Centralized session management in an aggregated application environment

• US 20060271684A1
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Donald N., Booth, Alan E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,650,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and apparatus for centralized session management in an aggregated application environment. In one embodiment, a centralized session management method can include aggregating a set of applications in a host aggregation environment. Subsequently, each of the applications can be centrally kept alive so as to avoid a time out condition in any one of the applications so long as interactivity is detected within any one of the applications or within the host aggregation environment. In one aspect of the invention, the aggregating step can include aggregating a set of portlets in a portal environment.

Claims

1. A centralized session management method comprising the steps of:

aggregating a set of applications in a host aggregation environment; and

,

centrally keeping alive each of said applications so as to avoid a time out condition in any one of said applications so long as interactivity is detected within any one of said applications or within said host aggregation environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said aggregating step comprises the step of aggregating a set of portlets in a portal environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said keeping alive step comprises the steps of:

detecting interactivity in one of said applications; and

,

keeping alive each other of said applications responsive to said detection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said keeping alive step comprises the steps of:

establishing a table of sessions for said applications, each entry in said table comprising a session identifier, a corresponding time-out value and a time of last access;

detecting interactivity in one of said sessions; and

,

responsive to said detection, traversing said table, selecting individual ones of said sessions to be kept alive based upon said corresponding time-out value and an elapsed time since said time of last access, keeping alive said selected individual ones of said sessions, and updating said table with new times of last access for said sessions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said keeping alive step further comprises the step of performing said traversing, selecting and keeping-alive steps in response to detecting interactivity in said host aggregation environment.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said detecting step comprises the step of receiving a notification of interactivity from an agent corresponding to one of said applications.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein said keeping alive step comprises the step of forwarding a keep-alive directive to individual agents corresponding to individual ones of said applications.

8. A system for centralized session management in a host aggregation environment comprising centralized session management logic programmed to keep alive each application in an aggregation in the host aggregation environment so as to avoid a time out condition in any one application in said aggregation so long as interactivity is detected within any one application in said aggregation or within the host aggregation environment.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the host aggregation environment comprises a portal environment, wherein each application comprises a portlet and wherein said aggregation is a portal.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a table of sessions for each said application in said aggregation, each entry in said table comprising a session identifier, a corresponding time-out value and a time of last access.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising an agent corresponding to each said application, said agent having a communicative coupling to said centralized session management logic to report interactivity in a corresponding application in said aggregation.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium [having;

including] a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to;

aggregate a set of applications in a host aggregation environment; and

,

centrally keep alive each of said applications so as to avoid a time out condition in any one of said applications so long as interactivity is detected within any one of said applications or within said host aggregation environment.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program when causing the computer to aggregate a set of applications, causes the computer to aggregate a set of portlets in a portal environment.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program when causing the computer to keep alive step each of said applications, causes the computer to:

detect interactivity in one of said applications; and

,

keep alive each other of said applications responsive to said detection.

15. The machine readable storage of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program when causing the computer to keep alive each of said applications, causes the computer to:

establish a table of sessions for said applications, each entry in said table comprising a session identifier, a corresponding time-out value and a time of last access;

detect interactivity in one of said sessions; and

,

responsive to said detection, traverse said table, selecting individual ones of said sessions to be kept alive based upon said corresponding time-out value and an elapsed time since said time of last access, keep alive said selected individual ones of said sessions, and update said table with new times of last access for said sessions.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program when causing the computer to keep alive each of said applications, further causes the computer to:

perform said traversing, selecting and keeping-alive in response to detecting interactivity in said host aggregation environment.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program when causing the computer to detect interactivity, causes the computer to receive a notification of interactivity from an agent corresponding to one of said applications.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program when causing the computer to keep alive each of said applications, causes the computer to forward a keep-alive directive to individual agents corresponding to individual ones of said applications.