Inter-enterprise messaging system using bridgehead servers

• US 6,604,133 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2002
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Beebee, Peter L., Aggarwal, Sudhanshu M., Calsyn, Martin R., Wong, Leon C.W., Surati, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Wen Tai
• Application Number:
  US10/189,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/204, 709/206, 709/207, 709/230, 709/238, 709/245, 709/249
• 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 network environment that includes a sending client residing at a first network that is administered by a first organization, and a recipient client residing at a second network that is separately administered by a second organization, and wherein each network has a hierarchical arrangement of components including a pool of one or more bridgehead servers for resolving the address of one or more messaging servers, each of the one or more messaging servers having one or more assigned clients, and wherein the hierarchical arrangement for either or both of the networks uses a firewall to protect its network, a method for facilitating at the second network instant messaging between the sending and recipient clients so that real-time electronic messaging can be conducted between them, the method comprising steps for:

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

identifying at the bridgehead server of the second network to which the instant message has been sent a messaging server associated with the recipient client;

notifying the sending client of an address of the messaging server for the recipient client, and

if there is no firewall at the second network, then using the address of the messaging server, transmitting any subsequent instant message from the sending client to the messaging server, and bypassing the bridgehead server, and

if there is a firewall at the second network, then using the address of the messaging server, transmitting any subsequent instant message from the sending client to the messaging server, bypassing both the firewall and the bridgehead server.

2. In a network environment that includes a sending client residing at a first network that is administered by a first organization, and a recipient client residing at a second network that is separately administered by a second organization, and wherein each network has a hierarchical arrangement of components including a pool of one or more bridgehead servers for resolving the address of one or more messaging servers, each of the one or more messaging servers having one or more assigned clients, and wherein the hierarchical arrangement for either or both of the networks uses a firewall to protect its network, a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium for carrying executable instructions for implementing a method for facilitating at the second network instant messaging between the sending and recipient clients so that real-time electronic messaging can be conducted between them, the method comprising steps for:

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

identifying at the bridgehead server of the second network to which the instant message has been sent a messaging server associated with the recipient client;

notifying the sending client of an address of the messaging server for the recipient; and

if there is no firewall at the second network, then using the address of the messaging server, transmitting any subsequent instant message from the sending client to the messaging server, and bypassing the bridgehead server, and

if there is a firewall at the second network, then using the address of the messaging server, transmitting any subsequent instant message from the sending client to the messaging server, bypassing both the firewall and the bridgehead server.