Dynamic proxy server

• US 6,212,560 B1
• Filed: 05/08/1998
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Fairchild, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US09/075,298
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/220, 709/221, 709/224, 709/226, 709/227, 709/201, 709/203, 709/225
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0226 Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• 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 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A dynamic proxy server (DPS) including client logic that is capable of communicating with a plurality of other server modules via corresponding internal HTTP ports, proxy logic that is capable of communicating with the other server modules via the client logic, and server logic including a communication socket. The server logic attempts to bind its socket to a master TCP port, and if successful, operates to proxy communications between the other server modules and the master port via the proxy logic. If the attempt to bind the socket to the master port is unsuccessful, the server logic binds the socket to one of a plurality of internal ports. The DPS interfaces a functional processing component (FPC) to form a dynamic processing module (DPM). In a system including a plurality of DPMs, one DPM serves as master and the other DPMs serve as secondary DPMs. Each DPM is capable of operating as master and includes watchdog logic that periodically causes the server logic to attempt to bind to the master port. In this manner, if the master DPM drops out, a first one of the other DPMs bind to the master port and operates as the master DPM.

Claims

1. A dynamic proxy server, comprising:

client logic that is capable of communicating with at least one server module via an internal port;

proxy logic that is capable of communicating with the at least one server module via the client logic; and

server logic including a socket that attempts to bind the socket to a master port, wherein if the attempt to bind the socket to the master port is successful, the server logic operates to proxy communications between the at least one server module and the master port via the proxy logic, and if the attempt to bind the socket to the master port is unsuccessful, the server logic binds the socket to an internal port.

2. The dynamic proxy server of claim 1 for enabling communication between the socket and a functional processing component, further comprising:

dispatch logic that interfaces the server logic to enable communications between the server logic and the functional processing component.

3. The dynamic proxy server of claim 2, wherein the interface between the dispatch logic and the functional processing component comprises an internet server application programming interface.

4. The dynamic proxy server of claim 1 for communicating with a plurality of server modules that are bound to a corresponding plurality of internal ports when the socket is bound to the master port, further comprising:

the client logic capable of communicating with the plurality of server modules via the corresponding internal ports;

the proxy logic capable of communicating with the plurality of server modules via the client logic; and

the server logic operating to proxy communications between the plurality of server modules and the master port via the proxy logic.

5. The dynamic proxy server of claim 4, further comprising:

the proxy logic writing presence information into memory upon initialization, the memory including presence information about each of the plurality of server modules; and

the proxy logic reading the memory if the server logic binds the socket to the master port to identify the presence of each of the plurality of server modules.

6. The dynamic proxy server of claim 4, further comprising:

the proxy logic writing communication information into memory upon initialization, the memory including communication information about each of the plurality of server modules; and

the proxy logic reading the memory if the server logic binds the socket to the master port to enable proxy communications for the plurality of server modules.

7. The dynamic proxy server of claim 1, further comprising:

watchdog logic that causes the server logic to periodically attempt to bind the socket to the master port if the socket is bound to an internal port.

8. The dynamic proxy server of claim 1, wherein the server logic and the client logic each operate according to hypertext transfer protocol.

9. The dynamic proxy server of claim 1, wherein the master port and each of the internal ports comprise transmission control protocol ports.

10. A communication system, comprising:

a master port;

a plurality of internal ports; and

a plurality of dynamic proxy servers, each comprising;

client logic that is capable of communicating with any of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers that are bound to any of the plurality of internal ports;

proxy logic that is capable of communicating, via the client logic, with any of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers that are bound to any of the plurality of internal ports; and

server logic, interfacing the proxy logic and including a socket, that attempts to bind the socket to the master port, wherein if the attempt to bind the socket to the master port is successful, the server logic operates to proxy communications, via the proxy logic, between the master port and any of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers that are bound to any of the plurality of internal ports, and if the attempt to bind the socket to the master port is unsuccessful, the server logic binds the socket to one of the plurality of internal ports.

11. The communication system of claim 10, further comprising:

an operating system that controls access to the master port and that grants exclusive access to the master port to a first of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers.

12. The communication system of claim 10, further comprising:

a memory that stores a configuration file; and

each of the dynamic proxy servers, upon initialization, updating the configuration file to provide presence information.

13. The communication system of claim 12, further comprising:

one of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers binding its socket to the master port and reading the configuration file to determine the presence of every other one of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers.

14. The communication system of claim 12, further comprising:

each of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers, upon initialization, updating the configuration file to provide access information; and

one of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers binding its socket to the master port and reading the configuration file to enable proxy server communications for every other one of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers.

15. The communication system of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers further comprises:

watchdog logic that periodically causes the server logic to attempt to bind the socket to the master port.

16. The communication system of claim 10 including a plurality of functional processing components, wherein each of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers further comprises:

dispatch logic that interfaces the server logic to transfer communications between the server logic and a corresponding one of the plurality of functional processing components.

17. The communication system of claim 10, further comprising:

the server logic and the client logic of each of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers operating according to hypertext transfer protocol; and

the master port and each of the plurality of internal ports comprising transmission control protocol ports.

18. A method of providing proxy communications between a master port, a plurality of internal ports and a plurality of proxy servers, each proxy server including server logic, proxy logic and client logic, comprising:

each of the plurality of proxy servers attempting to bind its server logic to the master port;

if successful at binding to the master port, a master proxy server operating to proxy communications, via its proxy logic and its client logic, between the master port and any of the plurality of dynamic proxy servers that are bound to any of the plurality of internal ports; and

if not successful at binding to the master port, binding to one of the internal ports and communicating via that internal port.

19. The method of claim 18, further including a plurality of functional processing components and each of the plurality of proxy servers including dispatch logic, further comprising:

each of the plurality of proxy servers enabling communication between its server logic and a corresponding one of the plurality of functional processing components via its dispatch logic.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

each of the plurality of proxy servers periodically attempting to bind its server logic to the master port if bound to an internal port.