SESSION-RETURN ENABLING STATEFUL WEB APPLICATIONS

• US 20140019523A1
• Filed: 08/06/2013
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Drittler, Bernhard, Heymann, Juergen, Offermann, Udo, Hayer, Roman, Brendle, Rainer
• Granted Patent: US 9,866,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1027 Persistence of sessions during load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Mechanisms for allowing allow multi-session capability and session-return enabling stateful web applications include providing a start URL of a requested portal page with an “External Session ID” (ESID). The ESID is an argument that is different between the two instances of the application (on the same page), and leads to different/independent sessions in the server. When a user returns to the same page, the ESIDs are passed again with the individual application requests, and the server can then logically reconnect to the proper session and allow the user to continue. The ESID can be used to return to an application after the user has previously left to go to another application and then desires to come back, or even when the user closed the browser and restarts the application later.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method comprising:

starting a first session instance of an application after first receiving a first external session identifier (ESID) at an application server comprising at least one programmable processor, the first external session identifier having been generated externally to the application server and sent to the application server from a client caller running on a computing device separate from the application server, the starting comprising allocating first application server resources to the first session instance;

terminating the first session instance by the application server, the terminating comprising releasing the first application server resources allocated to the first session instance, the terminating further comprising associating first session return state information for the first session instance with the first external session identifier and persisting the first session return state information in a session memory of the application server, the first session return state information characterizing a first state of the first session instance at termination of the first session instance; and

restarting the first session instance by the application server after second receiving the first external session identifier at the application server, the second receiving occurring after the first receiving, the restarting comprising restoring the first session instance to the first state characterized by the first session return state information persisted in the session memory of the application server.

22. A method as in claim 21, further comprising:

starting a second session instance of the application after receiving a second external session identifier (ESID) at the application server, the second external session identifier differing from the external session identifier and also having been generated externally to the application server, the starting of the second session instance comprising allocating second application server resources to the second session instance; and

wherein the second receiving of the first external session identifier at the application server restores the first session instance using the first session return state information persisted in the session memory of the application server independently of the second application server resources allocated to the second session instance.

23. A method as in claim 21, further comprising:

determining, as part of the first receiving of the first external session identifier that no first session return state information associated with the first external session identifier has been previously persisted in the session memory; and

creating the first session instance in a startup mode.

24. A method as in claim 21, further comprising receiving the first external session identifier, and wherein the client caller comprises a portal page.

25. A method as in claim 21, wherein the first receiving of the first external session identifier further comprises receiving the first external session identifier as part of a start uniform resource locator (URL).

26. A method as in claim 21, wherein the application comprises a multi-session enabled web application, and the first session instance supports a first instance of the multi-session enabled web application running at the client computer, the first instance of the multi-session enabled web application making use of the application server resources allocated to the session instance.

27. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by an application server comprising at least one programmable processor, cause the application server to perform operations comprising:

starting a first session instance of an application after first receiving a first external session identifier (ESID) at an application server, the first external session identifier having been generated externally to the application server and sent to the application server from a client caller running on a computing device separate from the application server, the starting comprising allocating first application server resources to the first session instance;

terminating the first session instance, the terminating comprising releasing the first application server resources allocated to the first session instance, the terminating further comprising associating first session return state information for the first session instance with the first external session identifier and persisting the first session return state information in a session memory of the application server, the first session return state information characterizing a first state of the first session instance at termination of the first session instance; and

restarting the first session instance after second receiving the first external session identifier at the application server, the second receiving occurring after the first receiving, the restarting comprising restoring the first session instance to the first state characterized by the first session return state information persisted in the session memory of the application server.

28. A computer program product as in claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise:

starting a second session instance of the application after receiving a second external session identifier (ESID) at the application server, the second external session identifier differing from the external session identifier and also having been generated externally to the application server, the starting of the second session instance comprising allocating second application server resources to the second session instance; and

wherein the second receiving of the first external session identifier at the application server restores the first session instance using the first session return state information persisted in the session memory of the application server independently of the second application server resources allocated to the second session instance.

29. A computer program product as in claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, as part of the first receiving of the first external session identifier that no first session return state information associated with the first external session identifier has been previously persisted in the session memory; and

creating the first session instance in a startup mode.

30. A computer program product as in claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the first external session identifier, and wherein the client caller comprises a portal page.

31. A computer program product as in claim 27, wherein the first receiving of the first external session identifier further comprises receiving the first external session identifier as part of a start uniform resource locator (URL).

32. A computer program product as in claim 27, wherein the application comprises a multi-session enabled web application, and the first session instance supports a first instance of the multi-session enabled web application running at the client computer, the first instance of the multi-session enabled web application making use of the application server resources allocated to the session instance.

33. A system comprising an application server, the application server comprising at least one programmable processor;

and a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising;

starting a first session instance of an application after first receiving a first external session identifier (ESID) at the application server, the first external session identifier having been generated externally to the application server and sent to the application server from a client caller running on a computing device separate from the application server, the starting comprising allocating first application server resources to the first session instance;

terminating the first session instance, the terminating comprising releasing the first application server resources allocated to the first session instance, the terminating further comprising associating first session return state information for the first session instance with the first external session identifier and persisting the first session return state information in a session memory of the application server, the first session return state information characterizing a first state of the first session instance at termination of the first session instance; and

restarting the first session instance after second receiving the first external session identifier at the application server, the second receiving occurring after the first receiving, the restarting comprising restoring the first session instance to the first state characterized by the first session return state information persisted in the session memory of the application server.

34. A system as in claim 33, wherein the operations further comprise:

starting a second session instance of the application after receiving a second external session identifier (ESID) at the application server, the second external session identifier differing from the external session identifier and also having been generated externally to the application server, the starting of the second session instance comprising allocating second application server resources to the second session instance; and

wherein the second receiving of the first external session identifier at the application server restores the first session instance using the first session return state information persisted in the session memory of the application server independently of the second application server resources allocated to the second session instance.

35. A system as in claim 33, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, as part of the first receiving of the first external session identifier that no first session return state information associated with the first external session identifier has been previously persisted in the session memory; and

creating the first session instance in a startup mode.

36. A system as in claim 33, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the first external session identifier, and wherein the client caller comprises a portal page.

37. A system as in claim 33, wherein the first receiving of the first external session identifier further comprises receiving the first external session identifier as part of a start uniform resource locator (URL).

38. A system as in claim 33, wherein the application comprises a multi-session enabled web application, and the first session instance supports a first instance of the multi-session enabled web application running at the client computer, the first instance of the multi-session enabled web application making use of the application server resources allocated to the session instance.