METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ROUTING DATA REPOSITORY MESSAGES BETWEEN COMPUTING DEVICES

• US 20080244088A1
• Filed: 02/11/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Shorter, David U., Shorter, Brian P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,987,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A message router for routing data repository messages between a plurality of computer systems, wherein the computer systems include data repositories having disparate syntaxes. The message router can include a conversion engine for translating content in a received message from a syntax corresponding to a data repository of an originating computer system to a syntax corresponding to a data repository of at least one target computer system.

Claims

1. A routing system for routing data repository messages, the routing system comprising:

a plurality of computer systems, each computer system having a data repository for storing data according to a different syntax; and

a message router in communication with, and remotely located from, each of the plurality of computer systems,

wherein the message router includes a conversion engine to translate content in a received data repository message from a syntax corresponding to a data repository of an originating computer system to a syntax corresponding to a data repository of at least one target computer system;

wherein the message router is configured to recognize from data contained in the data repository message the syntax corresponding to the data repository of the originating computer system, to identify from data contained in the data repository message the at least one target computer system, and to recognize based on the identity of the at least one target computer system the syntax corresponding to the data repository of the at least one target computer system;

wherein the message router further includes a translation library configured to store information for converting each of the different syntaxes into each other of the different syntaxes.

2. The routing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communications processor configured to format said received data repository message according to a suitable communications protocol.

3. The routing system of claim 1, wherein particular ones of said computer systems include distributed database networks.

4. The routing system of claim 1, wherein said conversion engine further comprises a reference processor configured to translate data structure and attribute name references within said data repository messages.

5. The routing system of claim 4, wherein said conversion engine further comprises an attribute processor configured to translate attribute values within said data repository messages.

6. The routing system of claim 5, wherein said conversion engine further comprises an operation processor configured to translate data repository operations within said data repository messages.

7. A machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

in a message router, receiving a data repository message from an originating computer system, said data repository message conforming to a first syntax and said message router remotely located from said originating computer system;

recognizing based upon data contained in the data repository message the syntax corresponding to the data repository of the originating computer system;

determining from the data contained in the data repository message a target computer system to which said received data repository message is directed, said target computer system remotely located from said originating computer system and said message router;

based on said determined target computer system determined on the basis of the data contained in the data repository message, identifying a second syntax corresponding to said target computer system, wherein said first syntax and said second syntax are disparate;

converting content in said received data repository message from said first syntax to said second syntax, the conversion being effected by said message router and based upon syntax information contained in a translation library residing on said message router; and

sending said received and converted data repository message to said target computer system.

8. The machine-readable storage of claim 7, wherein said data repository message includes at least one of a data structure reference, an attribute name reference, an attribute value, and a data repository operation, said converting step further comprising:

translating said data structure and said attribute name references using a reference processor;

translating said attribute value using an attribute processor; and

translating said data repository operation using an operation processor.

9. A machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

in a message router, receiving a data repository message from an originating computer system, said data repository message conforming to a first syntax, and said message router remotely located from said originating computer system;

recognizing based upon data contained in the data repository message the first syntax corresponding to the data repository of the originating computer system;

determining from the data contained in the data repository message a plurality of target computer systems to which said received data repository message is directed, said target computer systems each being remotely located from said originating computer system and said message router;

based on said determined plurality of target computer systems determined on the basis of the data contained in the data repository message, identifying at least one syntax for particular ones of said plurality of target computer systems, wherein said at least one identified syntax and said first syntax are disparate;

converting content in said received data repository message from said first syntax to said at least one syntax of said particular ones of said plurality of target computer systems, the conversion being effected by said message router and based upon syntax information contained in a translation library residing on said message router; and

sending said received and converted data repository message to said particular ones of said plurality of target computer systems.

10. The machine-readable storage of claim 9, wherein said data repository message includes at least one of a data structure reference, an attribute name reference, an attribute value, and a data repository operation, said converting step further comprising:

translating said data structure and said attribute name references using a reference processor;

translating said attribute value using an attribute processor; and

translating said data repository operation using an operation processor.