METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING CONTEXT INFORMATION ON WEB SERVER

• US 20100250740A1
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cao, Bao Hua, Li, Jing, Wang, Li, Wang, Jian
• Granted Patent: US 8,356,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method for transferring context information on a web server that contains a context pool. The method includes: in response to the web server receiving a message, obtaining context information from the message, generating a unique identifier according to a thread for processing the message, associating the context information with the generated unique identifier, and storing the context information and the associated unique identifier in context pool of web server correlatively. In response to a web server obtaining the context information, generating an identifier according to a thread that is executed currently in the web server, and extracting context information for which an associated unique identifier is matched with the generated identifier from the context pool.

Claims

1. A method of transferring context information from a message to a web server containing a context pool, the method comprising:

receiving a message by the web server;

obtaining context information from said message;

generating a unique identifier according to a thread for processing the message;

associating the context information with the generated unique identifier;

storing the context information and the associated unique identifier in the context pool of the web server correlatively;

generating an identifier according to a thread that is executed currently in the web server if the web server is required to obtain the context information; and

extracting the context information for which the associated unique identifier is matched with the generated identifier from the context pool.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the web server is a SOAP server and the message is a SOAP request.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the web server further comprises:

a response component for receiving a SOAP request and a request component for sending a SOAP request;

wherein the step of storing the context information and the associated unique identifier is performed in the response component and the step of extracting context information for which associated unique identifier is matched with the generated identifier is performed in the request component.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the web server further comprises:

the request component building a SOAP request that contains context information.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the context information is information in the envelope of the SOAP request.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a thread ID of the current thread, and the step of extracting comprises:

in response to no context information being that is matched with the thread ID of current thread in the context pool, extracting context information for which the associated unique identifier is matched with the parent thread ID of the current thread through the thread tree from the context pool.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein it is judged whether the context information is valid after obtaining context information and in response to the context information being valid, storing the context information and the associated unique identifier.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

storing a thread tree in the context pool, the thread tree used to record parent-child relationship among respective threads.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the web server supports a thread pool, and the unique identifier and identifier are a combination of the thread ID with a borrow ID of the current thread.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

checking the context pool periodically; and

removing context information which threads associated with the associated unique identifier are all inactive threads from the context pool.

11. An apparatus for transferring context information on a web server that contains a context pool, said apparatus comprising:

a module for obtaining context information from a message received at a web server;

a module for generating a unique identifier according to a thread for processing the message;

a module for associating the context information with the generated unique identifier;

a module for storing the context information and the associated unique identifier in context pool of web server correlatively;

a module for generating an identifier according to a thread that is executed currently in web server; and

a module for extracting context information for which the associated unique identifier is matched with the generated identifier from the context pool.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the web server is SOAP server and the message is SOAP request.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the web server further comprises:

a response component for receiving SOAP request; and

a request component for sending SOAP request, wherein the module for storing the context information in the context pool is located in the response component, and the module extracting context information for which the associated unique identifier is matched with the generated identifier is located in the request component.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the condition of the web server obtaining the context information comprises:

the request component building a SOAP request containing context information.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the context information is information in the envelope of the SOAP request.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the unique identifier and identifier are the thread ID of the current thread.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising a module for judging whether the context information is valid.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a thread tree used to record a parent-child relationship among respective threads is stored in the context pool;

and the module for extracting context information for which an associated unique identifier is matched with the generated unique identifier from the context pool is adapted to extract context information.

19. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the web server supports a thread pool, and the unique identifier and identifier are a combination of the thread ID and borrowed ID of the current thread.

20. The apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising a module for checking the context pool periodically and for removing, from the context pool, context information for inactive threads associated with a unique identifier.