System and method of binding a client to a server

• US 20060031393A1
• Filed: 01/26/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Upland Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Geos Communications IP Holdings, Incorporated (Upland Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cooney, John M., Talucci, Fabrizio, Ali, Awais, Zimmerman, Charlie
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• 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 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

A system and method of binding a client with a server. Embodiments of the present invention allow a client to receive and maintain a set of “best-fit” server IP addresses. The best fit server IP addresses establish a hierarchy of server addresses that are used by a client to maintain a binding with a server without using the DNS. Communicating the set of best-fit server IP addresses to a specific client is accomplished using extensions to one or more network protocols already used to support client/server communications, thus minimizing the amount of code needed to support the additional information transfer.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server comprising:

at the server, creating a list of best-fit server IP addresses for the client;

extending a transmission protocol used by the client and the server for communications to transport the best-fit server IP list; and

sending the best-fit server IP list to the client.

2. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 1, further comprising ordering the best-fit server IP addresses according to network distribution criteria.

3. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 2, wherein the network distribution criteria are selected from the group consisting of the routing distance between the client and each server associated with list of best-fit server IP addresses, message delivery latency, and server loading.

4. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 1, wherein extending a transmission protocol used by the client and server for communications to transport the best-fit server IP list comprises extending a SIP protocol message and wherein sending the sending the best-fit server IP list to the client comprises sending an extended SIP protocol message comprising the best-fit server IP list.

5. A method for initiating the binding of a client with a server comprising:

selecting at the client a best-fit server IP address from a list of best-fit server IP addresses;

at the client, making an attempt to initiate a session with the server using the selected best-fit server IP address;

in the event the first attempt to initiate a session fails, then selecting a next best-fit server IP address from the list of best-fit server IP addresses; and

at the client, making a next attempt to initiate the session using the next selected best-fit server IP address.

6. The method for initiating the binding of a client with a server of claim 5, wherein the list of best-fit server IP addresses is ordered according to network distribution criteria, and wherein selecting the first and next best-fit server IP addresses from the list of best-fit server IP addresses list comprises selecting the best-fit server IP addresses according to the order in which best-fit server IP addresses appear on the list of best-fit server IP addresses.

7. The method for initiating the binding of a client with a server of claim 6, wherein the network distribution criteria are selected from the group consisting of the routing distance between the client and each server associated with each of the list of best-fit server IP addresses, message delivery latency, and server loading.

8. A method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server comprising:

extending a transmission protocol used by the client and the server for communications; and

at the client, using the extended transmission protocol to request a list of best-fit server IP addresses from the server.

9. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

at the client, receiving the list of best-fit server IP addresses; and

at the client, storing the list of best-fit server IP addresses.

10. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 8, wherein extending the transmission protocol used by the client and server for communications comprises extending a STUN protocol message, and wherein using the extended transmission protocol to request a list of best-fit server IP addresses from the server comprises sending an extended STUN protocol message comprising the request.

11. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

determining at the client whether the IP address of the server is on the list of best-fit server IP addresses;

in the event that the server is not on the list of best-fit server IP addresses, then terminating the association of the client with the server;

selecting at the client a best-fit server IP address from the list of best-fit server IP addresses;

at the client, making an attempt to initiate a session with the server using the selected best-fit server IP address;

in the event the first attempt to initiate a session fails, then selecting a next best-fit server IP address from the list of best-fit server IP addresses; and

at the client, making a next attempt to initiate the session using the next selected best-fit server IP address.

12. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 11, wherein the list of best-fit server IP addresses is ordered according to network distribution criteria, and wherein selecting the first and next best-fit server IP addresses from the list of best-fit server IP addresses comprises selecting the best-fit server IP addresses according to the order in which the best-fit server IP addresses appear on the list of best-fit server IP addresses.

13. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 11, wherein the network distribution criteria are selected from the group consisting of the routing distance between the client and each server associated with each of the plurality of best-fit server IP addresses, message delivery latency, and server loading.

14. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

determining at the client whether a connection between the client and the server has been lost;

in the event that the connection has been lost, then selecting at the client a best-fit server IP address from the list of best-fit server IP addresses;

at the client, making an attempt to initiate a session using the selected best-fit server IP address;

in the event the first attempt to initiate a session fails, selecting a next best-fit server IP address from the list of best-fit server IP addresses; and

at the client, making a next attempt to initiate a session using the next selected best-fit server IP address.

15. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 14, wherein the best-fit server IP address list is ordered according to network distribution criteria, and wherein selecting the first and next best-fit server IP addresses from the list of best-fit server IP addresses comprises selecting the best-fit server IP addresses according to the order in which the best-fit server IP addresses appear on the list of best-fit server IP addresses.

16. The method for maintaining the binding of a client with a server of claim 11, wherein the network distribution criteria are selected from the group consisting of the routing distance between the client and each server associated with each of the plurality of best-fit server IP addresses, message delivery latency, and server loading