 . The application execution system described in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the second processing unit sends synchronization data including account information and session information of the substitute application to the application execution device; and   the application execution device updates the application based on the received synchronization data for the application.   
   
   
       4 . The application execution system described in  claim 1 , wherein the application execution device comprises:
 an execution unit including the first storage device and the first processing unit; and   a switching unit that operates independently of the execution unit and that receives execution requests from the client terminal, the switching unit comprising:
 a third processing unit that, instead of the first processing unit, detects if the application is normal or has an error; and 
 a monitoring tool that determines if the execution unit can run the application; and wherein 
 the third processing unit passes the received execution request to the execution unit when the execution unit can run the application, and passes the received execution request to the application server when the execution unit cannot run the application. 
   
   
   
       5 . The application execution system described in  claim 4 , wherein:
 the execution unit includes an execution unit power supply circuit for supplying power to the execution unit; and   the switching unit includes a switching unit power supply circuit for supplying power to the switching unit.   
   
   
       6 . The application execution system described in  claim 5 , wherein:
 the third processing unit determines if the client terminal is authorized to run the application, and
 forwards the execution request only when the client terminal is authorized. 
   
   
   
       7 . The application execution system described in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the client terminal and the application execution device are connected by the second network through a gateway that relays data;   the gateway and the application server are connected by the first network;   wherein the client terminal specifies the application to run and sends an execution request to the gateway;   wherein the gateway includes an application storage table that stores application storage addresses; and   wherein the gateway:
 references the storage table to determine if the specified application is stored on the application execution device; 
 determines if the application execution device can run the application; 
 changes the execution request address to the application execution device if the specified application is stored on the application execution device and the application execution device can run the application, and 
 changes the execution request address to the application server if the specified application is not stored on the application execution device or the application execution device cannot run the application, when an execution request is received from the client terminal, and 
 sends the execution request to the changed execution request address; and wherein 
   the first processing unit of the application execution device and the second processing unit of the application server run the application based on execution requests from the gateway, and return the resulting output data through the gateway to the client terminal.   
   
   
       8 . The application execution system described in  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a gateway server that is connected to the gateway through the first network, and wherein the gateway server relays data between the gateway and the application server;   wherein the gateway sets the execution request address to the application execution device by encapsulating the execution request when the address of the application execution request is changed to the application execution device, and sets the execution request address to the gateway server by encapsulating the execution request when the address of the application execution request is changed to the gateway server; and wherein the gateway:
 sends the received output data to the client terminal; 
   wherein the application execution device decapsulates the execution request from the gateway, runs the application, and encapsulates and sends the resulting output data to the gateway;   wherein the gateway server decapsulates and forwards the execution request from the gateway to the application server, and encapsulates and forwards the resulting output data from the application server to the gateway; and   wherein the application server runs the application based on the execution request forwarded from the gateway server, and sends the resulting output data to the gateway server.   
   
   
       9 . The application execution system described in  claim 8 , wherein:
 the gateway specifies the execution request address and adds authentication information to the execution request; and   the application execution device authenticates the execution request based on the authentication information; and allows running the application only when authentication of the execution request succeeds.   
   
   
       10 . The application execution system described in  claim 9 , further comprising:
 an authentication server that is connected by the first network to the gateway server and authenticates execution requests;   wherein the gateway specifies the execution request address and adds authentication information to the execution request;   the gateway server authenticates execution requests from the gateway using the authentication server when decapsulating the execution requests; and   the application server allows running the application only when authentication of the execution request by the authentication server succeeds.   
   
   
       11 . An application execution device that is connected by a first network to an application server that stores an application, and is connected by a second network to a client terminal that requests execution of the application, and executes the application acquired from the application server, wherein:
 the application server stores a substitute application that is identical to the application, and executes the application and returns resulting output data to the client terminal based on a substitute execution request from the application execution device; the application execution device comprising:
 a first storage device that stores the application acquired from the application server; 
 a first processing unit that detects if execution of the application is normal or has an error; 
 wherein the first processing unit executes the application and sends resulting output data to the client terminal when the first processing unit determines that execution of the application is normal and an application execution request is received from the client terminal; and 
 wherein the first processing unit sends a substitute execution request to the application server when the first processing unit detects an error and an application execution request is received from the client terminal. 
   
   
   
       12 . The application execution device described in  claim 11 , further comprising:
 an execution unit including the first storage device and the first processing unit; and   a switching unit that operates independently of the execution unit and that receives execution requests from the client terminal, the switching unit comprising:
 a second processing unit that, instead of the first processing unit, detects if the application is normal or has an error; and 
 a monitoring tool that determines if the execution unit can run the application; and wherein 
   the second processing unit passes the received execution request to the execution unit when the execution unit can run the application, and passes the received execution request to the application server when the execution unit cannot run the application.   
   
   
       13 . A control method for an application execution system having an application server that stores an application and an application execution device that runs the application acquired from the application server, the application device and the application server connected by a first network, and the application execution system having a client terminal that requests execution of the application by the application execution device, the application execution device and the client terminal connected by a second network;
 wherein the application execution device:
 stores the application acquired from the application server; 
 detects if the stored application is normal or has an error; 
 executes the application and sends resulting output data to the client terminal when the application is normal and an application execution request is received from the client terminal; and 
 sends a substitute execution request to the application server when an error is detected in the application and an application execution request is received from the client terminal; and 
   the application server:
 stores a substitute application that is identical to the application; and 
 executes the substitute application and returns resulting output data to the client terminal based on the substitute execution request. 
   
   
   
       14 . The control method of the application execution system described in  claim 13 , wherein:
 the application execution device has an execution unit that runs an application based on an execution request from the client terminal, and a switching unit that operates independently of the execution unit and changes the address to which the execution request is sent; and   the switching unit:
 determines if the execution unit can run the application; 
 receives execution requests from the client terminal; and 
 passes the received execution request to the execution unit when the execution unit can run the application, and 
 passes the received execution request to the application server when the execution unit cannot run the application. 
   
   
   
       15 . The control method of the application execution system described in  claim 13 , wherein:
 the client terminal and the application execution device are connected by the second network through a gateway that relays data, and the gateway and the application server are connected by the first network;   the client terminal:
 specifies the application to run and sends the execution request to the gateway; and 
   the gateway:
 references an application storage table that stores application storage addresses, and determines if the specified application is stored on the application execution device; 
 determines if the application execution device can run the application; 
 changes the execution request address to the application execution device if the specified application is stored on the application execution device and the application execution device can run the application, and 
 changes the execution request address to the application server if the specified application is not stored on the application execution device or the application execution device cannot run the application, when an execution request is received from the client terminal, and 
 sends the execution request to the changed execution request address; and 
   the application execution device and the application server run the application based on execution requests from the gateway, and return the resulting output data through the gateway to the client terminal.   
   
   
       16 . A tangible computer-readable medium embodying program instructions executable by a computer, the medium including instructions for performing the control method of  claim 13 . 
   
   
       17 . A tangible computer-readable medium embodying program instructions executable by a computer, the medium including instructions for performing the control method of  claim 14 . 
   
   
       18 . A tangible computer-readable medium embodying program instructions executable by a computer, the medium including instructions for performing the control method of  claim 15 .