Single servlets for B2B message routing

• US 20040010611A1
• Filed: 04/01/2003
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Wiser, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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 67/1006 with static server selection, e.g. the same server being selected for a specific client
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A number of approaches can be taken to improve the routing of client requests to business protocol destinations. In one such approach, a business servlet registers itself as a default servlet such that it receives any request not recognized by the system. In another embodiment, internal APIs can be used to route all messages to a business servlet, which can use internal APIs to redirect the request if the business servlet does not recognize the request. In another embodiment, filters can be used in conjunction with a lookup table containing address information to route requests to the proper destination.

This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Claims

1. A system for routing a request from a client to a specified business protocol, comprising:

at least one servlet for processing a request and generating a response;

a default servlet for receiving the request and generating an error response;

a business servlet for processing the request by routing the request to a destination for the specified business protocol, the business servlet further adapted to route the request to the default servlet if the business servlet does not recognize the destination of the request; and

a server adapted to receive the request from the client and route the request to one of a servlet and the default servlet, the server routing the request to a servlet if the server recognizes the destination of the request and routing the message to the default servlet if the server does not recognize the destination, the business servlet capable of being registered as the default servlet such that the server will route requests to the business servlet if the server does not recognize the destination of the request.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the server is a Web server adapted to receive an HTTP request from a client.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the server is adapted to route the message based on the URL of the request.

4. A system for routing a request from a client to a specified business protocol, comprising:

a default servlet for receiving the request and generating an error response;

at least one servlet for processing a request and generating a response, the servlet adapted to look up the appropriate servlet if the servlet does not understand the request, the servlet adapted to route the request to the appropriate servlet if the servlet is able to determine the appropriate servlet, the servlet adapted to route the request to the default servlet if the servlet does not recognize the destination of the request and cannot determine the appropriate servlet;

a business servlet for processing the request by routing the request to a destination for the specified business protocol, the business servlet further adapted to look up the appropriate servlet if the business servlet does not understand the request, the business servlet adapted to route the request to a servlet if the business servlet is able to determine the appropriate servlet, the business servlet adapted to route the request to the default servlet if the business servlet does not recognize the destination of the request and cannot determine the appropriate servlet; and

a server adapted to receive the request from the client and forward the request to one of a servlet and the business servlet.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein:

the server forwards the request using a built-in API.

6. A system according to claim 4, wherein:

the server is a Web server adapted to receive an HTTP request from a client.

7. A system according to claim 4, wherein:

the server is adapted to route the message based on the URL of the request.

8. A system according to claim 4, wherein:

the server is adapted to route the message based on a prefix in the URL of the request.

9. A system for routing a request from a client to a specified business protocol, comprising:

a default servlet for receiving the request and generating an error response;

at least one servlet for processing a request and generating a response;

a business servlet for processing the request by routing the request to a destination for the specified business protocol;

a lookup table containing address information for routing the request;

a server adapted to receive the request from the client and forward the request to one of a servlet, the business servlet, and the default servlet; and

a filter on the server for determining where the server should route the request, the filter capable of checking the address information in the lookup table for use in the determination.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein:

the lookup table contains address information comprising original destination information and internal destination information.

11. A system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a second server adapted to receive the request and forward the request to one of a servlet, the business servlet, and the default servlet; and

a second filter on the second server for determining where the server should route the request, the filter capable of checking the address information in the lookup table for use in the determination, the second filter receiving the request from the filter if the filter does not recognize the destination, the filter adapted to route the request to the second filter instead of the default servlet if the second filter exists.

12. A system for routing a request from a client to a specified business protocol in a cluster, comprising:

a default servlet for receiving the request and generating an error response;

a plurality of cluster servers, each cluster server adapted to receive a request, each cluster server capable of doing one of processing and rerouting the request;

a plurality of servlets, each servlet being hosted by a cluster server and capable of processing a request and generating a response;

a business servlet on one of the cluster servers for processing the request by routing the request to a destination for the specified business protocol;

a lookup table containing address information for routing the request;

a administration server adapted to receive the request from the client and forward the request to one of the cluster servers; and

a filter on each cluster server, each filter capable of determining where the cluster server should route the request, the filter capable of checking the address information in the lookup table for use in the determination.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein:

each cluster server in the plurality of cluster servers can update address information in the lookup table.

