METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A CLIENT SYSTEM AND A SERVER SYSTEM

• US 20100042573A1
• Filed: 08/14/2008
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acoustic, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Tealeaf Technology Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Knudsen, Ted, Wenig, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,949,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

A method of a server system communicating with a client system. The method includes a passive system monitoring network traffic between the client-server system. The server sending a page response including an agent, e.g., a Javascript that becomes operable on the client system. The agent monitors events on the client side, e.g., DOM events, and communicates these to the server side. A set of rules that define prescribed user events are maintained by the passive system and applied to the monitored network traffic to determine whether a prescribed user event occurred. Responsive to the prescribed user event occurring, an asynchronous message is generated and sent to the agent in response to a received DOM event message, the asynchronous message comprising a command to be executed by the agent to alter the users web application flow at the client in a manner that is substantially transparent to the web application.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

network fabric components comprising a tap, said network fabric components for communicating network traffic between a client system and an application tier;

a converter unit coupled to receive network traffic from said tap and for converting said network traffic to HTTP/HTTPS formatted data;

a web server comprising a receiver for receiving event data communicated asynchronously from an agent operable within said client system;

an application server comprising a web application and operable to receive requests from said client system and operable to generate responses thereto, said application server coupled to said web server; and

an event detector system coupled to receive said HTTP/HTTPS formatted data and said event data, said event detector system operable to identify specific user events based on applying a set of prescribed rules to said HTTP/HTTPS formatted data, said event detector system operable to communicate commands and data to said receiver based on identifying a specific user event, said commands and data for communication to said agent in response to an event data received from said agent, said commands and data for providing additional web content and functionality that is substantially transparent to said web application.

2. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said application tier comprises said web server and said application server.

3. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said event data comprises data regarding events occurring on said client system that alter a document object model (DOM) of a browser of said client system as detected by said agent.

4. The system as described in claim 3 wherein said event data are selected from the group comprising:

keyboard key presses, mouse clicks, mouse movements, a recorded delay in a user entering data in on-screen fields and data entered in said on-screen fields.

5. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said event data is communicated asynchronously in discrete messages from said agent at prescribed intervals.

6. The system as described in claim 5 wherein said commands and data are communicated to said agent responsive to said discrete messages.

7. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said commands and data are executed by said agent to provide said additional web content and functionality.

8. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said network fabric components comprise a load balancer component.

9. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said additional web content and functionality are operable to cause said agent to open a chat window on said client system.

10. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said additional web content and functionality are operable to cause said agent to alter a document object model (DOM) of a browser of said client system.

11. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said additional web content and functionality are operable to cause said agent to terminate an active session between a browser of said client system and said web application.

12. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said additional web content and functionality are operable to cause said agent to erase a cookie used by a browser of said client system.

13. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said event detector system is also operable to store said HTTP/HTTPS data and said event data in accordance with a unique session established for said client system.

14. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said network traffic comprise page requests from said client system and page responses from said web application.

15. The system as described in claim 14 wherein said network traffic supplied to said converter unit is TCP formatted.

16. The system as described in claim 1, wherein said agent is sent to said client system from said web application within a webpage which is sent upon a request for said webpage by said client system.

17. The system as described in claim 1, wherein said agent is a Javascript.

18. A method of communicating with a client system, said method comprising:

responding to page requests from said client system by sending page responses to said client system, said responding performed by a web application;

monitoring and storing network traffic communicated between said server system and said client system, said network traffic comprising said page requests and said page responses;

monitoring and storing event data received asynchronously from an agent operating within said client system;

maintaining a set of rules that define prescribed user events;

based on said set of rules and stored network traffic, determining that a prescribed user event occurred within said client system; and

in response to said prescribed user event occurring, sending an asynchronous message to said agent, said asynchronous message comprising a command to be executed by said agent to provide web content and functionality that are in addition to said page responses and are substantially transparent to said web application.

19. The method as described in claim 18 further comprising placing said agent into a page response of said page responses and wherein said agent is a Javascript.

