Dynamic selective distribution of events to server receivers

• US 6,347,330 B1
• Filed: 09/04/1998
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Twitter Inc (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dawson, Colin Scott, Kaczmarski, Michael Allen, Warren, Donald Paul Jr., Vining, Robert Guy, Vining, Bonnie Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thompson, Marc D.
• Application Number:
  US09/146,960
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 395/773, 395/600, 364/579, 702/188, 702/183, 709/224, 709/201, 709/203, 709/223, 709/225, 709/227, 709/219, 709/229, 707/3, 707/103, 705/26, 370/216, 370/458, 370/351
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

Disclosed is a server having a plurality of clients coupled to the server at client nodes, and coupled to a plurality of receivers. Events, which may range from a successful completion message to a major error alert, may be generated relating to the server or to the client nodes. A method is disclosed for dynamically selectively distributing the events to particular ones of the receivers, in response to a selective enabling/disabling of the events to each receiver. The method with respect to client nodes comprises: upon opening a session of a client node, the selectively enabled events/receivers relating to the client node are determined. Upon the selective enabling/disabling occurring during the session of the client node, the determined selectively enabled events/receivers relating to the client node are dynamically updated. Then, upon occurrence of an event relating to a client node, the event is distributed to ones of the receivers having been selectively enabled for the event in the determining and the dynamically updating steps. Additionally, classes of events or wild card groups of client nodes may be enabled.

Claims

1. In a server having a plurality of clients coupled to said server at client nodes, said server coupled to a plurality of receivers, wherein event messages may be generated relating to said client nodes, a method for dynamically selectively distributing said client node event messages to particular ones of said receivers, in response to a selective enabling/disabling of client events to each said receiver, comprising the steps of:

upon opening a session of a client node, determining said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node;

dynamically updating said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node upon said selective enabling/disabling occurring during said session of said client node; and

upon occurrence of an event message relating to a client node, distributing said event message to ones of said receivers having been selectively enabled for said event in said determining and said dynamically updating steps.

2. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of storing vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, wherein said determining step additionally comprises reading said stored vectors for said client node for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers, and wherein said dynamically updating step additionally updates said stored vectors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of storing vectors additionally comprises storing class vectors for selectively enabling classes of said events to ones of said receivers, and wherein said determining step additionally comprises reading said stored class vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step comprises establishing client event vectors identifying said enabled/disabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client nodes, and wherein said distributing step comprises building a receiver list bit vector from said client event vectors for each said receiver list bit occurrence, said receiver list bit vector identifying said enabled receivers, and distributing said event message to ones of said receivers identified as enabled for said event by said receiver list bit vector.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step additionally comprises establishing a client event vector of said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node;

wherein said dynamically updating step additionally comprises updating said client event vector; and

wherein said distributing step additionally includes referencing said client event vector for said client node, and distributing said event message to ones of said receivers indicated in said client event vector as having been selectively enabled for said event.

6. The method of claim 5, additionally comprising the step of:

storing vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, and, wherein said determining step of establishing said client event vector additionally comprises reading said stored vectors for said client node for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said dynamically updating step additionally comprises determining whether said session of said client node is open and if so, updating said client event vector.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of storing vectors additionally comprises storing class vectors for selectively enabling classes of said events to ones of said receivers, and wherein said determining step of establishing said client event vector additionally comprises reading said stored class vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said distributing step additionally comprises building a receiver list bit vector from said client event vectors for each said event occurrence, said receiver list bit vector identifying said enabled receivers, and distributing said receiver list bit to ones of said receivers identified as enabled for said event, by said receiver list bit vector.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising the additional step of collectively enabling/disabling events for groups of said client nodes identified by wild cards to ones of said receivers, and wherein said determining and said updating steps additionally enable/disable said client one to many events mapped to one to many receivers for said connected client nodes in said groups of clients.

11. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for dynamically selectively distributing client node event messages to particular ones of receivers, in response to a selective enabling/disabling of client events to each said receiver, comprising:

computer readable program code which causes a computer processor to, upon opening a session of a client node, determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node;

computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to dynamically update said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node upon said selective enabling/disabling occurring during said session of said client node; and

computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to, upon occurrence of an event message relating to a client node, distribute said event message to ones of said receivers having been selectively enabled for said event by said determining and said dynamically updating computer readable program code.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, additionally comprising computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to store vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to read said stored vectors for said client node for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers, and wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to dynamically update said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to dynamically update said stored vectors.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to store vectors additionally causes said computer processor to store class vectors for selectively enabling classes of said events to ones of said receivers, and wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to read said stored class vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, causes said computer processor to establish client event vectors identifying said enabled/disabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client nodes, and wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to distribute said event message causes said computer processor to build a receiver list bit vector from said client event vectors for each said event message occurrence, said receiver list bit vector identifying said enabled receivers, and to distribute said event message to ones of said receivers identified as enabled for said event by said receiver list bit vector.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to establish a client event vector of said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node;

wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to dynamically update said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally uses said computer processor to update said client event vector; and

wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to distribute said event message additionally causes said computer processor to reference said client event vector for said client node, and to distribute said event message to ones of said receivers indicated in said client event vector as having been selectively enabled for said event.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, additionally comprising computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to store vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said one to many events mapped to one to many receivers in a database, and, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to establish said client event vector, additionally causes said computer processor to read said stored vectors for said client node for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to dynamically update said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to determine whether said session of said client node is open and, if so, to dynamically update said client event vector.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to store vectors additionally causes said computer processor to store class vectors for selectively enabling classes of said events to ones of said receivers, and wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, establishing said client event vector, additionally causes said computer processor to read said stored class vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to distribute said event message additionally causes said computer processor to build a receiver list bit vector from said client event vectors for each said receiver list bit occurrence, said receiver list bit vector identifying said enabled receivers, and to distribute said event message to ones of said receivers identified as enabled for said event by said receiver list bit vector.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 11, comprising additional computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to collectively enable/disable events for groups of said client nodes identified by wild cards for ones of said receivers, and wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, and to dynamically update said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to additionally enable/disable said client one to many events mapped to one to many receivers for said connected client nodes in said groups of clients.

21. A computer program product usable with a programmable computer having computer readable program code embodied therein for dynamically selectively distributing client node event messages to particular ones of receivers, in response to a selective enabling/disabling of client events to each said receiver, comprising:

computer readable program code which causes a computer processor to, upon opening a session of a client node, determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node;

computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to dynamically update said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node upon said selective enabling/disabling occurring during said session of said client node; and

computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to, upon occurrence of an event message relating to a client node, distribute said event message to ones of said receivers having been selectively enabled for said event by said determining and said dynamically updating computer readable program code.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, additionally comprising computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to store vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to read said stored vectors for said client node for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers, and wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to dynamically update said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to dynamically update said stored vectors.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to store vectors additionally causes said computer processor to store class vectors for selectively enabling classes of said events to ones of said receivers, and wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to read said stored class vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, causes said computer processor to establish client event vectors identifying said enabled/disabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client nodes, and wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to distribute said event message causes said computer processor to build a receiver list bit vector from said client event vectors for each said event message occurrence, said receiver list bit vector identifying said enabled receivers, and to distribute said event message to ones of said receivers identified as enabled for said event by said receiver list bit vector.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to establish a client event vector of said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node;

wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to dynamically update said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to update said client event vector; and

wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to distribute said event message additionally causes said computer processor to reference said client event vector for said client node, and to distribute said event message to ones of said receivers indicated in said client event vector as having been selectively enabled for said event.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, additionally comprising computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to store vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said one to many events mapped to one to many receivers in a database, and, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to establish said client event vector, additionally causes said computer processor to read said stored vectors for said client node for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to dynamically update said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to determine whether said session of said client node is open and, if so, to dynamically update said client event vector.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to store vectors additionally causes said computer processor to store class vectors for selectively enabling classes of said events to ones of said receivers, and wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, establishing said client event vector, additionally causes said computer processor to read said stored class vectors for selectively enabling/disabling said events for said receivers.

29. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to distribute said event message additionally causes said computer processor to build a receiver list bit vector from said client event vectors for each said receiver list bit occurrence, said receiver list bit vector identifying said enabled receivers, and to distribute said event message to ones of said receivers identified as enabled for said event by said receiver list bit vector.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, comprising additional computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to collectively enable/disable events for groups of said client nodes identified by wild cards for ones of said receivers, and wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to determine said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, and to dynamically update said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers, additionally causes said computer processor to additionally enable/disable said client one to many events mapped to one to many receivers for said connected client nodes in said groups of clients.

