Proxy processing method

• US 20030028515A1
• Filed: 07/25/2002
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takahashi, Yasuhiro, Noda, Fumio, Nakahara, Masahiko, Nishikado, Takashi, Hatakeyama, Kouzou
• Granted Patent: US 6,847,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A proxy processing method to flexibly add/modify customized operations such as customized user authentication and accounting is provided. A state transition engine stores state information and moves processing forward by updating states. It has the following characteristics. (1) a state transition table indicating proxy processing procedure is generated from a state definition file at start-up (1-(1)). (2) A state transition engine implements proxy processing according to the state transition table (1-(2)). (3) A feature is provided to add an extended region for extended features to the session management table (1-(3)). Also, with regard to extended logging: (1) An extended log definition file indicates extended log information to be logged (2-(1)). (2) Extended log information based on the extended log definition is stored in the session management table (2-(2)). (3) Each access log provides two types of separate information, a fixed-length standard log and a variable-length extended log.

Claims

1. In an operation for processing a request from a client terminal, a proxy processing method comprising:

a step for reading a state definition file storing state names in a transition sequence, said states representing processing steps for said request operation;

a state selection step selecting a state information defined in a standard module and extension modules matching with a state name specified in said state definition file, said standard module storing processing functions associated with standard states for standard features, and said extension modules storing processing functions associated with extended states for extended features;

a state transition table generating step generating, at startup, a state transition table based on selected state information, said state transition table storing a processing function associated with each state and a next transition state of said state; and

a step for executing a processing function defined for each state according to said generated state transition table.

2. A proxy processing method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

a step for allocating a standard region in a session management table used to manage processing states for a request from a client terminal, said standard region being necessary for executing processing for standard states; and

a step for allocating an extended region by executing an environment set-up function for an extended state, said extended region being necessary for processing for said extended state.

3. A proxy processing method as described in claim 2 further comprising a step for executing logging operations associated with client requests and/or server responses, said logging operations being based on extended logging information stored in an extended region in said session management table.

4. A proxy processing method as described in claim 1 wherein:

a module table stores for each module object a module name of the module object and a list of state information provided by the module object, said list of state information including for each state a state name and a state identifier of the state, a session processing function for the state, a function for initializing and allocating a work region, and a termination processing function; and

said state selection step selecting from said list of state information in said module table a state information entry associated with a state name specified in said state definition file.

5. A proxy processing method as described in claim 1 wherein said state transition table associates a state identifier with a state name, a session processing function for the state, a configuration function performing allocation of a work region and the like, a session initialization function called when a session is initiated, a session termination function called when a session is terminated, and a next state.

6. A proxy processing method comprising:

a step for sequentially reading state names from a state definition file containing states names in a transition sequence, said each state representing a processing step in a processing sequence of a request from a client terminal;

a step for retrieving from a module table a state information entry having a state name that was read, each entry of said module table containing a list of state information, and said state information containing a state name and an associated state identifier of the state, a session processing function for the state, a configuration function allocating a work region and the like, a session initialization function called when a session is initiated, and a session termination function called when a session is terminated.

7. A proxy processing method as described in claim 6 further comprising a step for setting up a state identifier by generating a unique identifier for a retrieved state information entry if a state identifier has not been defined and detecting overlapped assignments by checking to see if an entry associated with said identifier is already set up in said state transition table.

8. A proxy processing method as described in claim 6 further comprising a step for registering a session initialization function and a session termination processing function onto a session initialization function list and a session termination function list respectively if the non-null session initialization function and the session termination function are defined in said state transition table.

9. In a proxy processing method using a single processing process to simultaneously process requests from a plurality of clients,

a proxy processing method wherein:

operations from a receipt of a request to a termination of the processes of the request are handled as a single session, a process status is stored for each session in a session management table, and a session scheduler is used to schedule client sessions that have become ready to process;

said session scheduler including;

a step for checking for events indicating ready status for receiving request and response data and the like;

a step for selecting one session management table entry out of entries for ready sessions if a ready status event is generated or is received;

a step for executing a state transition engine using as parameters said selected session management table entry and event information; and

said state transition engine includes a step for looking up a state transition table indicating a transition sequence of states representing processing steps for processing a request from a client terminal, and sequentially executing session processing functions in said state transition table entries associated with current state information stored in said session management table.

