High performance client-server communication system

• US 20020099768A1
• Filed: 01/25/2001
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wright, Robert A., Nazem, Farzad
• Granted Patent: US 7,325,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• 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 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A communication system includes a client and a sever. The client has a first proxy, a first memory, and a plurality of first processes. The first memory includes a plurality of first slots, each first slot being assigned to one of the plurality of first processes and configured to store data to be transmitted or received by the assigned first process. The server has a second proxy, a second memory, and a plurality of second processes. The second memory includes a plurality of second slots being assigned to one of the plurality of second processes and configured to store data to be transmitted or received by the assigned second process. The first proxy and second proxy are configured to form a communication link with the other.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a first client having a first proxy, a first memory, and a plurality of first processes, the first memory having a plurality of first slots, each first slot being assigned to one of the plurality of first processes and configured to store data to be transmitted or received by the assigned first process; and

a server having a second proxy, a second memory, and a plurality of second processes, the second memory having a plurality of second slot being assigned to one of the plurality of second processes and configured to store data to be transmitted or received by the assigned second process,

wherein the first proxy and second proxy are configured to form a communication link with the other.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first client is a Web server and the server is an executing server, further including:

a second client, wherein the second client is a client of the first client.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the first client is a Web server and the second client is a browser.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein each of the first slots, includes:

a first input space to temporarily store data to be transmitted to a destination node via the first proxy, wherein the data is generated by the first process that is associated with the first input space; and

a first output space to temporarily store data received from a source node via the first proxy, wherein the data received is directed to the first process that is associated with the first output space.

5. The communication system of claim 4, further including a plurality of mark devices, each mark device being assigned to one of the first input spaces to indicate whether data can be written into the first input space to which the mark device is assigned and to one of the first output spaces to indicate whether the first output space to which the mark device is assigned contains data received from the source node via the first proxy.

6. The communication system of claim 5, wherein each of the second slots, includes:

a second input space to temporarily store data to be transmitted to a destination node via the second proxy, wherein the data is generated by the second process that is associated with the second input space; and

a second output space to temporarily store data received from a source node via the second proxy, wherein the data received is directed to the second process that is associated with the second output space.

7. The communication system of claim 6, further including a plurality of mark devices, each mark device being assigned to one of the second input spaces to indicate whether data can be written into the second input space to which the mark device is assigned and to one of the second output spaces to indicate whether the second output space to which the mark device is assigned contains data received from the source node via the second proxy.

8. The communication system of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of the first clients and a plurality of the servers.

9. An communication system, comprising:

a plurality of browsers;

a plurality of Web servers to handle requests from the plurality of browsers, each Web server having a first proxy, a first shared memory, a plurality of first processes, and a plurality of mark devices, the first memory having a plurality of first slots, each first slot being assigned to one of the plurality of first processes and configured to store data to be transmitted or received by the assigned first process, the mark devices being assigned to the first slots and being operable to indicate whether data can be written or read from the first slots by the first processes; and

a plurality of executing servers to communicate with the Web servers, each executing server having a second proxy, a second memory, a plurality of second processes, and a plurality of mark devices, the second memory having a plurality of second slots, each second slot being assigned to one of the plurality of second processes and configured to store data to be transmitted or received by the assigned second process, the mark devices being assigned to the second slots and being operable to indicate whether data can be written or read from the second slots by the second processes,

wherein the first proxy and second proxy are configured to form a communication link with the other.

10. A server in a communication system, comprising:

a proxy to provide a communication link with another node in the communication system;

a plurality of processes running on the server;

a shared memory having a plurality of slots to store data to be transmitted and received by the processes via the proxy;

each slot being assigned to a particular one of the process; and

a plurality of mark devices, at least one being assigned to each slot to regulate data flow into and out of the slots of the shared memory.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein each of the slots includes:

an input space to store data transmitted by the process assigned to the slot; and

an output space to store data to be received by the process assigned to the slot.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein each of the input spaces is assigned one of the mark devices which is used to indicate when the input space to which the mark device is assigned is available to receive data, and each of the output spaces is assigned one of the mark devices which is used to indicate when the output space to which the mark device is assigned contains data to be transmitted.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication system further includes a second client that is a client of the first client, wherein the request transmitted to the server is generated in response to a request transmitted by the second client to the first client.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first client is a Web server and the second client is a browser.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the first slots includes a first input space and the request stored in the first slot is stored in the first input space of that first slot.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first client further includes a plurality of mark devices, each of the mark devices being assigned to one of the first input spaces, the method further comprising:

changing the state of the mark device once the data is stored in the first input space to indicate that the first input space contains data.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the second slots includes a second output space and the request stored in the second slot is stored in the second output space of that second slot.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the server further includes a plurality of mark devices, each of the mark devices being assigned to one of the second output spaces, the method further comprising:

changing the state of the mark device once the data is stored in the second output space to indicate that the second output space contains data.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein there are a plurality of the first clients and a plurality of the servers.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating, within the second process which received the request, a reply to the request;

storing the request into the second shared memory having a plurality of second slots, each second slot being assigned to one of the second processes, wherein the reply is stored in the second slot assigned to the second process that generated the reply;

transmitting the reply stored in the second slot to the first client via the second proxy;

receiving the transmitted the reply via the first proxy;

storing the received data into the first shared memory, wherein the received data is stored in the first slot that is assigned to the first process that had transmitted the request; and

reading the reply stored in the first slot.

13. A method for transferring data in a communication system having a first client and a server, wherein the first client has a first proxy, a first shared memory, and a plurality of first processes, and the server has a second proxy, a second shared memory, and a plurality of second processes, the method comprising:

generating, within one of the first processes, a request to be transmitted to one of the second processes;

storing the request into the first shared memory having a plurality of first slots, wherein each of the first slots is assigned to one of the first processes and the request is stored in the first slot assigned to the first process that generated the request;

transmitting the data stored in the first slot to the sever via the first proxy;

receiving the transmitted request via the second proxy that has a communication link established with the first proxy;

storing the received request into the second shared memory having a plurality of second slots, wherein each second slot is assigned to one of the second processes and the received request is stored in the second slot that is assigned to the second process to which the data is directed; and

reading the data stored in the second slot.

22. A method of transmitting data in from a communication system having a plurality of processes running thereon, the method comprising:

generating data using one of the processes running on the communication system;

storing the data into a shared memory; and

transmitting the stored data to a destination node using a proxy provided in the communication system.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the communication system is either a client or a server.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the shared memory has a plurality of slots, each slot being assigned to one of the processes, wherein the data stored in the shared memory is stored in the slot assigned to the process that generated the data.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the communication system includes a plurality of mark devices that are assigned to each of the slots to regulate the data flow into and out of the slots.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the communication system is either a client or a server.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the shared memory has a plurality of slots, each slot being assigned to one of the processes, wherein the data stored in the shared memory is stored in the slot assigned the process to which the data is directed.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the communication system includes a plurality of mark devices that are assigned to each of the slots to regulate the data flow into and out of the slots.

26. A method of handling data received in a communication system having a plurality of processes running thereon, the method comprising:

receiving data from a source node via a proxy provided in the communication system;

storing the received data into a shared memory; and

transmitting the stored data to the process to which the data is directed.