Methods and systems for processing HTTP requests

• US 6,629,127 B1
• Filed: 07/26/1999
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sanders, Henry L., Soderberg, Joel M., Deen, Brian J., Van, Van C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, David Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/360,776
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/201, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Various embodiments of the invention are directed to closely integrating functionality between an internet server and a WebDAV tool. Areas of specific focus in this document include delegation of duties between the internet server and the WebDAV tool, efficient management of a resource'"'"'s content-type, support for segregation of a namespace into separate virtual roots, and determinations of whether to invoke certain processing extensions to handle requests for a given HTTP verb.

Claims

1. An allocation method for allocating processing functions between a Web server and a Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) tool comprising:

receiving an HTTP request from a client, the request comprising an HTTP verb;

determining whether the HTTP verb in the request is one from a set of one or more predetermined HTTP verbs; and

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if the HTTP verb is not from the set of one or more HTTP verbs.

2. The allocation method of claim 1 further comprising:

passing the request to the web server if the HTTP verb is from the set of one or more HTTP verbs.

3. The allocation method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more predetermined HTTP verbs comprises at least one of the GET and HEAD verbs.

4. The allocation method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more predetermined HTTP verbs comprises the GET and HEAD verbs.

5. The allocation method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether there appears to be state associated with a request; and

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if there appears to be state associated with the request.

6. The allocation method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether a request is a request for data or a request for a source that generates the data; and

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if the request is a request for the source that generates the data.

7. The allocation method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether there appears to be state associated with a request, and passing the request to the WebDAV tool if there appears to be state associated with the request;

determining whether a request is a request for data or a request for a source that generates the data, and passing the request to the WebDAV tool if the request is a request for the source that generates the data; and

passing the request to the Web server if the following conditions are met;

(a) the HTTP verb is from the set of one or more HTTP verbs;

(b) there does not appear to be state associated with the request; and

(c) the request is not a request for a source that generates the data.

8. The allocation method of claim 1 comprising implementing the WebDAV tool as an ISAPI extension.

9. A computer-readable medium containing a program, the program comprising the steps recited in claim 1.

10. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer perform the following steps:

receiving a request from a client, the request comprising an HTTP verb;

determining whether the HTTP verb in the request is one from a set of one or more predetermined HTTP verbs, the set including the HTTP GET verb; and

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if the HTTP verb is not from the set of one or more HTTP verbs.

11. The computer medium of claim 10, wherein the set includes the HTTP HEAD verb.

12. The computer medium of claim 10 further comprising the step of:

determining whether there appears to be state associated with a request; and

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if there appears to be state associated with the request.

13. The computer medium of claim 10 further comprising the step of:

determining whether a request is a request for data or a request for a source that generates the data; and

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if the request is a request for the source that generates the data.

14. An allocation method for allocating processing functions between a Web server and a Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) tool comprising:

receiving a request from a client;

determining whether there appears to be any state associated with the request;

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if there appears to be state associated with the request, otherwise handling the request with the Web server.

15. The allocation method of claim 14, wherein said determining comprises ascertaining whether there is a state token that is passed in with the request.

16. The allocation method of claim 14, wherein said determining comprises examining a header that is associated with a request.

17. The allocation method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining whether a request is a request for data or a request for a source that generates the data; and

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if the request is a request for the source that generates the data.

18. The allocation method of claim 17, wherein the request comprises an HTTP verb, and further comprising:

determining whether the HTTP verb in the request is one from a set or one or more predetermined HTTP verbs; and

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if the HTTP verb is not from the set of one or more HTTP verbs.

19. The allocation method of claim 18, wherein the set of one or more predetermined HTTP verbs comprises the GET and HEAD verbs.

20. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer perform the following steps:

receiving a request from a client;

determining whether there appears to be any state associated with the request by examining a header that is associated with the request;

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if there appears to be state associated with the request, otherwise handling the request with the Web server.

21. An allocation method for allocating processing functions between a Web server and a Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) tool comprising:

receiving a request from a client;

determining whether the request is a request for data of a request for a source that generates the data; and

passing the request to the WebDAV tool if the request is a request for the source that generates the data.

22. The allocation method of claim 21 further comprising implementing the WebDAV tool as an ISAPI extension.