Inter-computer communication method and apparatus utilizing clocked message playback and message format definition files

• US 6,092,118 A
• Filed: 07/06/1998
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Tsang, Shiu Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US08/924,529
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.76, 395/200.6, 395/200.66, 709/246-228, 709/236, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

An inter-computer communication method and apparatus permits inter-computer communication of computer messages having a format easily defined by user in an ASCII configuration file. Instead of rewriting code to accommodate a differently formatted message, the invention utilizes an ASCII configuration file that can be easily created and changed to define various message formats. Message encodation involves inserting a unique header in the message identifying the message format and building a message according to the defined format. Message decodation parses this header to access the configuration file and determine message format. A message processing apparatus processes inter-computer messages in one of three configurations including a first configuration for processing input messages from a communications port by controlling a message decoder to decode input messages and send the decoded input messages to a processor for manipulation by an application program; a second configuration for playing back an input message from the message log and sending the read input message to the processor for manipulation by the application program; and a third configuration for logging inputs by routing input messages from the communications port to the message log.

Claims

1. A message processing apparatus for processing inter-computer messages, comprising:

a communications port transmitting messages between the message processing apparatus and another device or application program;

a message log storing input messages from said communications port;

message playback means for playing back stored messages from said message log;

message decoding means for decoding messages;

a user interface providing a user with interactive control of the apparatus by generating control signals in response to user interaction;

a processor executing an application program and receiving control signals from said user interface permitting control of the application program; and

a menu processor utilizing said user interface to present a user with a menu of apparatus configurations wherein each apparatus configuration configures the apparatus to perform a different function, said menu processor also permitting the user to select one of the apparatus configurations, wherein the apparatus configurations include

a first configuration for processing input messages from said communications port by controlling said message decoding means to decode input messages from said communications port and send the decoded input messages to said processor for manipulation by the application program,

a second configuration for playing back an input message from said message log by reading the input message from said message log and sending the read input message to said processor for manipulation by the application program, and

a third configuration for logging communications port inputs by routing input messages from said communications port to said message log,

said second configuration successively reading a clock to play back the message from said message log at a rate substantially matching a desired rate.

2. The message processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a message queue connected to said processor, said message queue storing a queue of messages from said message decoder or said message log depending upon the configuration selected by the user.

3. The message processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control queue connected to said processor, said control queue storing a queue of control signals from said user interface.

4. The message processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control signal memory storing control signals from said user interface when the third configuration is selected by the user via said menu processor and said user interface, a control queue connected to said processor, said control queue storing a queue of control signals from said user interface or said control signal memory depending on whether the first or second configuration has been selected by the user via said menu processor and said user interface.

5. The message processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clock is a system clock,

said second configuration successively reading the system clock to play back the message from said message log at a rate substantially matching real time operation and sending the read input message to said processor for manipulation by the application program.

6. The message processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clock is a pseudo clock programmed by the user via said user interface,

said second configuration successively reading the pseudo clock to play back the input message from said message log in pseudo time.

7. The message processing apparatus according to claim 6, said second functional configuration including a single step mode selectable by the user via said menu processor and said user interface,

wherein the user updates the pseudo time clock via said user interface in the single step mode.

8. The message processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

message encoding means for encoding messages, said message encoding means connected to said message log, and

message transmission means for transmitting encoded messages from said message encoding means,

said second functional configuration including a transmission mode selectable by the user via said menu processor and said user interface,

said transmission mode playing back the input message from said message log by reading the input message from said message log, sending the read input message to said message encoding means and then sending the encoded message to said message transmission means.

9. The message processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a memory device storing an ASCII message format definition file,

a message buffer,

said message encoding means encoding data into a message format specified by the ASCII message definition file by

reading the memory device to access the ASCII message format definition file and extract header data identifying a message format selected by the user via said user interface,

copying the extracted header data into the message buffer,

reading the ASCII message format definition file to extract format information including a number of groups in the message format and a number and type of fields in each group, and

writing data into the message buffer according to the extracted format information extracted,

said message transmission means accessing the message buffer to transmit the encoded message.

10. The message processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory device storing an ASCII message format definition file,

said decoding means decoding messages by

receiving the computer message from said communications port,

extracting header data from the received computer message,

matching the extracted header data against header data in the ASCII message format definition file;

determining the format of the message based on said matching step including

determining how many groups are in the message and how many and What types of fields are in each group; and

parsing the computer message into fields according to the determined format to decode the message,

said message decoding means sending the decoded input messages to said processor for manipulation by the application program.

