Sustaining session connections
First Claim
1. A method performed by a computing device for sustaining a session connection, comprising:
- opening a session with a second computing device using a first protocol, the session having a connection; and
sending a heartbeat message using a second protocol, wherein the first protocol is employed by a higher layer of a data communications stack than the second protocol, the heartbeat message is a valid message of the second protocol but ignored by the first protocol, and sending the heartbeat message sustains the session connection.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In an embodiment, techniques for sustaining session connections are provided. The techniques send heartbeat messages when not sending a message may cause the session connection to close because of a timeout condition. Heartbeat messages are valid transport layer messages that will be ignored by protocols at higher levels of a data communications stack. As an example, the techniques may send a TCP message containing only a carriage return and line feed (“CRLF”) in its payload. Because the TCP layer considers a message containing only a CRLF to be a valid TCP message, intermediary computing devices such as proxy servers may not interpret heartbeat messages as “keep alive” messages, and may sustain session connections.
59 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method performed by a computing device for sustaining a session connection, comprising:
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opening a session with a second computing device using a first protocol, the session having a connection; and
sending a heartbeat message using a second protocol, wherein the first protocol is employed by a higher layer of a data communications stack than the second protocol, the heartbeat message is a valid message of the second protocol but ignored by the first protocol, and sending the heartbeat message sustains the session connection. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method comprising:
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opening a session with a second computing device using a first protocol, the session having a connection;
sending messages using the first protocol, wherein the messages are segmented by a transport layer into a set of messages of a second protocol; and
sending a heartbeat message using a second protocol, wherein the first protocol is employed by a higher layer of a data communications stack than the second protocol, the heartbeat message is a valid message of the second protocol but is not provided to an application employing the first protocol, and sending the heartbeat message sustains the session connection. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A system for sustaining a session connection, comprising:
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a component that receives a message; and
a component that determines whether the received message is a heartbeat message, wherein the heartbeat message is a valid message of a lower level protocol but has no effect on a higher level protocol; and
when the received message is not a heartbeat message, forwards the message. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification