Secure multi-user web hosting

• US 20060089967A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Zend Technologies Ltd. (Perforce Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Zend Technologies Ltd. (Perforce Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gutmans, Andi, Suraski, Zeev
• Application Number:
  US11/225,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20060089967A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• 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 web server is able to efficiently host multiple web sites. Since overhead is significantly reduced, the server can accommodate a large number of concurrent users without service delays or disruptions, even under heavy load conditions. A persistent controller process executes on the server, and responsively to a user request for access to a resource of one of the clients, a child process is spawned. The user request is then served using the child process.

Claims

1. A method of hosting multiple clients on a server that is connected to a data network, comprising the steps of:

establishing a persistent controller process on said server;

responsively to a browser request of a user for access to a resource of one of said clients, spawning a child process of said controller process; and

serving said browser request using said child process.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

associating a user identification of said child process with said one client; and

limiting access of said child process to a predefined memory area of said one client.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said controller process has supervisory privileges.

4. A computer software product, including a computer-readable medium in which computer program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for hosting multiple clients on a server that is connected to a data network, comprising the steps of:

establishing a persistent controller process on said server;

responsively to a browser request of a user for access to a resource of one of said clients, spawning a child process of said controller process; and

serving said browser request using said child process.

5. The computer software product according to claim 4, wherein said computer is further instructed to perform the steps of:

associating a user identification of said child process with said one client; and

limiting access of said child process to a predefined memory area of said one client.

6. The computer software product according to claim 4, wherein said controller process has supervisory privileges.

7. A data processing system of hosting multiple clients on a server that is connected to a data network, said server having reserved resources for each of said clients, and being operative to perform the steps of:

establishing a persistent controller process;

responsively to a browser request of a user for access to a resource of one of said clients, spawning a child process of said controller process; and

serving said browser request using said child process.

8. The data processing system according to claim 7, wherein said server is further operative to perform the steps of:

associating a user identification of said child process with said one client; and

limiting access of said child process to a predefined memory area of said one client.

9. The data processing system according to claim 7, wherein said controller process has supervisory privileges.