Method and Apparatus for Providing Transparent Network Connectivity

• US 20080183857A1
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barfield, Janel Guillory, Li, Nancy N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route

Abstract

A client information handling system (IHS) connects to a network in a manner that provides transparent network connectivity. In one embodiment, the client IHS includes a polling application that monitors the network connection to determine if the client IHS exhibits a connected status or a disconnected status. An interceptor application in the client IHS permits transmission of a request for a network task from the client IHS if the client IHS currently exhibits a connected status. However, the interceptor application intercepts and stores a request for a network task if the client IHS currently exhibits a disconnected status. At a later time when the client IHS again exhibits a connected status, the interceptor application transmits the stored request over the network. In this manner, the user of the client IHS experiences transparent network connectivity and need not worry with respect to the network connection status of the client IHS at any particular point in time.

Claims

1. A method of communicating over a network between a client and a server, the method comprising:

monitoring the network, by a polling application in the client, to determine if the client currently exhibits a network connected status or a network disconnected status;

transmitting, by the client, a request for a network task over the network if the client currently exhibits the network connected status; and

intercepting, by an interceptor application in the client, a request for a network task and storing the request for a network task in a data store if the client currently exhibits the network disconnected status.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the polling application, when the network status transitions from the network connected status to the network disconnected status.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the polling application when the network status transitions from the network disconnected status to the network connected status.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting, by the interceptor application, a stored request for a network task in the data store when the polling application determines that the network status transitions from the network disconnected status to the network connected status.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising deleting, by the interceptor application, a request for a network task in the data store after the transmitting step of claim 4.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the client executes the polling application and the interceptor application as background applications.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for a network task is a request for a non-user-interactive task.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring step comprises pinging, by the polling application, a remote device on the network to determine if the client currently exhibits a network connected status or a network disconnected status.

9. A client information handling system (IHS) comprising:

a processor;

a data store coupled to the processor;

a memory, coupled to the processor, the memory including;

a polling application that monitors a network to determine if the client IHS currently exhibits a network connected status or a network disconnected status; and

an interceptor application that communicates with the polling application, the interceptor application transmitting a request for a network task over the network when the polling application determines that the client IHS currently exhibits the network connected status, the interceptor application intercepting a request for a network task and storing the request for a network task in the data store when the polling application determines that the client IHS currently exhibits the network disconnected status.

10. The client IHS of claim 9, wherein the polling application determines when the network status transitions from the network connected status to the network disconnected status.

11. The client IHS of claim 9, wherein the polling application determines when the network status transitions from the network disconnected status to the network connected status.

12. The client IHS of claim 11, wherein the interceptor application transmits a stored request for a network task in the data store when the polling application determines that the network status transitions from the network disconnected status to the network connected status.

13. The client IHS of claim 12, wherein the interceptor application deletes a stored request for a network task in the data store after transmitting the request for a network task.

14. The client IHS of claim 9, wherein the client IHS executes the polling application and the interceptor application as background applications.

15. The client IHS of claim 9, wherein the request for a network task is a request for a non-user-interactive task.

16. A computer program product stored on a computer operable medium for controlling a network connection of a client information handling system (IHS) to a network, the computer program product comprising:

a polling application that includes instructions for monitoring the network to determine if the client IHS currently exhibits a network connected status or a network disconnected status; and

an interceptor application that includes instructions for communicating with the polling application, the interceptor application including instructions for transmitting a request for a network task over the network when the polling application determines that the client IHS currently exhibits the network connected status, the interceptor application including instructions for intercepting a request for a network task and storing the request for a network task in a data store when the polling application determines that the client IHS currently exhibits the network disconnected status.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the interceptor application includes instructions for transmitting a request for a network task in the data store when the polling application determines that the network status transitions from the network disconnected status to the network connected status.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the interceptor application includes instructions for deleting a request for a network task in the data store after transmitting the request for a network task.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the polling application and the interceptor application are background applications.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the request for a network task is a request for a non-user-interactive task.