System and method for preserving post data on a server system

• US 20040107282A1
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chakraborty, Krishnendu, Dong, Xuesi
• Granted Patent: US 7,237,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• 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: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A system and method for preserving POST data on a server system are presented. Embodiments of the present invention include a method for preserving POST data comprising using a generic cache agent to intercept a POST request made by a client for a resource accessible from a server, creating a URI unique to the POST request, storing the URI and POST data associated with the POST request in a cache memory, redirecting the client to an authentication URL, and after authentication, retrieving the POST data from the cache memory, creating an HTML page, the HTML page comprising the POST data, and serving the HTML page to a web server. In another embodiment of the present invention, a cache engine clears stale POST data through a LRU (least recently used) cache mechanism. The present invention provides a generic cache engine that can be plugged into any web server running any kind of web application.

Claims

1. ) A method for preserving post data comprising:

a) using a generic cache agent to transparently intercept a post request made by a client for a resource accessible from a server;

b) creating an URI unique to said post request;

c) storing said URI and post data associated with said post request in a cache memory;

d) redirecting said client to an authentication URL to authenticate said client;

e) after authentication, retrieving said post data from said cache memory; and

f) creating an HTML page comprising said post data.

2. ) The method as described in claim 1 wherein said cache agent is generic to any web server.

3. ) The method as described in claim 1 wherein said cache agent can be used for any web application.

4. ) The method as described in claim 1 wherein said post data comprises a .gif file.

5. ) The method as described in claim 1 wherein said cache agent works independent of the web browser used to by said client.

6. ) The method as described in claim 1 further comprising monitoring said cache memory and clearing said post data based on preset parameters.

7. ) The method as described in claim 6 wherein a preset parameter is clearing least recently used (LRU) post data.

8. ) The method as described in claim 6 wherein a preset parameter is clearing post data after a predetermined period of time.

10. ) The method as described in claim 1 wherein the size of said cache memory used to preserve post data is specific to a particular web server.

11. ) The method as described in claim 1 wherein said URI comprises a unique time stamp corresponding to the time said post request was made.

9. ) The method as described in Clam 1 wherein the size of said cache memory used to preserve post data is specific to a particular application.

12. ) A computer implemented system for preserving post data comprising:

a) a generic agent interface coupled to a server for intercepting an incoming POST request associated with a user; and

b) a generic cache engine that assigns a unique identification tag to post data associated with said post request, stores said post data and said unique identification tag in a cache memory, directs said user to an authentication resource, subsequent to authentication creates an HTML page comprising said POST data associated with said user and serves said HTML page to said user.

13. ) The computer implemented system as described in claim 12 wherein said generic agent interface and said generic cache engine are generic to all web servers.

14. ) The computer implemented system as described in claim 12 wherein said generic agent interface and said generic cache engine are generic to all web applications.

15. ) The computer implemented system as described in claim 12 wherein said unique identification tag is a time stamp that corresponds to the time said POST request was submitted.

16. ) The computer implemented system as described in claim 12 wherein said unique identification tag is an IP address corresponds to the location of a web browser associated with said POST request.

17. ) The computer implemented system as described in claim 12 wherein said generic cache engine monitors the amount of memory used to store POST data.

18. ) The computer implemented system as described in claim 17 wherein said generic cache engine clears from said cache POST data that is least recently used (LRU).

19. ) In a server system comprising a processor coupled to a bus and a memory coupled to said bus, a computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed implement a method of accessing information said method comprising:

a) using a generic cache agent to transparently intercept a post request made by a client for a resource accessible from a server;

b) creating an URI unique to said post request;

c) storing said URI and post data associated with said post request in a cache memory,

d) redirecting said client to an authentication URL to authenticate said client;

e) after authentication, retrieving said post data from said cache memory; and

f) creating an HTML page comprising said post data.

20. ) The computer readable medium as described in claim 19 wherein said cache agent is generic to any web server.

21. ) The computer readable medium as described in claim 19 wherein said cache agent can be used for any web application.

22. ) The computer readable medium as described in claim 19 wherein said post data comprises a .gif file.

23. ) The computer readable medium as described in claim 19 wherein said agent works independent of the web browser used to by said client.

24. ) The computer readable medium as described in claim 19 wherein said method further comprises monitoring said cache memory and clearing said POST data based on preset parameters.

25. ) The computer readable medium as described in claim 24 wherein a preset parameter is clearing least recently used (LRU) post data.

26. ) The computer readable medium as described in claim 24 wherein a preset parameter is clearing post data after a predetermined period of time.

28. ) The computer readable medium as described in claim 19 wherein the size of said cache memory is specific to a particular web server.

29. ) The computer readable medium as described in claim 19 wherein said magic URI comprises a unique time stamp corresponding to the time said POST request was made.

27. ) The computer readable medium as described in Clam 19 wherein the size of said cache memory is specific to a particular application.

30. ) A method of processing data comprising:

a) in response to a web page submission from a user, intercepting an associated request containing post data and determining if said request contains a valid identifier;

b) if said request does not contain said valid identifier, then associating with said request a particular URI that is unique to said request, storing said post data in a cache memory according to said URI and redirecting said request to an authentication session to authenticate said user;

c) in response to authentication of said user, intercepting said request a second time, locating said URI in said request and obtaining said post data from said memory cache using said URI; and

d) recreating said web page containing said post data.

31. ) A method as described in claim 30 further comprising e) submitting said recreated web page of said d) to a web server.

32. ) A method as described in claim 30 wherein an agent software module performs said a)-d).

33. ) A method as described in claim 30 wherein said cache memory is a hash table indexed by said URI.

34. ) A method as described in claim 30 wherein said valid identifier is created after proper authentication of said user.

35. ) A method as described in claim 30 further comprising generating said particular URI containing information regarding the present time that is locked with a semaphore.

36. ) A method as described in claim 30 further comprising:

authenticating said user; and

transferring said request back to a browser from where said user generated said request and wherein said request is intercepted for said second time at this moment.

37. ) The method as described in claim 30 wherein said cache agent is generic to any web server.

38. ) The method as described in claim 32 wherein said cache agent can be used for any web application.

39. ) The method as described in claim 30 further comprising monitoring said cache memory and clearing said post data based on preset parameters.

40. ) A web server plug-in for preserving post data comprising:

a generic agent interface that can plug into any web sever for intercepting a post request made by a web browser application, identifying a URI associated with said post request, and

a generic cache engine for retrieving post data associated with said post request from a cache memory, creating an HTML page comprising said post data and for serving said HTML page to a web server.

41. ) The web sever plug-in as described in claim 40 wherein said generic agent works independent of the web browser used to request said post.

42. ) The web server plug-in as described in claim 40 wherein said generic cache engine monitors the size of said cache memory and clears said post data from said cache after a predetermined period of time.