Inter-enterprise messaging system using bridgehead servers

• US 6,415,318 B1
• Filed: 04/05/1999
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wong, Leon C. W., Beebee, Peter L., Aggarwal, Sudhanshu M., Calsyn, Martin R., Surati, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US09/286,257
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/204, 709/206, 709/207, 709/219, 709/245, 709/238, 709/230, 709/249, 345/741, 713/201, 370/230
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Systems and methods for transmitting messages, such as real-time messages, from an entity outside a firewall to a recipient inside the firewall. The messages include the address of a bridgehead server exposed through the firewall and information identifying the recipient client. The network protected by the firewall can include one or more bridgehead servers, one or more messaging servers associated with each bridgehead server, and one or more clients assigned to each messaging server. When a bridgehead server receives a message, it resolves the address of the messaging server to which the recipient client is assigned. The message is forwarded to the messaging server and, in turn, to the recipient client. The sender of the message does not need to know the identity or address of the messaging server. Moreover, the sender, who may reside outside the firewall, does not need direct access to the messaging servers protected by the firewall in order to establish real-time communication with users inside the firewall. Thus, the messaging systems are compatible with conventional network security measures employed by many organizations. The messaging systems can be used by clients to monitor the online status of other clients or to receive notification of properties associated with other clients.

Claims

1. In a messaging system implemented in a network environment, a method for allowing an instant message from a sending client residing at a first network to be received by a recipient client residing at a second network, the second network including a firewall which prohibits instant messaging directed to either specific clients or specific messaging servers, the method comprising acts of:

providing a pool of one or more bridgehead servers at the second network to receive instant messages on behalf of the recipient client, wherein the firewall at the second network allows instant messaging that is directed to the pool of one or more bridgehead servers;

receiving an instant message from the first network at the pool of one or more bridgehead servers, the message including an address of the pool and information identifying the recipient client;

identifying, at the bridgehead server, a messaging server residing at the second network and being associated with the recipient client; and

transmitting the message from the bridgehead server to the messaging server for delivery to the recipient client.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising an act or generating lie message by the sending client.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the instant message comprises a notification of a property associated with the sending client.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the property relates to an online status of the sending client.

5. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the property relates to an event in the environment of the sending client.

6. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein generating the instant message by the sending client comprises an act of including, by the sending client, the address of the pool of one or more bridgehead servers and the information identifying the recipient client in the instant message.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein including the address of the pool of one or more bridgehead servers and the information identifying the recipient client in the instant message is conducted without the sending client knowing the identity of the messaging server associated with the recipient client.

8. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein a local messaging server at the first network is associated with the sending client and is capable of distributing messages to the sending client, the method further comprising an act of transmitting the instant message from the sending client to a local firewall at the first network, the message bypassing the local messaging server.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the messaging server comprises an act of comparing the information identifying the recipient client with directory information stored at the second network.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising an act of transmitting a response to the instant message from the recipient client to tie sending client.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the response bypasses both the messaging server associated with the recipient client and the bridgehead server at the second network during tie act of transmitting the response.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein receiving the instant message from the first network and transmitting the message from the bridgehead server are conducted such that the instant message is received by the recipient client from the sending client in real time.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising an act of conveying a notification to a user of the recipient client.

14. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the sending client is a machine, the act of receiving the instant message comprising an act of receiving an automated asynchronous message from the machine.

15. In a messaging system implemented in a network environment including a sending client residing at a first network and a recipient client residing at a second network protected by a firewall, wherein a messaging server at the second network distributes messages to the recipient client, and wherein the firewall prohibits real-time messaging directed to either specific clients or specific messaging servers, a method for receiving a real-time message at the recipient client without the sending client knowing the identity of the messaging server, comprising acts of:

exposing through the firewall, a pool of one or more bridgehead servers at the second network to receive real-time messages on behalf of the recipient client such that the firewall at the second network allows real-time messaging which is directed to the pool of one or more bridgehead servers;

receiving a real-time message from the sending client at a bridgehead server included in the pool of one or more bridgehead servers, the real-time message including information that identified the recipient client without including an address of the messaging server that is associated with the recipient client;

at the bridgehead server, resolving the address of the messaging server based at least in part on the information identifying the recipient client; and

sending the real-time message from the bridgehead server to the messaging server.

16. A method as defined in claim 15, further comprising an act of transmitting the real-time message from the messaging server to the recipient client.

17. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein the address of the messaging server associated with the recipient client is not published outside of the firewall.

18. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein resolving the address of the messaging server comprises an act of comparing the information identifying the recipient user with directory information stored at the second network.

19. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein the first network is protected by a first firewall and includes a first messaging server that distributes messages to the sending client, the method further comprising acts of:

generating, by the recipient client, a response to the real-time message, wherein the response includes an address of a first bridgehead server at the first network and information identifying the sending client, but does not include an address of the first messaging server;

transmitting the response from the recipient client to the first bridgehead server included in the first network;

transmitting the response from the first bridgehead server to the first messaging server at the first network; and

transmitting the response from the first messaging server to the sending client.

20. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising an act of resolving tie address of tie first messaging server at the first bridgehead server.

21. A method as defined in claim 15, further comprising an act of monitoring, by the messaging server, the online status of the sending client.

22. A method as defined in claim 21, wherein monitoring the online status of the sending client comprises acts of:

maintaining a subscriber list at a first messaging server associated with the sending client at the first network, the subscriber list including an entry indicating that the recipient client is subscribed to an online status property of the sending client;

when the online status property of the sending client changes, referring to the subscriber list and sending notification to the messaging server at the second network based on the entry; and

updating a contact list maintained for the recipient client at the second network in response to the notification.

