Method and apparatus for automatically determining topology information for a computer within a message queuing network

• US 6,678,726 B1
• Filed: 04/02/1998
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Moshaiov, Lior
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomson, William D.
• Application Number:
  US09/054,169
• Time in Patent Office: 2,112 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/218, 709/219, 709/221, 709/222, 709/220, 709/223-224, 709/230, 709/245, 709/206-207, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method and system is provided for a message queuing computer to automatically determine system topology information regarding its location in a message queuing system. Such topology information includes a message queuing address that may include a message queuing site and a message queuing connected network on which the message queuing computer currently resides. Upon initialization of its message queuing software, the message queuing computer determines if there have been changes in its transport network indicating that it has moved to a new location in the message queuing system. If so, the message queuing computer broadcasts a request for potentially existing message queuing servers around it to provide the topology information concerning its current location. If no reply to the broadcast request is received, the computer sends a datagram to a server at a known network address for the topology information.

Claims

1. In a message queuing system, a method for a message queuing computer to automatically determine a message queuing address thereof, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a change in network configuration indicative of a move to a new location in the message queuing system;

broadcasting a request for topology information concerning said new location in the message queuing system;

determining whether a reply to the broadcast request is received;

if a reply to the broadcast request is received, extracting from the reply said topology information including a message queuing address for the message queuing computer;

if a reply to the broadcast request is not received within a pre-selected period after broadcasting the request, retrieving an identification of a pre-selected server of the message queuing system and sending a datagram to the pre-selected server requesting topology information concerning said new location of the message queuing computer;

determining whether a response to the datagram is received; and

if a response to the datagram is received, obtaining from said response the topology information including a message queuing address for the message queuing computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message queuing address includes an identification of a message queuing site on which the message queuing computer currently resides.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message queuing address includes an identification of a connected network on which the message queuing computer currently resides.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reply to the broadcast request includes a list of servers of the message queuing system, and the step of extracting includes extracting the list of servers of the message queuing system from said reply.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said servers of the message queuing system are message queuing directory service servers.

6. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for a message queuing computer in a message queuing system to perform the steps of:

identifying a change in network configuration of the message queuing computer indicative of a move of the message queuing computer to a new location in the message queuing system;

broadcasting a request for topology information concerning said new location in the message queuing system;

determining whether a reply to the broadcast request is received;

if a reply to the broadcast request is received, extracting from the reply said topology information including a message queuing address for the message queuing computer;

if a reply to the broadcast request is not received within a pre-selected period after broadcasting the request, retrieving an identification of a pre-selected server of the message queuing system and sending a datagram to the pre-selected server requesting topology information concerning said new location of the message queuing computer;

determining whether a response to the datagram is received; and

if a response to the datagram is received, obtaining from said response the topology information including a message queuing address for the message queuing computer.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the message queuing address includes an identification of a message queuing site on which the message queuing computer currently resides.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the message queuing address includes an identification of a message queuing connected network on which the message queuing computer currently resides.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the reply to the broadcast request includes a list of servers of the message queuing system, and the step of extracting includes extracting the list of servers of the message queuing system from said reply.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said servers of the message queuing system are message queuing directory service servers.