Bridge, an asynchronous channel based bus, and a message broker to provide asynchronous communication

• US 10,133,696 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shanley, Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): Peyton, Tammara R
• Application Number:
  US15/635,053
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4045 where the bus bridge performs an extender function
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

In a system and method for using a bridge, an asynchronous channel based bus, and a message broker to provide asynchronous communication, the bridge monitors at least one Galactic channel on the bus. The bridge receives every message sent on the Galactic channel, and converts each message from a channel message format used by the Galactic channel to a common message format. The bridge utilizes a socket to broadcast each converted message to, and receive messages from, a message broker. The bridge determines that a message received from the message broker is destined for the Galactic channel. The bridge converts the message into the channel message format used by the Galactic channel and distributes the converted message to the Galactic channel.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an asynchronous channel based bus having at least one Galactic channel;

a bridge coupled to the asynchronous channel based bus, the bridge to communicate with the at least one Galactic channel on the asynchronous channel based bus, and

communicate with a message broker, the bridge comprising;

a message receiver to receive each message on the at least one Galactic channel;

a message translator, the message translator to convert each message on the at least one Galactic channel from a channel message format used by the at least one Galactic channel to a common message format;

a socket, the socket to

send each message converted to the common message format to the message broker, and

receive at least one message from the message broker;

a received message sorter, the received message sorter to

determine that the at least one message received from the message broker is destined for the at least one Galactic channel, and

provide the at least one message received from the message broker to the message translator; and

the message translator to convert the at least one message received from the message broker to the channel message format used by the at least one Galactic channel; and

the bridge to distribute the at least one message, in the channel message format, to the at least one Galactic channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the asynchronous channel based bus allows a dynamic creation of one or more of a plurality channels therein.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the asynchronous channel based bus allows a dynamic destruction of one or more of a plurality of channels therein.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the asynchronous channel based bus allows an actor to publish to any of the plurality of channels.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the asynchronous channel based bus allows any actor to subscribe to any of the plurality of channels.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the asynchronous channel based bus further comprises:

a monitor API, the monitor API broadcasts channel events including creation, subscription, un-subscription and destruction.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the bridge further comprises:

a Galactic channel monitor to listen to the monitor API for Galactic channel events,

the Galactic channel monitor ignoring local channel events.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the bridge further comprises:

a socket watchdog that will reconnect the bridge to the message broker after an error or a disconnect.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the common message format is a simple text oriented messaging protocol (STOMP).

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the asynchronous channel based bus is not aware that the bridge is operating.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the bridge communicates with every Galactic channel on the asynchronous channel based bus.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the bridge communicates with a plurality of message brokers.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein a hash convention plus snake-case is used to identify each Galactic channel on the asynchronous channel based bus.

14. A computer-implemented method for using a bridge, an asynchronous channel based bus, and a message broker to provide asynchronous communication, the computer-implemented method comprising:

monitoring, via the bridge, at least one Galactic channel on the asynchronous channel based bus;

receiving, at the bridge, every message sent on the at least one Galactic channel;

converting, via a message translator coupled with the bridge, every message received from the at least one Galactic channel from a channel message format used by the at least one Galactic channel to a common message format;

sending, via a WebSocket coupled with the bridge, each message in the common message format to a message broker;

receiving, from the message broker and via the WebSocket coupled with the bridge, at least one message in common message format;

determining, at the bridge, that the at least one message received from the message broker is destined for the at least one Galactic channel;

converting, via the message translator coupled with the bridge, the at least one message received from the message broker to the channel message format used by the at least one Galactic channel; and

distributing, via the bridge, the converted at least one message received from the message broker to the at least one Galactic channel.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

allowing a dynamic creation of a plurality of channels within the asynchronous channel based bus, and

allowing a subsequent destruction of one or more of the plurality of channels within the asynchronous channel based bus.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

allowing a service to publish to, and receive from, any of the plurality of channels of the asynchronous channel based bus; and

allowing a controller to publish to, and receive from, any of the plurality of channels of the asynchronous channel based bus.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

broadcasting, via a monitor API provided by the asynchronous channel based bus, channel events including creation, subscription, un-subscription and destruction.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:

monitoring, via the bridge, the broadcast of the monitor API for every Galactic channel event on the asynchronous channel based bus; and

ignoring, via the bridge, the broadcast of the monitor API with respect to local channel events.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

monitoring, via the bridge, every Galactic channel on the asynchronous channel based bus;

receiving, at the bridge, every message sent on every Galactic channel of the asynchronous channel based bus; and

converting, via a message translator coupled with the bridge, every message received from every Galactic channel from the channel message format used by each Galactic channel to a common format message.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving, from the message broker and via the WebSocket coupled with the bridge, a plurality of messages in the common message format;

determining, at the bridge, that the plurality of messages received from the message broker are destined for a plurality of different Galactic channels on the asynchronous channel based bus;

converting, via the message translator coupled with the bridge, each of the plurality of messages received from the message broker to an appropriate channel message format used by each of the plurality of different Galactic channels; and

distributing, via the bridge, each of the plurality of messages received from the message broker to an appropriate Galactic channel of the plurality of different Galactic channels.