System and method for implementing application functionality within a network infrastructure

• US 20020002636A1
• Filed: 04/16/2001
• Published: 01/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sons of Innovation LLC
• Original Assignee: Circadence Corporation
• Inventors: Plumb, Marc, Wilson, Glenn Sydney, Kouts, Michael, Vange, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,127,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5021 Priority
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5088 involving task migration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/14 Routing performance; Theoretical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 Denial of Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 : based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 : based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 : using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 : Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 : Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 : Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 : Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 : Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 : Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 : Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 : Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 : taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 : Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for implementing functionality within a network on behalf of first and second computers communicating with each other through the network. A front-end computer is provided within the network having an interface for communicating data traffic with the first computer. A back-end computer is also implemented within the network having an interface for communicating data traffic with the second computer. A communication channel couples the front-end computer and the back-end computer. Data traffic is encoded over the communication channel in a first process in the front-end computer. Data traffic is also encoded over the communication channel in a second process in the back-end computer, wherein the first process and the second process implement compatible semantics.

Claims

1. A method for implementing functionality within a network on behalf of first and second computers communicating with each other through the network, the method comprising the acts of:

providing a front-end computer within the network having an interface for communicating data traffic with the first computer;

providing a back-end computer within the network having an interface for communicating data traffic with the second computer;

providing a communication channel coupling the front-end computer and the back-end computer; and

encoding data traffic over the communication channel in a first process in the front-end computer;

encoding data traffic over the communication channel in a second process in the back-end computer, wherein the first process and the second process implement compatible semantics.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the processes implemented in the front-end and back-end computer are characterized in that they operate above an OSI-model network layer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the processes implemented in the front-end and back-end computer operate at a user-level.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of encoding comprises:

communicating quality of service information about the communication channel between the front-end and back-end computers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of encoding comprises:

communicating time-base synchronization information between the front-end computer and the back-end computer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of encoding comprises compression/decompression processes.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of encoding comprises encryption/decryption processes.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of encoding comprises forward error correction processes.

9. A system for transporting data through a network comprising:

a plurality of client applications generating requests for network services;

a plurality of network servers configured to provide services in response to received requests;

a front-end server within the network having a first interface configured to handle request/response traffic with the client applications;

a back-end server within the network having a first interface configured to handle request/response traffic with a selected set of network servers;

a communication channel through the network between the front-end web server and the back-end web server.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the front-end server and back-end server are time synchronized and the back-end server comprises means for ascertaining when a request/response was issued by the front-end server.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the front-end server and back-end server are time synchronized and the front-end server comprises means for ascertaining when a request/response was issued by the back-end server.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the front-end server and back-end server include compression mechanisms for compressing traffic transported across the communication channel.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the front-end server and back-end server include encryption mechanisms for encrypting traffic transported across the communication channel.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the front-end server and back-end server include forward error correcting mechanisms for error correcting traffic transported across the communication channel.

15. A system for transporting data through a network comprising:

a plurality of network-connected applications generating requests for network services;

a plurality of network-connected computers configured to provide services in response to received requests;

a plurality of front-end computers each having at least one interface configured to handle request/response traffic with the network-connected applications;

a plurality of back-end web computers each having at least one interface configured to handle request/response traffic with a selected set of the network-connected computers; and

a many-to-many communication channel through the network between the front-end web computers and the back-end web computers.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the many-to-many communication channel is dynamically re-configurable.

17. A system for transporting data through a network comprising:

a plurality of client applications generating requests for network services;

a plurality of network servers configured to provide services in response to received requests;

a front-end web server having at least one interface configured to handle request/response traffic with the client applications;

a plurality of back-end web servers each having at least one interface configured to handle request/response traffic with a selected set of network servers; and

a one-to-many communication channel through the network between the front-end web server and the back-end web servers.

18. A system for transporting data through a network comprising:

a plurality of client applications generating requests for network services;

a plurality of network servers configured to provide services in response to received requests;

a front-end web server having at least one interface configured to handle request/response traffic with the client applications;

a one-to-many communication channel through the network between the front-end web server and the network servers.

19. A data transport mechanism comprising:

an interface for communicating data with a plurality of data transport links;

a blender operable to multiplex the data from the plurality of data transport links into a shared-bandwidth channel.

20. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the plurality of data transport links comprise fixed-bandwidth links.

21. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the plurality of data transport links comprise a homogenous set of user-level protocols.

22. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the plurality of data transport links comprise a heterogeneous set of user-level protocols.

23. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the plurality of data transport links comprise a homogenous set of transport layer protocols.

24. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the plurality of data transport links comprise a heterogeneous set of transport layer protocols.

25. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the plurality of data transport links comprise a homogenous set of physical layer protocols.

26. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the plurality of data transport links comprise a heterogeneous set of physical layer protocols.

27. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the shared bandwidth channel pools channel maintenance overhead over the plurality of data transport links.

28. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the shared bandwidth channel composes data packets by selecting data from the plurality of data transport links.

29. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the blender regulates a portion of the shared bandwidth allocated to particular one the plurality of data transport links by controlling the rate at which data from the particular link is placed into the data packets during composition.

30. The transport mechanism of claim 19 wherein the blender regulates a portion of the shared bandwidth allocated to particular one the plurality of data transport links by controlling the order at which data from the particular link is placed into the data packets during composition.

31. A data transport mechanism comprising:

an interface for communicating data with a plurality of data transport links;

a blender operable to combine the data from the plurality of data transport links into a shared-bandwidth channel; and

means for applying rate control to the shared-bandwidth channel such that rate control is aggregated across all of the plurality of data transport links