Dynamic web service configuration broadcasting

• US 20070233820A1
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Schneider, Manfred
• Application Number:
  US11/393,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20070233820A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses enable dynamic configuration of a client to access a Web service. A Web service configuration provider can receive a broadcast for a Web service from a client. The client need not be pre-configured with information to access the Web service requested. The Web service configuration provider determines which of available Web service providers can satisfy the request, and provides the configuration information to enable the Web service client to access the Web service provider.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to a Web service, comprising:

receiving a broadcast request for a Web service configuration from a client at a Web service configuration provider;

determining a Web service provider with which to satisfy the request, in response to receiving the broadcast request; and

providing access to a configuration to enable the client to access the Web service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the broadcast request comprises:

receiving a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) broadcast message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the broadcast request at the Web service configuration provider comprises:

receiving at the Web service configuration provider a Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) registry having an active listening module.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the broadcast request at the Web service configuration provider comprises:

receiving a UDP message at an active listening daemon on the UDDI registry.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the broadcast request comprises:

receiving the request from a gateway of a network, the gateway to route broadcast requests for Web services.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the Web service provider comprises:

identifying multiple Web service providers capable of satisfying the request; and

selecting a Web service provider from among the identified Web service providers based at least in part on a traffic load on the Web service providers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the Web service provider comprises:

identifying multiple Web service providers capable of satisfying the request;

selecting a Web service provider from among the identified Web service providers;

determining that the selected Web service provider is unresponsive; and

automatically failing over from the selected Web service provider to a different one of the identified Web service providers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the Web service provider comprises:

identifying one or more service preferences of the requesting client, the preferences including one or more of a cost of the service, a reliability of the service, or a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the service;

identifying multiple Web service providers capable of satisfying the request; and

selecting a Web service provider from among the identified Web service providers based at least in part on one or more of the service preferences.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a machine readable medium having content stored thereon to provide instructions to cause a machine to perform operations, including:

monitoring a network port for one or more broadcast messages indicating a request for a Web service;

detecting a broadcast message indicating a request for a Web service for a Web service client, the broadcast message indicating a service type requested;

identifying a Web service provider that provides the service requested; and

replying to the broadcast message to provide configuration information to enable access by the Web service client to the identified Web service provider.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein detecting the broadcast message comprises:

detecting a multicast message.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein identifying the Web service provider that provides the service requested further comprises:

identifying multiple Web service providers that provide the basic service requested;

identifying one or more service preferences of the requesting client, the preferences including one or more of a cost of the service, a reliability of the service, or a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the service; and

selecting a Web service provider from among the multiple identified Web service providers based at least in part on one or more of the service preferences.

12. A dynamic Web service configuration provider comprising:

a listener module to detect a broadcast message on a network port indicating a request for a specified type of Web service from a Web service client;

a Web service selector module coupled to the listener module to identify one or more Web service providers that satisfy the broadcast message request, in response to detecting the request; and

a configuration provider coupled to the Web service selector module to transmit a configuration of the identified Web service providers that satisfy the broadcast message request to the Web service client to enable the Web service client to access the requested Web service.

13. The dynamic Web service configuration provider of claim 12, wherein the listener module is to be coupled to a routing device of a network separate from a network to which the dynamic Web service configuration provider belongs;

and

the listener module to further receive the broadcast message from the separate network via the routing device.

14. The dynamic Web service configuration provider of claim 12, wherein the Web service selector module identifies a Web service provider in which the dynamic Web service configuration provider is incorporated.

15. The dynamic Web service configuration provider of claim 12, wherein the Web service selector module identifies multiple Web service providers that satisfy the broadcast message request;

and

wherein the Web service selector module further comprises;

a load determination module coupled to the Web service selector module, the load determination module to;

determine that a traffic load on one of the identified Web service providers exceeds a threshold of traffic; and

indicate the one Web service provider to the configuration provider to prevent the configuration provider from transmitting configuration information for the one Web service provider.

16. The dynamic Web service configuration provider of claim 12, further comprising:

a broker module coupled to the Web service selector module, to access a remote Web service configuration module to identify a Web service provider not known to the Web service selector module.

17. The dynamic Web service configuration provider of claim 12, further comprising:

a broker module coupled to the Web service selector module, to access a remote Web service broker to identify a Web service provider not known to the Web service selector module.

18. A Web service configuration server comprising:

a Web service pre-configuration provider to provide configuration for a Web service provider, the configuration to be bound at a first Web service client to a Web service prior to the Web service configuration provider receiving a request for the Web service; and

a dynamic Web service configuration provider having a listener module to detect a broadcast message on a network port indicating a request for a specified type of Web service from a second Web service client, a Web service selector module to determine which of multiple available Web service providers satisfies the broadcast message request, in response to detecting the request, and a configuration provider to transmit a configuration of the determined Web service provider, the configuration to be bound to the requested Web service to enable the second Web service client to access the requested Web service.

19. The Web service configuration server of claim 18, wherein the first and second Web service clients are the same Web service client, and

wherein the Web service pre-configuration provider provides configuration for a Web service to be bound prior to an access request by the Web service client, and the dynamic Web service configuration provider provides configuration for a Web service to be bound after an access request by the Web service client.

20. The Web service configuration server of claim 18, wherein the Web service selector module further comprises:

a load determination module coupled to the Web service selector module, the load determination module to;

determine that a traffic load on one of the identified Web service providers exceeds a threshold of traffic; and

indicate the one Web service provider to the configuration provider to prevent the configuration provider from transmitting configuration information for the one Web service provider.