Client/server connection sharing

• US 5,553,242 A
• Filed: 11/03/1993
• Issued: 09/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AD Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Wang Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Tang, Raymond Ting-Foo, Russell, Edward A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coleman, Eric
• Application Number:
  US08/143,162
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200, 395/200.12, 395/200.15
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A connection mechanism for providing connections between a client and a server including a connection control block for each connection, at least one client control block, and at least one session control block. Each connection control block identifies a connection and each client control block a client. Each session control block corresponds to a client control block establishes a session between a client and a connection and identifies the session, tile connection, and the server. Each session is established solely through a corresponding session control block and each operation is identified by the corresponding session identification. The connection mechanism includes a stack mechanism for storing at least one operation stack. Each operation stack corresponds to an operation to be executed through the corresponding connection and includes the session identifier and at least one operation request that is to be executed to execute the operation. An operation execution control generates a sequence of remote procedure call requests for each operation call and stores the sequence in a stack. Connection configurations may be specified. The system also includes a server and an authorization mechanism.

Claims

1. In a data processing system including a least one server, a plurality of clients for generating operations calls, each operation call specifying an operation to be performed between a client and a server, and at least one connection for providing a communication path between a client and a server, a connection mechanism responsive to an operation call for providing connection between the client and the server, comprising:

a connection control block for each connection,

at least one client control block, and

at least one session control block,

each connection control block including

an identification of a corresponding connection,

each client control block including

an identification of a corresponding client, and

an identification of a corresponding session control block, and

each session control block corresponding to a client control block and establishing a session between a client identified in the corresponding client control block and a connection to a server for executing an operation between the client and the server through the connection and including

an identification of the session,

an identification of the connection,

an identification of the server, and

a connection manager responsive to the connections for providing the connection control blocks and the operation calls for providing the client control blocks and session control blocks, wherein each session between a client and a connection to a server is established solely through a corresponding session control block and wherein each operation is identified by the corresponding session identification to relate the operation to a client, a connection and a session.

2. The connection mechanism of claim 1, further comprising:

a stack mechanism associated with each connection control block for storing at least one operation stack,

each operation stack corresponding to an operation to be executed through the corresponding connection and including

the session identifier of the session through which the operation is being executed, and

at least one operation request that is to be executed to execute the operation, and wherein

each connection control block further includes

an identifier of the stack of the operation currently being executed through the corresponding connection and

the state of execution of the operation currently being executed through the corresponding connection.

3. The connection mechanism of claim 2, wherein each operation to be executed through a connection is executed as a sequence of remote procedure call requests and the connection mechanism further comprises:

an operation execution control responsive to each operation call for

generating a corresponding sequence of remote procedure call requests,

storing the corresponding sequence of remote procedure call requests in a corresponding stack as the at least one operation request to be executed to execute the operation, and

for each connection, executing the sequence of remote procedure call requests of the operation currently being executed through the corresponding connection, wherein

each remote procedure call request of the operation currently being executed through the corresponding connection is identified by the corresponding session identifier.

4. The connection mechanism of claim 1 further comprising a connection configuration control for specifying a configuration of connections to be established between the clients and the servers through the session wherein the connection manager is responsive to the connection configuration control for providing client control blocks, connection control blocks and session control blocks according to a connection configuration specified by the connection configuration control.

5. The connection mechanism of claim 4 wherein a first configuration of connections is a shared connection configuration comprising:

a single connection for each server,

a single session for each connection,

a single client control block for a plurality of clients, and

plurality of session control blocks associated with the client control block,

whereby the plurality of clients will share the single connection.

6. The connection mechanism of claim 4 wherein a second configuration of connections is a single connection configuration comprising:

a single connection for each server,

a single session for each connection,

a single client associated with each client control block, and

a plurality of session control blocks associated with the client control block,

whereby each connection will be associated with a single client.

7. The connection mechanism of claim 4 wherein a third configuration of connections is a connection pooling configuration comprising:

a plurality of connections for a server,

a plurality of sessions for each connection,

a single client control block for each client, and

at least one session control block for each client control block,

whereby the plurality of connections to a server are shared by the clients.

8. The connection mechanism of claim 1, wherein the server mechanism comprises:

a dispatcher,

a plurality of worker tasks, and

a plurality of dispatcher shared memory areas,

each dispatcher shared memory area corresponding to a worker task,

the dispatcher being responsive to an operation call from the connection mechanism for

selecting a worker task to execute the operation call,

receiving the operation call directly into the dispatcher shared memory space of the worker task, and

indicating to the worker task that an operation call has been assigned to the worker task,

the worker task being responsive to the indication of an operation call for

receiving the operation call from the dispatcher shared memory space of the worker task,

executing the operation call,

placing the results of the operation call into the dispatcher shared memory space of the worker task, and

indicating to the dispatcher that the operation call is completed,

the dispatcher being responsive to the indication that the operation call is completed for providing the results of the operation request directly from the dispatcher shared memory space of the worker task to the connection mechanism.

