Asynchronous Context Data Messaging

• US 20070209040A1
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Radware Limited
• Original Assignee: Strangeloop Networks, Inc. (Radware Limited)
• Inventors: Alstad, Kent
• Granted Patent: US 8,166,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• 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 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

An acceleration engine that stores context data is operatively disposed between a network and at least one web server. Incoming requests from the network are inspected by the acceleration engine and passed on to the web server. If the inspection reveals a reference to context data, the acceleration engine retrieves the context data and asynchronously sends the context data to the web server. The web server synchronizes that request and context data and generates a response message accordingly. The response message is forwarded back to the initiator of the request with or without interception by the acceleration engine. Should context data be generated during processing of the request, such context data is sent to the acceleration engine for updating purposes.

Claims

1. A method for handling network messages, comprising:

receiving a request message from a first network module;

detecting whether the request message references context data;

sending the request message to a second network module; and

in response to a positive detection, conditionally retrieving the context data and sending the context data to the second network module,

wherein the sending of the request message and the sending of the context data are asynchronous.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request message comprises a web page request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network module comprises a web server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the second network module has an updated copy of the context data; and

in response to a positive determination, not retrieving the context data and not sending the context data to the second network module.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing the request message and the context data at the second network module; and

generating a response message based on the synchronized request message and context data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the response message comprises a web page.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting whether the request message references context data occurs without modification of the request message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request message comprises at least one of a user datagram protocol (UDP) message, a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) message, a transmission control protocol (TCP) message, a secured hypertext transport protocol (HTTPS) message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the request message and the sending of the context data are contemporaneous.

10. In an enhanced network module, a method for handling network messages comprising:

receiving a network message from a first network module;

inspecting the network message and sending the network message to a second network module;

in response to the inspection, determining whether the network message references context data; and

in response to a positive determination, conditionally retrieving the context data from a data store operatively connected to the enhanced network module and sending the context data to the second network module.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the network message and context data are asynchronously sent to the second network module.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the network message and context data are contemporaneously sent to the second network module.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the enhanced network module is operatively connected to a TCP/IP router.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the network message comprises at least one of a user datagram protocol (UDP) message, a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) message, a transmission control protocol (TCP) message, and a secured hypertext transport protocol (HTTPS) message.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the network message comprises a web page request.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the second network module comprises a web server.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the context data is retrievable by index data in the network message.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the index data is stored in one of an HTTP-post hidden form field, an ASP.NET View State fields, and an URL query string.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to the positive determination, further determining whether the second network module has an updated copy of the context data; and

in response to a positive further determination, not retrieving the context data from the data store and not sending the context data to the second network module.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving context data from the second network module; and

updating the data store with the received context data.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the first network module comprises a user computer.

22. The method of claim 10, wherein inspecting the network message occurs without modification of the network message.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the enhanced network module does not receive a response message generated in response to processing of the network message by the second network module.

24. A system, comprising:

an acceleration engine operatively disposed between a network and at least one web server, wherein the acceleration engine comprises;

a first module arranged to inspect a request message received from the network,

a second module arranged to send the request message to the at least one web server,

a third module arranged to conditionally retrieve context data from a data store in response to the inspection of the request message, and

a fourth module arranged to conditionally send the context data to the at least one web server in a manner that is asynchronous with the sending of the request message to the at least one web server.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the request message comprises a web page request.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the first module is further arranged to inspect the request message without modification of the request message.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the request message comprises at least one of a user datagram protocol (UDP) message, a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) message, a transmission control protocol (TCP) message, and a secured hypertext transport protocol (HTTPS) message.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the acceleration engine further comprises:

a fifth module arranged to determine whether the at least one web server has an updated cache copy of the context data.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one web server comprises:

a synchronization module arranged to synchronize the request message with the context data; and

a processing module arranged to generate a response message based on the synchronized request message and context data.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the at least one web server further comprises:

a relay module arranged to send to the acceleration engine context data newly generated in response to the generation of the response message.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the at least one web server does not send the response message to the acceleration engine.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the acceleration engine is operatively connected to a TCP/IP router.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein the acceleration engine further comprises:

a fifth module arranged to update the data store in response to receiving context data from the at least one web server.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the fourth module is further arranged to conditionally send the context data to the at least one web server in a manner that is contemporaneous with the sending of the request message to the at least one web server.