Enhanced scalable distributed network controller

• US 6,374,299 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2000
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• 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:
  US09/491,815
• Time in Patent Office: 811 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 substantially seamless access to these services by subscribers. The architecture is supported by several interrelated components. A framework mechanism provides conforming dynamically linked libraries specific to a given service. System operation is enhanced by a routing mechanism 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 mechanism for 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 messages;

(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 online services.

2. The computer system of claim 1 further including a processing mechanism equipped to execute a common program that provides an interface to any of a plurality of online services.

3. The computer system of claim 2 wherein the processing mechanism is further adapted to implement at least one of the routing mechanism, the framework mechanism, and the application program interfacing mechanism.

4. The computer system of claim 3 wherein the processing mechanism is equipped to provide interoperability with legacy programming and applications.

5. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of linked servers, wherein access to a given application service is provided by replicating the application service on any of the plurality of linked servers.

6. The computer system of claim 5 further comprising a mechanism for balancing load among the plurality of linked servers.

7. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the message-based protocol is further adapted to provide for development and/or expansion of software applications.

8. The computer system of claim 7 further comprising an access mechanism by which the software applications are accessible to remotely located subscribers over the Internet.

9. The computer system of claim 5 further including a fault tolerant mechanism by which multiple instances of the same application are provided across the plurality of linked servers.

10. The computer system of claim 9 further including a rerouting mechanism which, upon failure of an application at a linked server, reroutes traffic for that application to a functioning version of that same application.

11. The computer system of claim 10 wherein the rerouting mechanism is implemented by the processing mechanism and/or the routing mechanism.

12. The computer system of claim 5 further including a network controller for at least one of:

routing messages throughout the computer system, performing load balancing among the plurality of linked servers, and maintaining schedules and directories related to administration of the computer system.

13. The computer system of claim 1 further including a logging mechanism adapted to track subscriber application use and demand.

14. A method for use with a computer system having

i) an application program interfacing mechanism adapted to send and/or receive messages and message responses;

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

connection management, thread 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.

15. The method of claim 14 further including the step of the computer system executing a common program that provides an interface to any of a plurality of online services.

16. The method of claim 15 further including the step of providing interoperability with legacy programming and applications.

17. The method of claim 14 further including the step of providing access to a given application service by replicating the application service on any of a plurality of linked servers.

18. The method of claim 17 further including the step of balancing load among the plurality of linked servers.

19. The method of claim 14 further including the step of utilizing the message-based protocol to provide for development and/or expansion of software applications.

20. The method of claim 17 further including the step of providing application service access to any of a plurality of remotely located subscribers over the Internet.

21. The method of claim 17 further including the step of providing fault tolerant operation by which multiple instances of the same application are provided across the plurality of linked servers.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein, upon failure of an application at a linked server, the computer system performs the step of rerouting traffic for that application to a functioning version of that same application.

23. The method of claim 17 further including at least one of the steps of:

routing messages throughout the computer system, performing load balancing among the plurality of servers, and maintaining schedules and directories related to administration of the computer system.

24. The method of claim 14 further including the step of logging so as to track subscriber application use and demand.