MESSAGE SEND VERSION MANAGEMENT IN NETWORK

• US 20090276480A1
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: ANNA, Gary, DAIN, Joseph Whitney
• Granted Patent: US 8,656,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and computer program product for message send version management in a distributed computing environment including a plurality of nodes is provided. A message is sent from a first node of the plurality of nodes to at least one additional node of the plurality of nodes. At least one translation vector is constructed to translate between multiple message versions is constructed. The at least one translation vector is send from the first node to the at least one additional node. In one embodiment, the at least one translation vector is attached to the message to generate a packet.

Claims

1. A method for message version management in a distributed computing environment including a plurality of nodes, a message sent from a first node of the plurality of nodes to at least one additional node of the plurality of nodes, comprising:

constructing at least one translation vector to translate between multiple message versions; and

sending the at least one translation vector from the first node to the at least one additional node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the at least one translation vector from the first node to the at least one additional node includes attaching the at least one translation vector to the message to generate a packet.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein attaching the at least one translation vector to the message to generate a packet is performed for one of (1) sending the message for a first time from the first node to the at least one additional node, and (2) sending the message each time from the first node to the at least one additional node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein constructing a translation vector to translate between multiple message versions includes:

examining a translation table, and

modifying the message according to the translation table to be compatible across multiple message versions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein modifying the message according to the translation table includes truncating, adding, deleting, moving, or concatenating at least a portion of the message.

6. The method of claim 1, further including:

examining a translation table to be compatible across multiple message versions, and

examining a field to designate at least one target node.

7. The method of claim 2, further including sending the packet, including the message and the at least one translation vector, to the at least one additional node.

8. The method of claim 1, further including attaching a header to at least one of the message or the translation vector to identify the message or the translation vector.

9. The method of claim 1, further including, subsequent to sending the translation vector, updating a field in the table to reflect sending the at least one translation vector.

10. An administrator device for message version management in a distributed computing environment including a plurality of nodes, a message sent from a first node of the plurality of nodes to at least one additional node of the plurality of nodes, comprising:

a message module operable on a sending application in communication with the plurality of nodes, wherein the message module is adapted for;

constructing at least one translation vector to translate between multiple message versions, and

sending the at least one translation vector from the first node to the at least one additional node.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the message module is further adapted for:

examining a translation table, and

modifying the message according to the translation table to be compatible across multiple message versions.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the message module is further adapted for truncating, adding, deleting, moving, or concatenating at least a portion of the message to modify the message.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one translation vector is adapted for either of:

(a) translation from a higher message version to a lower message version, and

(b) translation from a lower message version to a higher message version.

11. The device of claim 11, wherein the message module is further adapted for attaching the at least one translation vector to the message to generate a packet.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the message module is further adapted for attaching the at least one translation vector to the message to generate a packet for one of (1) sending the message for a first time from the first node to the at least one additional node, and (2) sending the message each time from the first node to the at least one additional node.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the message module is further adapted for sending the packet, including the message and the at least one translation vector, to the at least one additional node.

17. A computer program product for message version management in a distributed computing environment including a plurality of nodes, a message sent from a first node of the plurality of nodes to at least one additional node of the plurality of nodes, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for constructing at least one translation vector to translate between multiple message versions; and

a second executable portion for sending the at least one translation vector from the first node to the at least one additional node.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second executable portion for sending the at least one translation vector from the first node to the at least one additional node includes a third executable portion for attaching the at least one translation vector to the message to generate a packet, wherein the attaching is performed for one of (1) a first time the message is sent from the first node to the at least one additional node, and (2) each time the message is sent from the first node to the at least one additional node.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first executable portion for constructing a translation vector to translate between multiple message versions includes a third executable portion for:

examining a translation table, and

modifying the message according to the translation table to be compatible across multiple message versions.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, further including a fourth executable portion for sending the packet, including the message and the at least one translation vector, to the at least one additional node.