Scalable distributed network controller

• US 6,047,324 A
• Filed: 02/05/1998
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Merrill Lynch & Co. Incorporated
• Inventors: Ford, Christopher, Lakshmanan, Mahadevan, Scalf, Robert Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US09/019,233
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 709/300, 709/302, 709/304, 709/227, 709/230, 707/1, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168

Abstract

A data processing architecture provides a common grouping of code that supports a diverse set of services and allows seamless access to these services by clients. The architecture is supported by several interrelated components. A Framework executable provides conforming DLLs specific to that service. System operation is enhanced by a Router that allocates service loading in accordance with demand and availability. Because a common code framework characterizes much of the complex communication coding, developers seeking to implement new services can concentrate on creating service functionality and rely on the Framework for this communication and navigation support.

Claims

1. A computer system for implementing and managing a message-based protocol that is adapted to provide any of a plurality of online services over a communications network, wherein the system comprises

a) an application program interfacing mechanism adapted to send and/or receive at least one of:

TCP messages, UDP messages, and asynchronous message responses;

b) a framework mechanism adapted to provide at least one of;

thread management, connection management and multicasting so as to provide an interface to at least one online service;

c) a routing mechanism adapted to route messages and message responses between the application program interfacing mechanism and the framework mechanism;

d) the framework mechanism further adapted to broadcast periodic heartbeat messages on the network to identify and prioritize any of a plurality of available online services.

2. A method for use with a computer system having

i) an application program interfacing mechanism adapted to send and/or receive at least one of TCP messages, UDP messages, and asynchronous message responses;

ii) a framework mechanism adapted to provide at least one of;

thread management, connection management, and multicasting;

so as to provide an interface to at least one online service; and

iii) a routing mechanism adapted to route messages and message responses between the application program interfacing mechanism and the framework mechanism,

THE METHOD INCLUDING THE STEPS OF;

a) initiating operation of the application program interfacing mechanism so as to provide networked communication between an online service and a prospective user of that service over a communication network;

b) initiating operation of the framework mechanism by reading one or more configuration parameters stored in a storage device coupled to the framework mechanism, and in response thereto, initiating one or more online services in accordance with service availability; and

c) the framework mechanism causing the broadcast of periodic heartbeat messages on the network to identify and prioritize any of a plurality of available online services.