System and Method for Transmitting Data from a Server Application to More Than One Client Node

• US 20090106432A1
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Pedersen, Bradley J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,296,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention relates to a system and method for transmitting the same data to more than one client node substantially simultaneously. In one embodiment the invention relates to a method for transmitting the same data substantially simultaneously from an application executing on a server node to at least two client nodes. The method includes the steps of providing a connection between a first client node and a first client protocol stack and between the application and the first client protocol stack; associating a first minimal communications protocol stack with the first client protocol stack; providing a connection between the application and the first minimal communications protocol stack and between a second client node and a second client protocol stack; associating a second minimal communications protocol stack with the second client protocol stack; providing a connection between the first minimal protocol stack and the second minimal protocol stack; and between the second minimal protocol stack and said the client protocol stack. The method then transmits data from the application program to the first client protocol stack and the first minimal protocol stack substantially simultaneously. The invention also relates to a communication system including a server node including: an application program, a first client protocol stack in electrical communication with the application program, a first minimal protocol stack in electrical communication with the application program; a second minimal protocol stack in electrical communication with the first minimal protocol stack; and a second client protocol stack in electrical communication with the second minimal protocol stack.

Claims

1. A method for displaying application output on a client node, the method comprising:

establishing a communication channel between a process executing on a client node and a server, the process associated with an application output window;

executing an application on the server responsive to input received, via the communication channel, from a browser application on the client node, the browser application executing independently from the application output window;

receiving output produced by the application executing on the server; and

transmitting, via the communication channel, the received output to the application output window on the client for display within the application output window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the application further comprises executing the application responsive to executing of a JAVA applet on the client node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the application further comprises executing the application responsive to input received from an HTML page displayed by the browser application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein executing the application further comprises executing the application responsive to selecting a tag displayed in the HTML page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a communication channel further comprises establishing a data pipe between the application output window and the application executing on the server.

6. A system for displaying application output on a client node, the system comprising:

an application executing on a server, the application generating application output;

a communication channel established between a client node and the server;

a process executing on the client node to create an application output window and establish a communication channel between the application output window and the application executing on the server;

the server receiving application output generated by the application and transmitting the application output to the client node; and

the client node receiving the application output from the server and displaying the application output in the application output window.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the application executes on the server responsive to output generated by a page displayed within a browser application executing on the client node.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the process transmits the page output to the server.