20. The method as described in claim 18 further comprising receiving said event data asynchronously, said event data comprising data regarding user actions from said client system and wherein said sending said asynchronous message is responsive to said receiving said event data.

21. The method as described in claim 20 wherein said event data comprises data regarding events occurring on said client system that alter a document object model (DOM) of a browser of said client system as detected by said agent.

22. The method as described in claim 18 further comprising:

converting said network traffic to HTTP/HTTPS formatted data.

23. The method as described in claim 18 wherein said event data are selected from the group comprising:

keyboard key presses, mouse clicks, mouse movements, a recorded delay in a user entering data in on-screen fields and data entered in said on-screen fields.

24. The method as described in claim 18 wherein said event data is communicated asynchronously in discrete messages from said agent at prescribed intervals.

25. The method as described in claim 18, wherein said web content and functionality are operable to cause said agent to open a chat window on said client system.

26. The method as described in claim 18, wherein said web content and functionality are operable to cause said agent to alter a document object model (DOM) of a browser of said client system.

27. The method as described in claim 18, wherein said web content and functionality are operable to cause said agent to terminate an active session between a browser of said client system and said web application.

28. The method as described in claim 18, wherein said web content and functionality are operable to cause said agent to erase a cookie used by a browser of said client system.

29. The method as described in claim 18, wherein said network traffic and said event data are stored in accordance with a unique session established for said client system.

30. The method as described in claim 18, wherein said network traffic is in TCP format.

31. The method as described in claim 18 further comprising:

sending said agent to said client system within a webpage responsive to a request for said webpage by said client system.

32. A system comprising:

a server system comprising;

network fabric components comprising a network tap, said network fabric components for communicating network traffic between a client system and an application tier;

a converter unit coupled to said tap and operable to receive network traffic from said tap and for converting said network traffic to formatted data;

a web server comprising a receiver for receiving event data communicated asynchronously from an agent operable within said client system;

an application server comprising a web application and operable to receive requests from said client system and operable to generate responses in response thereto, said application server coupled to said web server; and

a passive system coupled to said server system, said passive system comprising an event detector system coupled to receive said formatted data and said event data, said event detector system operable to identify specific user events based on applying a set of prescribed rules to said formatted data, said event detector system operable to communicate commands and data to said receiver in response to identifying a specific user event, said commands and data for communication to said agent in response to an event data received from said agent, said commands and data for providing web content and functionality that are substantially transparent to said web application.

33. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said application tier comprises said web server and said application server.

34. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said event data comprises data regarding events occurring on said client system that alter a document object model (DOM) of said browser of said client system as detected by said agent.

35. The system as described in claim 34 wherein said event data are selected from the group comprising:

keyboard key presses, mouse clicks, mouse movements, recorded delay in a user entering data in on-screen fields and data entered in said on-screen fields.

36. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said event data is communicated asynchronously in discrete messages from said agent at prescribed intervals.

37. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said commands and data are executed by said agent which provides said additional web content and behavior based thereon.

38. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said network fabric components comprise a load balancer component.

39. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said additional web content and functionality cause said agent on said client system to open a chat window on said client system.

40. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said additional web content and functionality cause said agent on said client system to alter a document object model (DOM) of a browser of said client system.

41. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said additional web content and functionality cause said agent on said client system to terminate an active session between a browser of said client system and said web application.

42. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said additional web content and functionality cause said agent on said client system to erase a cookie used by a browser of said client system.

43. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said event detector system is also operable to store said HTTP/HTTPS data and said event data in accordance with a unique session established for said client system.

44. The system as described in claim 32 wherein said network traffic comprise page requests from said client system and page responses from said web application program.

45. The system as described in claim 44 wherein said network traffic supplied to said converter unit is TCP formatted.

46. The system as described in claim 32, wherein said agent is transmitted from said application server to said client system along with a webpage, wherein said agent is transmitted when a request for said webpage is received from said client system.

47. The system as described in claim 32, wherein said agent is a Javascript.