31. A server having a plurality of clients coupled to said server at client nodes, said server coupled to a plurality of receivers, wherein event messages may be generated relating to said client nodes, said server coupled to an input for receiving commands selectively enabling/disabling client events to each said receiver, comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of vectors for selective enabling/disabling of said client events to each said receiver;

a session processor coupled to said client nodes and to said memory, for detecting opening a session of a client node, and determining from said vectors said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node;

an administrative updating processor coupled to said memory, and coupled to said input and responsive to said receipt of said selective enabling/disabling commands thereat, for dynamically updating said vectors and for dynamically updating any said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said connected client nodes; and

a logging processor responsive to an occurrence of an event message relating to a client node, said processor coupled to said session processor and said administrative updating processor, for distributing said event message to ones of said receivers having been selectively enabled for said event by said session processor or said administrative updating processor.

32. The server of claim 31, additionally comprising a client event vector of said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client node;

wherein said session processor enters said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers for said client node in said client event vector;

wherein said administrative updating processor updates said client event vector; and

wherein said logging processor references said client event vector for said client node, and distributes said event message to ones of said receivers indicated in said client event vector as having been selectively enabled for said event.

33. The server of claim 31, wherein said input commands and said vectors stored in said memory additionally comprise class vectors for selectively enabling classes of said events to ones of said receivers, wherein said session processor additionally reads said stored class vectors for determining said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers for said client node, and wherein said administrative updating processor dynamically updates, in response to said input commands, said class vectors and any said determined selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers for said connected client nodes.

34. The server of claim 31, additionally comprising client event vectors for said client nodes, and wherein said session processor establishes said client event vectors identifying said enabled/disabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers relating to said client nodes, and wherein said logging processor builds a receiver list bit vector from said client event vectors for each said event occurrence, said receiver list bit vector identifying said enabled receivers, and said logging processor distributes said event to ones of said receivers identified as enabled for said event by said receiver list bit vector.

35. The server of claim 31, wherein said input commands and said vectors stored in said memory additionally comprise wild cards which collectively enable/disable events for groups of said client nodes for ones of said receivers, and wherein said session processor additionally reads said wild cards for determining said selectively enabled one to many events mapped to one to many receivers for said client node, and wherein said administrative updating processor dynamically updates said input wild cards to said memory and updates any said determined selectively enabled events/receivers for said connected client nodes in said groups of client nodes.

36. In a server having a plurality of clients coupled to said server at client nodes, said server coupled to a plurality of receivers, wherein event messages may be generated relating to said server, a method for dynamically selectively distributing said server event messages to particular ones of said receivers, in response to commands selectively enabling/disabling events to each said receiver, comprising the steps of:

storing class vectors for selectively enabling classes of said events to ones of said receivers;

dynamically updating said stored vectors for said server upon receipt of a said selective enabling/disabling command;

upon occurrence of an event message of said server, determining from said stored vectors, said selectively enabled receivers, for said event; and

distributing said event message to ones of said receivers having been selectively enabled for said event in said dynamically updating and said determining steps.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein at least one of said vectors comprises a class vector for selectively enabling classes of said events to ones of said receivers.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein said dynamically updating step comprises dynamically updating said stored vectors for said server in response to a wild card which collectively enables groups of said receivers for ones of said server events.

39. A server having a plurality of clients coupled to said server at client nodes, said server coupled to a plurality of receivers, wherein event messages may be generated relating to said server, said server coupled to an input for receiving commands selectively enabling/disabling events to each said receiver, comprising:

a memory for storing vectors for selective enabling/disabling of said events to each said receiver;

an administrative updating processor coupled to said memory, and coupled to said input and responsive to said receipt of said selective enabling/disabling commands thereat, for dynamically updating said vectors; and

a logging processor responsive to an occurrence of an event message, said processor coupled to said memory, for distributing said event message to ones of said receivers having been selectively enabled for said event by said administrative updating processor.

40. The server of claim 39, wherein at least one of said vectors comprises a class vector for selectively enabling classes of said events to ones of said receivers.

41. The server of claim 39, wherein said administrative updating processor additionally is responsive to a wild card command at said input for updating said vectors, said wild card command collectively enabling groups of said receivers for ones of said server events.