14. A system according to claim 12, wherein:

each cluster server in the plurality of cluster servers can notify the other cluster servers of a change to address information in the lookup table.

15. A system according to claim 12, wherein:

a administration server further determines the cluster server to receive the request by using a load-balancing algorithm.

16. A system according to claim 12, wherein:

a administration server further determines the cluster server to receive the request by using a round-robin load-balancing algorithm.

17. A system according to claim 12, wherein:

the administration server is a Web server adapted to receive an HTTP request from a client.

18. A system according to claim 12, wherein:

the administration server is adapted to route the message based on the URL of the request.

19. A system according to claim 12, wherein:

the administration server is adapted to route the message based on a prefix in the URL of the request.

20. A method for routing a request from a client to a specified business protocol, comprising:

receiving a request from a client to a server;

routing the message to a servlet if the destination of the request is recognized and routing the message to a business servlet if the destination of the request is not recognized;

routing the request from the business servlet to a business protocol destination if the business servlet recognizes the destination and routing the request to a default servlet if the business servlet does not recognize the destination.

21. A method for routing a request from a client to a specified business protocol, comprising:

receiving a request from a client to a server and routing the request to a business servlet using an API of the server;

routing the request from the business servlet to a business protocol destination if the business servlet recognizes the destination;

looking up the appropriate servlet in a lookup table if the business servlet does not recognize the destination and routing the request to the appropriate servlet; and

routing the request to a default servlet if the business servlet does not recognize the destination and cannot determine the appropriate servlet.

22. A method for routing a request from a client to a specified business protocol, comprising:

receiving a request to a filter for a business servlet;

routing the request from the business servlet to a business protocol destination if the business servlet recognizes the destination;

routing the request to each additional filter in the system until one of a filter recognizing the destination and a default servlet receiving the request, each filter capable of looking up address information in a lookup table for use in recognizing the request.

23. A method for routing a request from a client to a specified business protocol, comprising:

receiving a request to an administration server in a cluster;

using a load-balancing algorithm to select a cluster server to receive the request and routing the request to that cluster server;

receiving the request to a filter on the selected cluster server, the filter associated with a business servlet;

routing the request to a business protocol destination if the business servlet recognizes the destination;

looking up the address information in a lookup table for use in recognizing the request and doing one of routing the request to the appropriate servlet and routing the request to a default servlet.

24. A system for routing a request from a client to a specified business protocol, comprising:

means for receiving a request from a client to a server;

means for routing the message to a servlet if the destination of the request is recognized and routing the message to a business servlet if the destination of the request is not recognized; and

means for routing the request from the business servlet to a business protocol destination if the business servlet recognizes the destination and routing the request to a default servlet if the business servlet does not recognize the destination.

25. A computer-readable medium, comprising:

means for receiving a request from a client to a server;

means for routing the message to a servlet if the destination of the request is recognized and routing the message to a business servlet if the destination of the request is not recognized; and

means for routing the request from the business servlet to a business protocol destination if the business servlet recognizes the destination and routing the request to a default servlet if the business servlet does not recognize the destination.

26. A computer program product for execution by a server computer for routing a request from a client to a specified business protocol, comprising:

computer code for receiving a request from a client to a server;

computer code for routing the message to a servlet if the destination of the request is recognized and routing the message to a business servlet if the destination of the request is not recognized; and

computer code for routing the request from the business servlet to a business protocol destination if the business servlet recognizes the destination and routing the request to a default servlet if the business servlet does not recognize the destination.

27. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

object code executed by said processor, said object code configured to;

receive a request from a client to a server;

route the message to a servlet if the destination of the request is recognized and routing the message to a business servlet if the destination of the request is not recognized; and

route the request from the business servlet to a business protocol destination if the business servlet recognizes the destination and routing the request to a default servlet if the business servlet does not recognize the destination.

28. A computer data signal embodied in a transmission medium, comprising:

a code segment including instructions to receive a request from a client to a server;

a code segment including instructions to route the message to a servlet if the destination of the request is recognized and routing the message to a business servlet if the destination of the request is not recognized; and

a code segment including instructions to route the request from the business servlet to a business protocol destination if the business servlet recognizes the destination and routing the request to a default servlet if the business servlet does not recognize the destination.