Communication stack for network communication and routing

• US 20050216727A1
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Padisetty, Sivaprasad, Chattopadhyay, Somak, Gulick, Trevor
• Application Number:
  US11/135,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216727A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• 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 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A communication stack enables computers implementing it to send, receive, or route network communications. The communication stack includes a message layer, a communication layer, a security layer, and a transport protocol layer, with plug-in transport protocol modules and plug-in security protocol modules. Each of the origin computer, target computer, and routing computers involved in delivering a message implements the communication stack. An application on the origin computer calls the message layer of the computer to send messages to a target computer and identifies routing computers on the route for delivering the message to the target computer. The message layer calls the communication layer to establish a connection to the target computer. The communication layer uses the transport protocol layer to establish an initial connection with the target computer, and uses the security layer to negotiate security parameters and to handle secured communications between the origin and target computers.

Claims

1-41. -41. (canceled)

42. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a message header markup language data structure, the message header comprising:

a first data field containing data representing message handling and delivery characteristics;

a second data field containing data representing a message; and

a third data field containing data representing a communications header.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42 wherein the message comprises:

a fourth data field containing data representing a unique identifier for the message; and

a fifth data field containing data representing a target message handler for the message.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein the unique identifier for the message is a GUID.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein the message further comprises:

a sixth data field containing data representing a retry interval for the message; and

a seventh data field containing data representing a delivery timeout interval for the message.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 42 wherein the Message Header further comprises:

a fourth data field containing data representing a reply.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 42 wherein the communications header comprises:

a fourth data field containing data representing connection characteristics; and

a fifth data field containing data representing a communications protocol.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 47 wherein the communications header further comprises:

a sixth data field containing data representing communications security; and

a seventh data field containing data representing a reply route.

49. A method for communicating between an application and a message layer, the method comprising:

issuing, by the message layer, a message handler call with input parameters comprising a message header, a payload type, a payload size, a payload, and a message context;

receiving, by the application, the message handler call and parsing the call to retrieve the input parameters; and

issuing, by the application, a return to the message handler return call with output parameters comprising a reply type, a reply size, and a reply.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein the message header is in a markup language format.

51. The method of claim 49 wherein the payload type and the reply type are selected from the group consisting of:

binary and a markup language.

52. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for communicating between an application and a message layer, the method comprising:

issuing, by the message layer, a message handler call with input parameters comprising a message header, a payload type, a payload size, a payload, and a message context;

receiving, by the application, the message handler call and parsing the call to retrieve the input parameters; and

issuing, by the application, a return to the message handler return call with output parameters comprising a reply type, a reply size, and a reply.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 52 wherein the message header is in a markup language format.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim method of claim 52 wherein the payload type and the reply type are selected from the group consisting of:

binary and a markup language.