USING ANALYTICS TO OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE OF A MESSAGING SYSTEM VIA TOPIC MIGRATION TO ALTERNATE DELIVERY METHODS

• US 20150249625A1
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Published: 09/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jensen, Brian W., Jones, Andrew R., O'Connell, Brian M., Walker, Keith R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,716,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and associated systems for using analytics to optimize performance of a messaging system via topic migration to alternate delivery methods. A messaging system delivers messages organized into topics to users by any of several message-delivery mechanisms, such as a publish/subscribe push mechanism and an HTTP polling pull mechanism. A processor analyzes characteristics of messages associated with a particular topic and delivered by a first delivery mechanism, and if it finds that those characteristics render the first delivery mechanism an inefficient or expensive way to deliver those messages, it determines whether a second mechanism would be more efficient or less expensive. If so, the messaging system then migrates all messages associated with the topic to the second mechanism, regardless of an identity or other characteristic of a user that receives messages associated with the topic.

Claims

1. A method for using analytics to optimize operation of a messaging system, wherein the messaging system delivers a plurality of messages to a plurality of users, wherein each message of the plurality of messages is associated with a topic of a plurality of topics, wherein each topic of the plurality of topics is associated with a delivery means of a plurality of delivery means, wherein a first set of messages of the plurality of messages is associated with a first topic of the plurality of topics, wherein the first topic is associated with a first delivery means of the plurality of delivery means, and wherein the messaging system uses the first delivery means to deliver to users the first set of messages, and:

a processor of a computer system deeming that a delivering the first set of messages by means of the first delivery means is expensive, wherein the deeming comprises detecting that the delivering the first set of messages by means of the first delivery means causes a characteristic of the first topic to satisfy a warning condition;

the processor disassociating the first topic from the first delivery means; and

the processor reassociating the first topic with a second delivery means.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the warning condition is selected from a group comprising:

a total number of write-interest calls to a particular socket of the messaging system exceeds a first threshold value, wherein the write-interest calls are associated with the first topic, the total number of write-interest calls are received by the messaging system within a set duration of time, and a write-interest call of the total number of write-interest calls indicates that a message of the first set of messages cannot be completely delivered to a user in a single transmission through the particular socket;

an average message size of the first set of messages exceeds a second threshold value;

a rate at which messages of the first set of messages are transmitted exceeds a third threshold value; and

a value of currency metadata associated with messages of the first set of messages falls below a fourth threshold value, where the value of currency metadata characterizes a maximum acceptable length of time for the messaging system to deliver a message of the first set of messages.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor disassociating and reassociating only if the processor determines that a delivering the first set of messages by means of the second delivery means of the plurality of delivery means would not be expensive.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first delivery means and the second delivery means are selected from a group comprising a push delivery means and a pull delivery mechanism, wherein only one of the first delivery means and the second delivery comprises a push delivery means, and wherein only one of the first delivery means and the second delivery comprises a pull delivery means.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the pull delivery mechanism is selected from a group comprising:

HTTP polling, long polling, and busy-wait polling.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the push delivery mechanism comprises a publish/subscribe communications architecture.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first delivery means comprises a publish/subscribe communications architecture, wherein the delivering the first set of messages by means of the first delivery means comprises communicating the first set of messages to a first subset of users of the plurality of users, wherein the first subset of users comprises users of the plurality of users that have subscribed to the first topic, and wherein the first delivery means comprises sending information to a recipient user of the first subset of users through a persistent connection between the messaging system and the recipient user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the disassociating and reassociating comprises the processor automatically notifying the recipient user that the persistent connection between the messaging system and the recipient user will be closed and that future communications between the messaging system and the recipient user will be performed by means of a polling communications architecture.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable program code in the computer system, wherein the computer-readable program code in combination with the computer system is configured to implement the deeming, disassociating, and reassociating.

10. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable hardware storage device having a computer-readable program code stored therein, said program code configured to be executed by a processor of a computer system to implement a method for using analytics to optimize operation of a messaging system, wherein the messaging system delivers a plurality of messages to a plurality of users, wherein each message of the plurality of messages is associated with a topic of a plurality of topics, wherein each topic of the plurality of topics is associated with a delivery means of a plurality of delivery means, wherein a first set of messages of the plurality of messages is associated with a first topic of the plurality of topics, wherein the first topic is associated with a first delivery means of the plurality of delivery means, and wherein the messaging system uses the first delivery means to deliver to users the first set of messages, and:

the processor deeming that a delivering the first set of messages by means of the first delivery means is expensive, wherein the deeming comprises detecting that the delivering the first set of messages by means of the first delivery means causes a characteristic of the first topic to satisfy a warning condition;

the processor disassociating the first topic from the first delivery means; and

the processor reassociating the first topic with a second delivery means.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the warning condition is selected from a group comprising:

a total number of write-interest calls to a particular socket of the messaging system exceeds a first threshold value, wherein the write-interest calls are associated with the first topic, the total number of write-interest calls are received by the messaging system within a set duration of time, and a write-interest call of the total number of write-interest calls indicates that a message of the first set of messages cannot be completely delivered to a user in a single transmission through the particular socket;

an average message size of the first set of messages exceeds a second threshold value;

a rate at which messages of the first set of messages are transmitted exceeds a third threshold value; and

a value of currency metadata associated with messages of the first set of messages falls below a fourth threshold value, where the value of currency metadata characterizes a maximum acceptable length of time for the messaging system to deliver a message of the first set of messages.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

the processor disassociating and reassociating only if the processor determines that a delivering the first set of messages by means of the second delivery means of the plurality of delivery means would not be expensive.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the first delivery means and the second delivery means are selected from a group comprising a push delivery means and a pull delivery mechanism, wherein only one of the first delivery means and the second delivery comprises a push delivery means, and wherein only one of the first delivery means and the second delivery comprises a pull delivery means.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the pull delivery mechanism is selected from a group comprising:

HTTP polling, long polling, and busy-wait polling.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the push delivery mechanism comprises a publish/subscribe communications architecture.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the first delivery means comprises a publish/subscribe communications architecture, wherein the delivering the first set of messages by means of the first delivery means comprises communicating the first set of messages to a first subset of users of the plurality of users, wherein the first subset of users comprises users of the plurality of users that have subscribed to the first topic, and wherein the first delivery means comprises sending information to a recipient user of the first subset of users through a persistent connection between the messaging system and the recipient user.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the disassociating and reassociating comprises the processor automatically notifying the recipient user that the persistent connection between the messaging system and the recipient user will be closed and that future communications between the messaging system and the recipient user will be performed by means of a polling communications architecture.

18. A computer system comprising a processor, a memory coupled to said processor, and a computer-readable hardware storage device coupled to said processor, said storage device containing program code configured to be run by said processor via the memory to implement a method for using analytics to optimize operation of a messaging system, wherein the messaging system delivers a plurality of messages to a plurality of users, wherein each message of the plurality of messages is associated with a topic of a plurality of topics, wherein each topic of the plurality of topics is associated with a delivery means of a plurality of delivery means, wherein a first set of messages of the plurality of messages is associated with a first topic of the plurality of topics, wherein the first topic is associated with a first delivery means of the plurality of delivery means, and wherein the messaging system uses the first delivery means to deliver to users the first set of messages, and:

the processor deeming that a delivering the first set of messages by means of the first delivery means is expensive, wherein the deeming comprises detecting that the delivering the first set of messages by means of the first delivery means causes a characteristic of the first topic to satisfy a warning condition;

the processor disassociating the first topic from the first delivery means; and

the processor reassociating the first topic with a second delivery means.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the warning condition is selected from a group comprising:

a total number of write-interest calls to a particular socket of the messaging system exceeds a first threshold value, wherein the write-interest calls are associated with the first topic, the total number of write-interest calls are received by the messaging system within a set duration of time, and a write-interest call of the total number of write-interest calls indicates that a message of the first set of messages cannot be completely delivered to a user in a single transmission through the particular socket;

an average message size of the first set of messages exceeds a second threshold value;

a rate at which messages of the first set of messages are transmitted exceeds a third threshold value; and

a value of currency metadata associated with messages of the first set of messages falls below a fourth threshold value, where the value of currency metadata characterizes a maximum acceptable length of time for the messaging system to deliver a message of the first set of messages.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the first delivery means and the second delivery means are selected from a group comprising a push delivery means and a pull delivery mechanism, wherein only one of the first delivery means and the second delivery comprises a push delivery means, and wherein only one of the first delivery means and the second delivery comprises a pull delivery means.