9. The server mechanism of claim 8, wherein:

each operation call provided from a client is provided from the connection mechanism as a sequence or one or more remote procedure call requests, each remote procedure call request including an associated buffer containing the parameters of the remote procedure call request, and the server mechanism further includes

a plurality of worker control blocks,

each worker control block corresponding to a worker task and including a semaphore which is set by the dispatcher to indicate that an remote procedure call request has been assigned to the worker task, and wherein

the dispatcher is responsive to a remote procedure call request for

receiving the buffer directly into the dispatcher shared memory space of the worker task selected to execute the remote procedure call request, and

setting the semaphore in the worker control block corresponding to the selected worker task, and

providing a request acceptance response to the client mechanism,

the selected worker task is responsive to the semaphore in the corresponding worker control block for

reading the associated parameters from the buffer,

performing the assigned remote procedure call request, and

placing the results of the remote procedure call request into the dispatcher shared memory space of the worker task, and

generating a remote procedure call to the dispatcher to indicate that the assigned remote procedure all request has been completed,

the dispatcher being responsive to the remote procedure call from the worker task for sending the results of the remote procedure call to the connection mechanism directly from the corresponding dispatcher shared memory space.

10. In a data processing system including a least one server, a plurality of clients for generating operations calls, each operation call specifying an operation to be performed between a client and a server, and at least one connection for providing a communication path between a client and a server, a method for providing a connection between a client and the server, comprising the steps of:

constructing a connection control block for each connection,

constructing at least one client control block, and

constructing at least one session control block, wherein each connection control block includes

an identification of a corresponding connection,

each client control block includes

an identification of a corresponding client, and

an identification of a corresponding session control block, and

each session control block corresponds to a client control block and establishes a session between a client identified in the corresponding client control block and a connection to a server for executing an operation between the client and the server through the connection and includes

an identification of the session,

an identification of the connection,

an identification of the server, and

wherein each session between a client and a connection to a server is established solely through a corresponding session control block and

identifying each operation by the corresponding session identification to relate the operation to a client, a connection and a session.

11. The method for providing a connection between a client and the server of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

constructing a stack mechanism for each connection control block and storing an operation stack in the stack mechanism for each operation to be executed through the connection, wherein

each operation stack corresponds to an operation to be executed through the corresponding connection and includes

the session identifier of the session through which the operation is being executed, and

at least one operation request that is to be executed to execute the operation, and

storing in the corresponding each connection control block

an identifier of the stack of the operation currently being executed through the corresponding connection and

the state of execution of the operation currently being executed through the corresponding connection.

12. The method for providing a connection between a client and the server of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

for each operation call

generating a corresponding sequence of remote procedure call requests to execute the operation call,

storing the corresponding sequence of remote procedure call requests in a corresponding stack as the at least one operation request to be executed to execute the operation, and

executing the sequence of remote procedure call requests of the operation currently being executed through the corresponding connection, including

identifying each remote procedure call request of the operation currently being executed through the corresponding connection by the corresponding session identifier.

13. The method for providing a connection between a client and the server of claim 10 further comprising the step of specifying a configuration of connections to be established between the clients and the servers through the session and constructing client control blocks, connection control blocks and session control blocks according to a connection configuration specified by the connection configuration control.

14. The method for providing a connection between a client and the server of claim 13 wherein a first configuration of connections is a shared connection configuration comprising:

a single connection for each server,

a single session for each connection,

a single client control block for a plurality of clients, and

plurality of session control blocks associated with the client control block,

whereby the plurality of clients will share the single connection.

15. The method for providing a connection between a client and the server of claim 13 wherein a second configuration of connections is a single connection configuration comprising:

a single connection for each server,

a single session for each connection,

a single client associated with each client control block, and

a plurality of session control blocks associated with the client control block,

whereby each connection will be associated with a single client.

16. The method for providing a connection between a client and the server of claim 13 wherein a third configuration of connections is a connection pooling configuration comprising:

a plurality of connections for a server,

a plurality of sessions for each connection,

a single client control block for each client, and

at least one session control block for each client control block,

whereby the plurality of connections to a server are shared by the clients.

17. The method for providing a connection between a client and the server of claim 10, further comprising the method for executing an operation call in the server mechanism comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of dispatcher shared memory areas, each dispatcher shared memory area corresponding to a worker task for executing operation calls,

dispatching an operation call to a worker task by selecting a worker task to execute the operation call,

receiving the operation call directly into the dispatcher shared memory space of the worker task, and

indicating to the worker task that an operation call has been assigned to the worker task,

receiving the operation call from the dispatcher shared memory space and into the selected worker task,

executing the operation call in the selected worker task,

placing the results of the execution of the operation call into the dispatcher shared memory space of the worker task, and

returning the results of the operation call directly from the dispatcher shared memory space of the worker task to the connection mechanism.

18. The method to be executed in a server mechanism for executing the operation requests of claim 17, wherein:

each operation call provided from a client is provided from the connection mechanism as a sequence or one or more remote procedure call requests, each remote procedure call request including an associated buffer containing the parameters of the remote procedure call request, and further including the steps of

providing a plurality of worker control blocks, each worker control block corresponding to a worker task and including a semaphore, wherein

the steps of dispatching a remote procedure call request to a worker task further include the steps of

receiving the buffer directly into the dispatcher shared memory space of the worker task selected to execute the remote procedure call request, and

setting the semaphore in the worker control block corresponding to the selected worker task, and

reading the associated parameters from the buffer and into the worker task, and

the step of returning the results of the remote procedure call request to the connection mechanism further includes

placing the results of the remote procedure call request into a result buffer in the dispatcher shared memory space,

generating a remote procedure call to indicate that the assigned remote procedure call request has been completed, and

sending the result buffer directly from the dispatcher shared memory space to the connection mechanism.