11. A computer implemented method of encoding data into a message format specified by an ASCII message definition file, comprising:

reading the ASCII message format definition file to extract header data identifying the message format,

copying the extracted header data into a message string,

reading the ASCII message format definition file to extract format information including a number of groups in the message format and a number and type of fields in each group, and

writing data into the message string according to the format information extracted by said reading step;

initializing a message database with the ASCII configuration file to define a plurality of message formats wherein each message format includes a number of groups and a number and type of fields in each group,

said reading the ASCII message format definition file to extract header data step including the substeps of accessing the message database to extract the header data corresponding to a desired message format,

said reading the ASCII message format definition file to extract format information step including the substeps of accessing the message database to extract format information associated with the extracted header data and corresponding to the desired message format.

12. The computer implemented method of encoding data according to claim 11,

said reading the ASCII message format definition file to extract format information step reading the ASCII configuration file to determine a number of message formats defined in the ASCII configuration file,

said initializing step including the substeps of recursively intitializing each message format including recursively initializing each group within a current message format, recursively initializing each field within a current group to initialize the message database.

13. The computer implemented method of encoding data according to claim 12, said recursively initializing each field within a current group substep including the substeps of reading a name of, number of bits in and type of a current field from the ASCII message definition file to initialize the message database.

14. The computer implemented method of encoding data according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

determining if the current field type is a string field type,

said reading the ASCII message format definition file to extract format information step reading match character values from the ASCII message definition file if said determining step determines that the current field type is a string field type.

15. The computer implemented method of encoding data according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

determining if the current field type is a numerical data field type,

said reading the ASCII message format definition file to extract format information step reading minimum and maximum data range values if said numerical data field determining step determines that the current field type is a numerical data field type.

16. The computer implemented method of encoding data according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

determining if the current field type is a numerical data field type,

said reading the ASCII message format definition file to extract format information step reading a modulus value if said numerical data field determining step determines that the current field type is a numerical data field type.

17. The computer implemented method of encoding data according to claim 11, said writing data into the message string according to the format information extracted by said reading step including the substeps of:

writing a current group within the message string including recursively writing each field within the current group to build the message string.

18. The computer implemented method of encoding data according to claim 17, wherein if a current field is a string type field said recursively writing each field substep including the substep of copying character data into a local buffer.

19. The computer implemented method of encoding data according to claim 17, wherein if a current field is a numerical type field, said recursively writing each field substep including the substeps of:

formatting numerical data into a field type according to the format information extracted by said reading step, and

copying the formatted numerical data into a local buffer.

20. The computer implemented method of encoding data according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the message string to a device.

21. The computer implemented method of encoding data according to claim 20,

said transmitting the message string step including the substeps of logging the message string being transmitted.

22. A computer implemented method of decoding a computer message, comprising:

receiving the computer message;

extracting header data from the received computer message;

matching the extracted header data against header data in an ASCII message format definition file;

determining the format of the computer message based on said matching step including the substeps of determining how many groups are in the message and how many and what types of fields are in each group; and

parsing the computer message into fields according to the format determined in said determining step to decode each field according to the format determined in said determining step,

said receiving step receiving messages in

a first functional configuration for recording received messages in a message log, and

a second functional configuration for playing back an input message from the message log,

wherein a user can select the first or second functional configurations with a user interface.

23. The computer implemented method of decoding a computer message according to claim 22,

wherein the field types include numerical and alphanumerical field types.

24. The computer implemented method of decoding a computer message according to claim 22, further comprising the step of:

finding the computer message in a stream of data by identifying delimiter data,

said extracting header data step extracting header data based on a relative position of the delimiter data in the computer message.

25. The computer implemented method of decoding a computer message according to claim 24, further comprising the step of:

transmitting at least one of the fields from the parsed message.

26. The computer implemented method of decoding a computer message according to claim 22, said first functional configuration playing back the input message at a rate determined by a real time clock.

27. The computer implemented method of decoding a computer message according to claim 22, said first functional configuration playing back the input message at a rate determined by a pseudo time clock.

28. The computer implemented method of decoding a computer message according to claim 27, said first functional configuration including a single step mode wherein the pseudo time clock is updated by the user via the user interface.

29. The computer implemented method of decoding a computer message according to claim 22, said second functional configuration recording a real time stamp when recording the input message.

30. The computer implemented method of decoding a computer message according to claim 22, said second functional configuration recording a pseudo time stamp when recording the input message.

31. A computer implemented method of decoding a computer message, comprising:

receiving the computer message;

extracting header data from the received computer message;

matching the extracted header data against header data in an ASCII message format definition file;

determining the format of the computer message based on said matching step including the substeps of determining how many groups are in the message and how many and what types of fields are in each group;

parsing the computer message into fields according to the format determined in said determining step to decode each field according to the format determined in said determining step;

finding the computer message in a stream of data by identifying delimiter data;

said extracting header data step extracting header data based on a relative position of the delimiter data in the computer message; and

utilizing at least one of the fields from the parsed message in another computer implemented process.