Mechanism for validating the message format for message channels

• US 20050232291A1
• Filed: 04/14/2004
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Woolf, Robert, Brown, Kyle G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,382,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/428
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level

Abstract

A method for validating messages in a message queuing software environment before the messages are transmitted to the recipient programs comprising a Message Validating Program (MVP). The present invention makes the message queuing software more efficient by eliminating the transmission of invalid messages through the message channels. The MVP acquires the messages as they are originated by the sender program and analyzes the message by comparing the message header and the message body to validating criteria. The validating criteria are the properties, ranges, types, character sets, and formats of data in the message header and message body that the recipient programs will accept. If the message body and the message header meet the validating criteria, then the message is forwarded to the appropriate message queue. If the message body and/or the message header do not meet the validating criteria, then an error is indicated to the sender program.

Claims

1. A method for validating a message in a message queuing environment wherein the message is validated before the message is sent to a recipient program.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising:

installing a message validation program on a computer;

wherein the message validation program performs steps comprising;

acquiring the message;

analyzing the message;

determining whether the message is valid; and

responsive to the determination that the message is valid, forwarding the message to a message queue for distribution to the recipient program.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the steps further comprise:

responsive to the determination that the message is not valid, indicating an error to a sender program without forwarding the message to the message queue for distribution to the recipient program.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of analyzing the message comprises:

comparing the message to a validating criteria;

wherein the validating criteria specifies a data that the recipient program will accept; and

wherein the message is valid only if the data in the message matches the validating criteria.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the message comprises a message header and a message body and wherein the step of analyzing the message further comprises:

comparing the message header to the validating criteria;

comparing the message body to the validating criteria; and

wherein the message is valid only if the data in the message header and the message body match the validating criteria.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the comparing the message header to the validating criteria step comprises:

comparing a message property to a validating criteria property; and

wherein the message is valid only if the message property matches the validating criteria property.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the comparing the message header to the validating criteria step comprises:

comparing a message value to a validating criteria value; and

wherein the message is valid only if the message value matches the validating criteria value.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the comparing the message body to the validating criteria step comprises:

comparing a message type to a validating criteria type; and

wherein the message is valid only if the message type matches the validating criteria type.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the comparing the message body to the validating criteria step comprises:

comparing a message character set to a validating criteria character set; and

wherein the message is valid only if the message character set matches the validating criteria character set.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the comparing the message body to the validating criteria step comprises:

comparing a message format to a validating criteria format; and

wherein the message is valid only if the message format matches the validating criteria format.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the message is validated by the sender program.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the message is validated by a message queue manager.

26. The method of claim 10 wherein the message is validated by the sender program.

27. The method of claim 10 wherein the message is validated by a message queue manager.

13. A program product for validating a message in a message queuing environment wherein the message is validated before the message is sent to a recipient program.

14. The program product claim 13 comprising:

a memory;

wherein the memory comprises instructions for a computer to perform steps comprising;

acquiring the message;

analyzing the message;

determining whether the message is valid; and

responsive to the determination that the message is valid, forwarding the message to a message queue for distribution to the recipient program.

15. The program product of claim 14 wherein the steps further comprise:

responsive to the determination that the message is not valid, indicating an error to a sender program without forwarding the message to the message queue for distribution to the recipient program.

16. The program product of claim 14 wherein the step of analyzing the message comprises:

comparing the message to a validating criteria;

wherein the validating criteria specifies a data that the recipient program will accept; and

wherein the message is valid only if the data in the message matches the validating criteria.

17. The program product of claim 16 wherein the message comprises a message header and a message body and wherein the step of analyzing the message further comprises:

comparing the message header to the validating criteria;

comparing the message body to the validating criteria; and

wherein the message is valid only if the data in the message header and the message body match the validating criteria.

18. The program product of claim 17 wherein the comparing the message header to the validating criteria step comprises:

comparing a message property to a validating criteria property; and

wherein the message is valid only if the message property matches the validating criteria property.

19. The program product of claim 17 wherein the comparing the message header to the validating criteria step comprises:

comparing a message value to a validating criteria value; and

wherein the message is valid only if the message value matches the validating criteria value.

20. The program product of claim 17 wherein the comparing the message body to the validating criteria step comprises:

comparing a message type to a validating criteria type; and

wherein the message is valid only if the message type matches the validating criteria type.

21. The program product of claim 17 wherein the comparing the message body to the validating criteria step comprises:

comparing a message character set to a validating criteria character set; and

wherein the message is valid only if the message character set matches the validating criteria character set.

22. The program product of claim 17 wherein the comparing the message body to the validating criteria step comprises:

comparing a message format to a validating criteria format; and

wherein the message is valid only if the message format matches the validating criteria format.

23. The program product of claim 14 wherein the message is validated by the sender program.

24. The program product of claim 14 wherein the message is validated by a message queue manager.

25. An apparatus for validating a message in a message queuing environment wherein the message is validated before the message is sent to a recipient program, the apparatus comprising:

acquiring the message;

comparing the message header to the validating criteria;

comparing the message body to the validating criteria; and

wherein the validating criteria specifies a data that the recipient program will accept;

comparing a message property to a validating criteria property;

wherein the message is valid only if the message property matches the validating criteria property;

comparing a message value to a validating criteria value;

wherein the message is valid only if the message value matches the validating criteria value;

comparing a message type to a validating criteria type;

wherein the message is valid only if the message type matches the validating criteria type;

comparing a message character set to a validating criteria character set;

wherein the message is valid only if the message character set matches the validating criteria character set;

comparing a message format to a validating criteria format;

wherein the message is valid only if the message format matches the validating criteria format;

determining whether the message is valid;

responsive to the determination that the message is valid, forwarding the message to a message queue for distribution to the recipient program; and

responsive to the determination that the message is not valid, indicating an error to a sender program without forwarding the message to the message queue for distribution to the recipient program.