Method and system for redirecting a client

• US 20070271354A1
• Filed: 07/20/2007
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Tao
• Granted Patent: US 8,667,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method and a system for redirecting a client are disclosed, the method including: sending by the client a request message to a redirect agent; returning by the redirect agent a first response message to the client, an identification of a second realm being carried in the first response message; sending by the client the request message to a second server in the second realm. The data are maintained and modified only on the redirect agent, so that the redirection service between different realms may be realized without upgrading or maintaining the client. In addition, because the number of redirect agents is much smaller than the number of clients, the operation and maintenance costs may be reduced greatly.

Claims

1. A method for redirecting a client, wherein the client is directed to a first server in a first realm, the method comprising:

sending, by the client, a request message to a redirect agent;

returning, by the redirect agent, a first response message to the client, wherein an identification of a second realm is carried in the first response message;

sending, by the client, the request message to a second server in the second realm.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the second server, a corresponding operation according to the request message;

returning, by the second server, a second response message.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the returning the first response message to the client further comprises:

determining, by the redirect agent, whether it is required to redirect the request from the client;

if it is required, returning the first response message to the client.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the determining whether it is required to redirect the request from the client comprises:

determining whether it is required to send the request message to the second realm according to a destination realm and/or a destination host assigned in the request message.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending the request message to the second server in the second realm further comprises:

parsing, by the client, an address of the second server.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the parsing the address of the second server comprises:

parsing, by the client, the address of the second server directly, when the second server is connected to the client directly;

searching, by the client, for an address of the next hop through the second realm and parsing, by another node, the address of the second server, when the second server is not connected to the client directly.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second server is a server chosen by the client randomly in the second realm.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein an identification of the second server is further carried in the first response message.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the messages are carried in Diameter protocol.

10. A system for redirecting a client, comprising

the client, which comprises a request message sending unit that is adapted to send a request message to a server, and

a redirect agent maintaining route data for the client, which is provided with a request responding unit adapted to return a response message to the client that is directed to a first server in a first realm, wherein

the request responding unit comprises a second realm identification configuring unit which is adapted to configure an identification of a second realm into the response message.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the request responding unit further comprises a second server identification configuring unit which is adapted to configure an identification of a second server into the response message.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the client is provided with a server selecting unit which is adapted to choose the second server belonging to the second realm according to the identification of the second realm carried in the response message.

13. A redirect agent for redirecting a client, which maintains route data for the client, receives a request message from the client and is provided with a request responding unit adapted to return a response message to the client that is directed to a first server in a first realm, wherein

the request responding unit comprises a second realm identification configuring unit which is adapted to configure an identification of a second realm into the response message.

14. The redirect agent according to claim 13, wherein the request responding unit further comprises a second server identification configuring unit which is adapted to configure an identification of a second server into the response message.

15. A client capable of being redirected by a redirect agent, which receives a response message from the redirect agent, and comprises a request message sending unit that is adapted to send a request message to a server, wherein

the client is provided with a server selecting unit which is adapted to choose a second server belonging to a second realm according to an identification of the second realm carried in the response message.