10. A proxy processing method as described in claim 9 wherein said session scheduler further includes a step for periodically performing a timeout check on each session.

11. A proxy processing method as described in claim 9 further comprising:

a step for executing a session initialization function when a connection is established, said session initialization function being obtained when said state transition table is built; and

a step for executing a session termination function when a session is terminated.

12. A proxy processing method as described in claim 9 further comprising a step for storing in said session management table, for each session from a client terminal, state information and various types of standard information as well as information containing extension information specific to extension modules, and, based on configuration functions associated with extended states of said extension modules, regions for module-specific extension information are allocated at start-up.

13. A proxy processing method as described in claim 12 further comprising a step for executing a logging operation for client requests and/or server responses based on standard information and extended information in said session management table.

14. A proxy processing method as described in claim 9 wherein said state transition engine includes:

a step for looking up a session management table storing, for each session from a client terminal, information-including state information, standard information, and module-specific extension information;

a step for using said state information in said session management table to look up a state transition table to obtain a state transition table entry, said state transition table storing a session processing function associated with each state and a next transition state of said state;

a step for executing a session processing function of said obtained state transition table entry; and

a step for determining a next transition state using a value returned from an executed session processing function and setting up said next state information in said session management table entry.

15. In a proxy processing method storing state status representing processing steps in processing requests from client terminals, updating states, and using a state transition engine to sequentially execute processing functions associated with state,

a proxy processing method comprising:

a step for executing said state transition engine,

said state transition engine including a step for looking up, for each session from a client terminal, a session management table storing information including state information, standard information, and extended information specific to extension modules;

said state transition engine including a step for using state information in said session management table to obtain a state transition table entry by looking up a state transition table storing session processing functions and default next states associated with each state;

said state transition engine including a step to execute a session processing function from said obtained state transition table entry;

said state transition engine including a step to determine a next transition state using a value returned from an executed session processing function, and setting up said next state information in said session management table entry; and

a step for executing session processing for said next state if said returned value is that for transition to a next state, and returning to a scheduler and requesting said scheduler to schedule another ready session if said returned value is that for session rescheduling.

16. A proxy processing method as described in claim 15 comprising any one or more of the following steps:

a step for updating to a next default state if a value returned from a session processing function is that for state transition to a default next state;

a step for updating to a state indicated in a predetermined field if a value returned from a session processing function is that for goto-type state transition to a state explicitly specified;

a step for updating to an error information reply state if a value returned from a session processing function is that for state transition to an error reply state; and

a step for executing a session termination function, releasing said session management table entry, terminating said current session, and returning to said session scheduler if a value returned from a session processing function is that for terminating the session processing.

17. A proxy processing method including:

a step for loading definition information at start-up from an extended logging definition file containing log types to be logged;

a step for storing extended logging information based on said definition information in a session management table managing a processing status for a request from a client terminal;

a step for executing logging including extended information based on said definition information.

18. In a proxy processing method as described in claim 17 wherein access logging for logging processes of a request from a client is performed with logging data formed from a fixed-length standard log region and a variable-length extended log region,

a proxy processing method comprising:

a step for storing a log record length and fixed-length standard log information of logging data in a fixed-length standard log;

a step for storing in said variable-length/extended log region offset information indicating output position and extended logging data based on a variable-length region size and definition information in an extended logging definition file;

wherein said generated access log is looked up to perform logging analysis and tabulation operations.

19. A proxy processing method as described in claim 18 further comprising:

a step for performing analysis and tabulation of said access log by analyzing and tabulating fixed-length standard information through referring to said fixed-length standard log region in said access log; and

a step for performing analysis and tabulation of said access log by referring to said variable-length extended log region of said access log, retrieving offset information for desired variable-length extended log information, and analyzing/tabulating variable-length extended log data by accessing variable-length/extended logging data using said retrieved offset information.

20. A proxy processing method as described in claim 18 further comprising a step for storing any one or more of endian information, statistical summary information, and a copy of said extended log definition information.