23. A networked system for receiving an instant message sent from a sending client outside the networked system to a recipient client inside the networked system, comprising:

one or more clients;

one or more messaging servers, each having at least one of the one or more clients assigned thereto and being capable of distributing incoming instant messages to said at least one of the one or more clients;

a bridgehead server that receives instant messages on behalf of the one or more clients, the bridgehead server including means for resolving an address of the messaging server to which a particular client is assigned when the bridgehead server receives a message to be transmitted to the particular client; and

a firewall that prevents instant messaging directed to either the one or more clients or the one or more messaging servers, but supports instant messaging directed to the bridgehead server.

24. A networked system as defined in claim 23, wherein the means for resolving the address comprises:

a unique address for each of the one or more messaging servers; and

information specifying to which of the one or more messaging servers each of the one or more clients is assigned.

25. A networked system as defined in claim 23, further comprising a plurality of bridgehead servers.

26. A networked system as defined in claim 25, wherein each bridgehead server of the plurality of bridgehead servers is capable of transmitting messages to each of the one or more messaging servers.

27. A networked system as defined in claim 25, wherein a first bridgehead server of the plurality of bridgehead servers is capable of transmitting messages only to a first pool of messaging servers selected from the one or more messaging servers and a second bridgehead server of the plurality of bridgehead servers is capable of transmitting messages only to a second pool of messaging servers that is different from the first pool of messaging servers.

28. For a messaging system implemented in a network environment, a computer program product carrying computer executable instructions that implement a method of allowing an instant message from a sending client residing at a first network to be received by a recipient client residing at a second network, wherein the second network includes a firewall which prohibits instant messaging directed to either specific clients or specific messaging servers, the method comprising acts of:

providing a pool of one or more bridgehead servers at the second network to receive instant messages oil behalf of the recipient client, wherein the firewall at the second network allows instant messaging that is directed to the pool of one or more bridgehead servers;

receiving an instant message from the first network at the pool of one or more bridgehead servers, the message including an address of tie pool and information identifying the recipient client;

identifying, at the bridgehead server, a messaging server residing at the second network and being associated with the recipient client; and

transmitting the message from the bridgehead server to the messaging server for delivery to the recipient client.

29. A computer program product as defined in claim 28, wherein the instant message comprises a notification of a property associated with the sending client.

30. A computer program product as defined in claim 29, wherein the property relates to at least one of (i) an online status of the sending client, and (ii) an even in the environment of the sending client.

31. A computer program product as defined in claim 28, wherein identifying the messaging server comprises an act of comparing the information identifying the recipient client with directory information stored at the second network.

32. A computer program product as defined in claim 28, the method further comprising all act of transmitting a response to the instant message from the recipient client to the sending client.

33. A computer program product as defined in claim 32, wherein the response bypasses both the messaging server associated with the recipient client and the bridgehead server at the second network during the act of transmitting the response.

34. A method as defined in claim 32, the method further comprising an act of conveying a notification to a user of the recipient client.

35. A method as defined in claim 32, wherein the sending client is a machine, and wherein the act of receiving the instant message comprises an act of receiving an automated asynchronous message from the machine.

36. For a messaging system implemented in a network environment including a sending client residing at a first network and a recipient client residing at a second network protected by a firewall, wherein a messaging server at the second network distributes messages to the recipient client and wherein the firewall prohibits real-time messaging directed to either specific clients or specific messaging servers, a computer program product carrying computer executable instructions that implement a method for receiving a real-time message at the recipient client without the sending client knowing die identity of the messaging server, the method comprising acts of:

exposing through the firewall, a pool of one or more bridgehead servers at the second network to receive real-time messages on behalf of the recipient client such that the firewall at the second network allows real-time messaging which is directed to the pool of one or more bridgehead servers;

receiving a real-time message from the sending client at a bridgehead server included in the pool of one or more bridgehead servers, the real-time message including information that identifies the recipient client without including an address of the messaging server that is associated with the recipient client;

at the bridgehead server, resolving the address of the messaging server based at least in part on the information identifying the recipient client; and

sending the real-time message from the bridgehead server to the messaging server.

37. A computer program product as defined in claim 36, wherein the address of the messaging server associated with the recipient client is not published outside of the firewall.

38. A computer program product as defined in claim 36, wherein resolving the address of the messaging server comprises an act of comparing the information identifying the recipient user with directory information stored at the second network.

39. A computer program product as defined in claim 36, the method further comprising an act of monitoring, by the massaging server, the online status of the sending client.

40. In a messaging system implemented in a network environment, a method for transmitting a message from a sending client residing at a first network to a recipient client residing at a second network, wherein a local messaging server at the first network is associated with the sending client and is capable of distributing messages to the sending client, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a message by the sending client comprising the step of including, by the sending client, an address of a pool of one or more bridgehead servers and information identifying the recipient client in the message;

transmitting the message from the sending client to a local firewall at the first network, the message bypassing the local messaging server;

transmitting the message from the first network to a bridgehead server included in the pool of one or more bridgehead servers at the second network;

identifying, at the bridgehead server, a messaging server residing at the second network and being associated with the recipient client;

transmitting the message from the bridgehead server to the messaging server; and

transmitting the message from the messaging server to the recipient client.

41. In a messaging system implemented in a network environment, a method for transmitting a message from a sending client residing at a first network to a recipient client residing at a second network, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a message from the first network to a bridgehead server included in a pool of one or more bridgehead servers at the second network, the message including an address of the pool and information identifying the recipient client;

identifying, at the bridgehead server, a messaging server residing at the second network and being associated with the recipient client;

transmitting the message from the bridgehead server to the messaging server;

transmitting the message from the messaging server to the recipient client; and

transmitting a response to the message from the recipient client to the sending client, wherein the response bypasses both the messaging server associated with the recipient client and the bridgehead server at the second network during the step of transmitting the response.