Web Services Availability Cache

• US 20070143496A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Golovinsky, Eugene, Kowalski, Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 7,716,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A Web Services availability cache is part of a computer system, such as an enterprise system of a business or organization. The availability cache is populated with information from Web Services communicatively connected to the computer system by a network connection. In one embodiment, the availability cache is populated based on each request handled by a server process associated with the availability cache. A server receives a request from a client having an application dependent upon information from the Web Service. The server sends the request to the Web Service and stores returned information in the availability cache. Also, the server sends the returned information to the client, which initiated to request. Once the cache is populated, the server handles subsequent requests for information from the client by using the Web Service if it is available or by using the availability cache if the Web Service is not available.

Claims

1. A Web Services availability method, comprising:

populating an availability cache in a computer system with information from a Web Service communicatively connectable to the computer system via a network;

routing a request from a client application in the computer system to the Web Service; and

responding to the client application request with information from the availability cache if the Web Service fails to respond to the client request, otherwise responding to the client application request with information received from the Web Service in response to the client application request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of populating the availability cache comprises storing in the availability cache information received from the Web Service in response to the client application request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of populating the availability cache comprises:

issuing one or more requests for information directly to the Web Service; and

storing in the availability cache information received from the Web Service in response to the direct request for information.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

issuing additional periodic requests for information directly to the Web Service; and

storing in the availability cache information received from the Web Service in response to the additional periodic requests for information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional periodic requests for information update information stored in the availability cache in response to the one more requests for information made directly to the Web Service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of responding further comprises identifying information returned from the availability cache as coming from the availability cache.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of responding comprises determining that the Web Service is unavailable to respond to the request from a client application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the act of determining that the Web Service is unavailable comprises determining that more than a specified time interval has elapsed since the act of routing the request from the client application to the Web Service.

9. A computer system, comprising:

a client application executing on a client computer system;

a Web Service; and

a server application executing on a server computer system communicatively coupled to the client computer system and the Web Service, the server application configured to—

populate an availability cache with information from the Web Service;

route a request from the client application to the Web Service, and

respond to the client application request with information from the availability cache if the Web Service fails to respond to the routed client request, otherwise respond to the client application request with information received from the Web Service in response to the routed client application request.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the client computer system comprises a first computer system, the Web Service is provided by a second computer system, and the server computer system comprises a third computer system.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the client computer system and the server computer system comprise a first computer system and the Web Service is provided by a second computer system.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the server computer system is communicatively coupled to the Web Service through one or more computer networks.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein to populate the availability cache, the server application is configured to store in the availability cache information received from the Web Service in response to the client application request.

14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein to populate the availability cache, the server application is configured to—

issue one or more requests for information directly to the Web Service; and

store in the availability cache information received from the Web Service in response to the direct request for information.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the server application is further configured to:

issue additional periodic requests for information directly to the Web Service; and

store in the availability cache information received from the Web Service in response to the additional periodic requests for information.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the additional periodic requests for information update information stored in the availability cache in response to the one more requests for information made directly to the Web Service.

17. The computer system of claim 9, wherein to respond, the server application is further configured to identify information returned from the availability cache as coming from the availability cache.

18. The computer system of claim 9, wherein to respond, the server application is configured to determine that the Web Service is unavailable to respond to the request from a client application.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein to determine that the Web Service is unavailable, the server application is configured to determine that more than a specified time interval has elapsed since routing the request from the client application to the Web Service.

20. A Web Services availability method, comprising:

receiving a plurality of requests for information from a client application, the requests directed to a Web Service;

routing the requests for information to the Web Service;

receiving information from the Web Service in response to at least some of the routed requests for information;

populating an availability cache with the information received from the Web Service in response to the routed requests for information; and

returning, to the client application, information from the availability cache in response to a specific request for information only if information from the Web Service is not received in response to the specific request for information.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

issuing periodic requests for information directly to the Web Service; and

storing in the availability cache information received from the Web Service in response to the additional periodic requests for information.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the periodic requests for information update information stored in the availability cache in response to the one more requests for information made directly to the Web Service.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the act of returning further comprises identifying information returned from the availability cache as coming from the availability cache.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the act of returning comprises determining that the Web Service is unavailable to respond to the request from a client application.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the act of determining that the Web Service is unavailable comprises determining that more than a specified time interval has elapsed since the act of routing the request from the client application to the Web Service.

26. A web Service method, comprising:

populating an availability cache with information from a Web Service;

receiving a plurality of requests for information from a client application, the requests directed to the Web Service;

routing the requests for information to the Web Service;

responding to a specific request for information from the client application by returning, to the client application—

information from the availability cache if the Web Service fails to respond to the specific request, otherwise information received from the Web Service in response to the specific request.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the act of populating the availability cache comprises storing in the availability cache information received from the Web Service in response to the plurality of requests for information from the client application.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the act of populating the availability cache comprises:

issuing one or more requests for information directly to the Web Service; and

storing in the availability cache information received from the Web Service in response to the one or more direct requests for information.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

issuing additional periodic requests for information directly to the Web Service; and

storing in the availability cache information received from the Web Service in response to the additional periodic requests for information.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the additional periodic requests for information update information stored in the availability cache in response to the one more requests for information made directly to the Web Service.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the act of responding further comprises identifying information returned from the availability cache as coming from the availability cache.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the act of responding comprises determining that the Web Service is unavailable to respond to the specific request from the client application.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the act of determining that the Web Service is unavailable comprises determining that more than a specified time interval has elapsed since the act of routing the specific request to the Web Service.