Network router configured for executing network operations based on parsing XML tags in a received XML document

• US 20060200458A1
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sankar, Krishna I.
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/355 Application aware switches, e.g. for HTTP

Abstract

A router is configured for routing, via an open protocol network, a received message to a destination node based on parsing an XML portion within the received message. The router includes an XML parser configured for parsing XML tags specifying prescribed attributes, and an application resource configured for interpreting the prescribed attributes for a determined service based on runtime execution of the application resource. In particular, the runtime execution of the application resource provides application-specific syntax and semantics enabling interpretation of the parsed XML tags. The application resource, in response to interpreting the prescribed attributes, initiates selected application operations, including outputting the received message to a prescribed destination, based on the execution of the prescribed application operations.

Claims

1. A router configured for forwarding a received message, the router comprising:

a network interface configured for receiving the received message from a source node, and forwarding the received message to a destination node, via an open protocol network, according to selected application operations;

an extensible markup language (XML) parser configured for parsing XML tags from a portion of the received message, the XML tags specifying prescribed attributes; and

an application resource configured for interpreting the prescribed attributes from the XML tags based on runtime execution of the application resource, the application resource initiating the selected application operations for routing the received message to the destination node.

2. The router of claim 1, wherein the application resource is configured for interpreting the prescribed attributes based on retrieval of prescribed syntax and semantics information.

4. The router of claim 2, wherein the application resource is configured for accessing, as one of the selected application operations, prescribed attribute information from a server providing information services via the open protocol network, the prescribed attribute information used for routing the received message.

5. The router of claim 4, wherein the application resource accesses application services information as the prescribed attribute information based on parsing an XML tag specifying an application services requirement.

6. The router of claim 5, wherein the application services information specifies quality of service information, the router configured for routing the received message based on the quality of service information.

7. The router of claim 6, wherein the application resource is configured for accessing destination information based on parsing an XML tag specifying a destination requirement.

8. The router of claim 7, wherein the open protocol network is an Internet Protocol network.

9. The router of claim 7, wherein the application resource is configured for selecting the destination node based on correlating the destination information with the quality of service information.

10. The router of claim 4, wherein the application resource is configured for accessing security information from the server based on parsing an XML tag specifying a security requirement, the application resource configured for selectively routing the received message based on the accessed security information.

11. The router of claim 10, wherein the application resource is configured for accessing destination information based on parsing an XML tag specifying a destination requirement, the destination information specifying multiple destination nodes, the application resource configured for selectively routing the received message to authorized ones of the destination nodes based on the accessed security information.

12. The router of claim 4, wherein the application resource is configured for accessing destination information based on parsing an XML tag specifying a document type, wherein the prescribed syntax and semantics information specifies respective destinations for respective document types, the application resource configured for determining the destination node based on the destination information and the document type.

13. The router of claim 12, wherein the application is configured for retrieving quality of service information for available destinations, the router configured for determining the destination node based on the received quality of service information and the document type.

3. (canceled)

14. A method in a router of forwarding a received message, the method comprising:

receiving, by the router, the received message from a source node via an open protocol network;

parsing, by the router, XML tags from a portion of the received message, the XML tags specifying prescribed attributes;

initiating, by the router, selected application operations for routing the received message based on interpreting the prescribed attributes from the XML tags according to runtime execution of an application resource; and

selectively outputting the received message by the router to a destination node based on the selected application operations.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the initiating step includes interpreting the prescribed attributes based on retrieval of prescribed syntax and semantics information.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the initiating step includes accessing the prescribed attribute information from a server providing information services via the open protocol network, and determining routing attributes based on the prescribed attribute information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the accessing step includes accessing application services information as the prescribed attribute information based on parsing an XML tag specifying an application services requirement.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the determining step includes determining the routing attributes based on quality of service information specified within the application services information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the accessing step includes accessing destination information based on parsing an XML tag specifying a destination requirement.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the open protocol network is an Internet Protocol network.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the determining step includes selecting the destination node based on correlating the destination information with the quality of service information.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the accessing step includes accessing security information from the server based on parsing an XML tag specifying a security requirement, the determining step including selectively routing the received message based on the accessed security information.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the accessing step further includes accessing destination information based on parsing an XML tag specifying a destination requirement, the destination information specifying multiple destination nodes, the selectively routing step including forwarding the received message to authorized ones of the destination nodes based on the accessed security information.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the accessing step includes accessing destination information based on parsing an XML tag specifying a document type, wherein the prescribed syntax and semantics information specifies respective destinations for respective document types, the determining step including identifying the destination node based on the destination information and the document type.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the accessing step further includes retrieving quality of service information for available destinations, the determining step including identifying the destination node based on the received quality of service information and the document type.

16. (canceled)

27. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions for forwarding a received message by a router, the sequences of instructions including instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving, by the router, the received message from a source node via an open protocol network;

parsing, by the router, XML tags from a portion of the received message, the XML tags specifying prescribed attributes;

initiating, by the router, selected application operations for routing the received message based on interpreting the prescribed attributes from the XML tags according to runtime execution of an application resource; and

selectively outputting the received message by the router to a destination node based on the selected application operations.

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein the initiating step includes interpreting the prescribed attributes based on retrieval of prescribed syntax and semantics information.

30. The medium of claim 28, wherein the initiating step includes accessing the prescribed attribute information from a server providing information services via the open protocol network, and determining routing attributes based on the prescribed attribute information.

31. The medium of claim 30, wherein the accessing step includes accessing application services information as the prescribed attribute information based on parsing an XML tag specifying an application services requirement.

32. The medium of claim 31, wherein the determining step includes determining the routing attributes based on quality of service information specified within the application services information.

33. The medium of claim 32, wherein the accessing step includes accessing destination information based on parsing an XML tag specifying a destination requirement.

34. The medium of claim 33, wherein the open protocol network is an Internet Protocol network.

35. The medium of claim 33, wherein the determining step includes selecting the destination node based on correlating the destination information with the quality of service information.

36. The medium of claim 30, wherein the accessing step includes accessing security information from the server based on parsing an XML tag specifying a security requirement, the determining step including selectively routing the received message based on the accessed security information.

37. The medium of claim 36, wherein the accessing step further includes accessing destination information based on parsing an XML tag specifying a destination requirement, the destination information specifying multiple destination nodes, the selectively routing step including forwarding the received message to authorized ones of the destination nodes based on the accessed security information.

38. The medium of claim 30, wherein the accessing step includes accessing destination information based on parsing an XML tag specifying a document type, wherein the prescribed syntax and semantics information specifies respective destinations for respective document types, the determining step including identifying the destination node based on the destination information and the document type.

39. The medium of claim 38, wherein the accessing step further includes retrieving quality of service information for available destinations, the determining step including identifying the destination node based on the received quality of service information and the document type.

29. (canceled)

40. A router configured for forwarding a received message, the router comprising:

means for receiving the received message from a source node via an open protocol network;

means for parsing XML tags from a portion of the received message, the XML tags specifying prescribed attributes;

means for initiating selected application operations for routing the received message based on interpreting the prescribed attributes from the XML tags according to runtime execution of an application resource; and

means for selectively outputting the received message to a destination node based on the selected application operations.

41-52. -52. (canceled)