Method and system coordinating actions among a group of servers

• US 6,170,017 B1
• Filed: 05/08/1997
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Iyengar, Arun Kwangil, Dias, Daniel Manuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLETT, STEPHAN F
• Application Number:
  US08/854,010
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/235
• US Class Current: 709/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a client-server environment having a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, where each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server, a method for coordinating actions among the servers in the server group comprising the steps of: (1) communicating between a client and at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers; (2) transmitting a request for an action from the client to one of the servers; and (3) communicating among a plurality of servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of at least some of the servers in response to the request. A preferred embodiment of the method includes providing client identification information once by the client during a conversation, verifying the client identification information by one or more controller servers, generating client authentication information by one or more controller servers that is preserved in the conversation, and using the preserved client authentication information to automatically authenticate the client during the remainder of the conversation. Another preferred embodiment of the method includes transmitting a request by a client requiring participation by a plurality of servers and communicating among the servers with at least one controller server coordinating the actions of a plurality of servers in response to the request from the client.

Claims

1. In a client-server environment having a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, where each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server, a method for coordinating actions among the servers in the server group comprising the steps of:

communicating between a client and at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers;

transmitting a request for an action requiring participation by a plurality of servers from the client to one of the servers;

communicating among the servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of the plurality of servers in response to the request, whereby the step of coordinating action comprises defining a default group of servers by at least one controller server in response to the request by the client, wherein said default group of servers consists of one or more servers in the server group with which the client has communicated in the course of a conversation and said default group of servers is determined with respect to critical subsets of servers, where each critical subset of servers is determined with respect to a transaction type, an authentication type, and a critical event.

2. The method for coordinating actions among the servers of claim 1, in which the transaction type is selected from the group consisting of all transactions, simple transactions, and group transactions.

3. The method for coordinating actions among the servers of claim 1, in which the authentication type is selected from the group consisting of all transactions, transactions in which authentication is required, and transactions in which authentication is not required.

4. The method for coordinating actions among the servers of claim 1, in which the critical event is selected from the group consisting of the start of a conversation, the point at which a client first provides valid identification information, and a last group transaction.

5. In a client-server environment having a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, where each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server, and in which multiple controller servers are arranged in a hierarchy of controller servers, a method for coordinating actions among the servers in the server group comprising the steps of:

communicating between a client and at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers;

transmitting a request for an action from the client to one of the servers; and

communicating among a plurality of servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of at least some of the servers in response to the request, where said step of communicating among servers includes coordinating actions by a controller server among a plurality of servers in at least one hierarchical level below it.

6. In a client-server environment having a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, where each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server, a method for coordinating actions among the servers in the server group comprising the steps of:

communicating between a client and at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers;

transmitting a request for an action from the client to one of the servers;

communicating among a plurality of servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of at least some of the servers in response to the request; and

receiving and executing a program by the client from at least one server, whereby the client performs at least some of the functions of the server group.

7. A system for coordinating actions among the servers in a server group comprising:

a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, wherein each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server;

a client which can communicate with at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers;

means for transmitting a request for an action requiring participation by a plurality of servers from the client to one of the servers;

means for communicating among the servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of the plurality of servers in response to the request; and

means for defining a default group of servers by at least one controller server in response to the request by the client, in which the default group of servers includes one or more servers in the server group with which the client has communicated during a conversation and in which said default group of servers is determined with respect to critical subsets of servers, where each critical subset of servers is determined with respect to a transaction type, an authentication type, and a critical event.

8. The system for coordinating actions among the servers of claim 7, in which the transaction type is selected from the group consisting of all transactions, simple transactions, and group transactions.

9. The system for coordinating actions among the servers of claim 7, in which the authentication type is selected from the group consisting of all transactions, transactions in which authentication is required, and transactions in which authentication is not required.

10. The system for coordinating actions among the servers of claim 7, in which the critical event is selected from the group consisting of the start of a conversation, the point at which a client first provides valid identification information, and a last group transaction.

11. A system for coordinating actions among the servers in a server group comprising:

a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, wherein each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server;

a client which can communicate with at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers;

means for transmitting a request for an action requiring participation by a plurality of servers from the client to one of the servers; and

means for communicating among the servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of the plurality of servers in response to the request in which multiple controller servers are arranged in a hierarchy of controller servers and said means of communicating among servers includes coordinating actions by a controller server among a plurality of servers in at least one hierarchical level below it.

12. A system for coordinating actions among the servers in a server group comprising:

a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, wherein each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server;

a client which can communicate with at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers;

means for transmitting a request for an action requiring participation by a plurality of servers from the client to one of the servers;

means for communicating among the servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of the plurality of servers in response to the request; and

receiving and executing a program from at least one server, whereby the client performs at least some of the functions of the server group.

13. In a client-server environment having a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, where each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server, and in which multiple controller servers are arranged in a hierarchy of controller servers, a method for coordinating actions among the servers in the server group comprising the steps of:

communicating between a client and at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers;

transmitting a request for a first action by a client to a server that requires authentification;

providing client identification information by the client;

verifying the client identification information by one or more controller servers;

generating client authentication information by one or more controller servers;

maintaining client authentication information by one or more controller servers;

utilizing a means by one or more controller servers for preserving the client authentification information in the conversation;

transmitting a request for a second action by the client to one of the servers that requires authentication;

using the client authentication information preserved in the conversation and the client authentication information maintained by one or more servers to authenticate the client; and

coordinating actions by a controller server among a plurality of servers in at least one hierarchical level below it.

14. In a client-server environment having a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, where each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server, and in which multiple controller servers are arranged in a hierarchy of controller servers, a method for coordinating actions among the servers in the server group comprising the steps of:

communicating between a client and at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers;

transmitting a request for an action requiring participation by a plurality of servers from the client to one of the servers;

communicating among the servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of the plurality of servers in response to the request, in which said communicating among servers includes coordinating actions by a controller server among a plurality of servers in at least one hierarchical level below it.

15. In a client-server environment having a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, where each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server, a method for coordinating actions among the servers in the server group comprising the steps of:

communicating between a client and at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers;

transmitting a request for a first action by a client to a server that requires authentification;

providing client identification information by the client;

verifying the client identification information by one or more controller servers;

generating client authentication information by one or more controller servers;

maintaining client authentication information by one or more controller servers;

utilizing a means by one or more controller servers for preserving the client authentification information in the conversation;

transmitting a request for a second action by the client to one of the servers that requires authentication;

using the client authentication information preserved in the conversation and the client authentication information maintained by one or more servers to authenticate the client; and

receiving and executing a program by the client from at least one server, whereby the client performs at least some of the functions of the server group.

16. In a client-server environment having a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, where each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server, a method for coordinating actions among the servers in the server group comprising the steps of:

communicating between a client and at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers;

transmitting a request for an action requiring participation by a plurality of servers from the client to one of the servers;

communicating among the servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of the plurality of servers in response to the request; and

receiving and executing a program by the client from at least one server, whereby the client performs at least some of the functions of the server group.