Identification of transactional boundaries

• US 6,775,708 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2000
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dadiomov, Alexander, Haba, Erez, Renous, Raphael
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Application Number:
  US09/499,832
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231-237, 709/230, 709/202, 709/203, 370/474
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/06 Notations for structuring of protocol data, e.g. abstract syntax notation one [ASN.1]

Abstract

The identification of transactional boundaries among the messages sent and received within a transactional message system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes a first computer and a second computer. The first computer is designed to set transactional boundaries among messages. The second computer is designed to determine the transactional boundaries thereamong—specifically such that it can determine whether at least a proper first and last message of a particular transaction has been received. In one embodiment, transactional boundaries are set among messages by tagging the first message of a transaction with a first-message identifier, and the last message with a last-message identifier. All the messages of the transaction can also be tagged with an identifier particular to the transaction.

Claims

1. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor of a sender within a message transaction system within a network to perform a method comprising:

tagging a first message of a transaction with a first-message identifier and a transaction-counter identifier;

tagging a last message of the transaction with a last-message identifier and the transaction-counter identifier;

tagging any other message of the transaction with the transaction-counter identifier;

transmitting the first message of the last message, and the any other message of the transaction; and

,

wherein the any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.

2. The medium of claim 1, the method further comprising:

changing the transaction-counter identifier;

tagging a first message of a second transaction with the first-message identifier and the transaction-counter identifier as changed;

tagging a last message of the second transaction with the last-message identifier and the transaction-counter identifier as changed;

tagging any other message of the second transaction with the transaction-counter identifier as changed; and

,

transmitting the first message, the last message, and the any other message of the second transaction.

3. The medium of claim 2, wherein the transaction-counter identifier comprises an ordered counter of bits, and changing the transaction-counter identifier comprises incrementing the ordered counter of bits.

4. The medium of claim 1, wherein the first-message identifier comprises a bit set to one when tagged and otherwise set to zero.

5. The medium of claim 1, wherein the last-message identifier comprises a bit set to one when tagged and otherwise set to zero.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein the transaction-counter identifier comprises an ordered counter of bits.

7. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor of a sender within a message transaction system within a network to perform a method comprising:

tagging a first message of a transaction with a first-message identifier;

tagging a last message of the transaction with a last-message identifier;

transmitting the first message, the last message, an any other message of the transaction; and

,

wherein the any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.

8. The medium of claim 7, wherein the first-message identifier comprises a bit set to one when tagged and otherwise set to zero.

9. The medium of claim 7, wherein the last-message identifier comprises a bit set to one when tagged and otherwise set to zero.

10. The medium of claim 7, the method further comprising, prior to transmitting, tagging the first message, the last message, and the any other message of the transaction with a transaction-counter identifier.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the transaction-counter identifier comprises an ordered-counter of bits.

12. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor of a receiver within a message transaction system within a network to perform a method comprising;

receiving a first message;

determining whether the first message is tagged with a first-message identifier;

upon determining that the first message is tagged with the first-message identifier,

repeating receiving an additional message until the additional message received is tagged with one of the first-message identifier and a last-message identifier;

upon determining that the additional message is tagged with the last-message identifier, concluding at least that a transaction having a proper first and last message has been received;

otherwise concluding that an error has occurred;

otherwise concluding that an error has occurred; and

,

wherein any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.

13. The medium of claim 12, wherein repeating receiving an additional message until the additional message received is tagged with one of the first-message identifier and a last-message identifier comprises repeating receiving the additional message until the additional message received is tagged with one of the first-message identifier, the last-message identifier and a transaction-counter identifier unequal to a transaction-counter identifier with which the first message is tagged.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein upon determining that the additional message is tagged with the last-message identifier;

concluding at least that a transaction having a proper first and last message has been received comprises upon determining that the additional message is tagged with the last-message identifier and with a transaction-counter identifier equal to a transaction-counter identifier with which the first message is tagged, concluding at least that a transaction having a proper first and last message has been received only upon so determining.

15. The medium of claim 12, wherein the first-message identifier comprises a bit set to one when tagged and otherwise set to zero.

16. The medium of claim 12, wherein the last-message identifier comprises a bit set to one when tagged and otherwise set to zero.

17. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor of a receiver within a message transaction system within a network to perform a method comprising;

receiving a first message;

determining whether the first message is tagged with a first-message identifier;

upon determining that the first message is tagged with the first-message identifier,

repeating receiving an additional message until the additional message received is tagged with one of the first message identifier, a last-message identifier, and an transaction-counter identifier unequal to a transaction-counter identifier with which the first message is tagged;

upon determining that the additional message is tagged with the last-message identifier and with a transaction-counter identifier equal to a transaction-counter identifier with which the first message is tagged, concluding at least that a transaction having a proper first and last message has been received;

otherwise concluding that an error has occurred;

otherwise concluding that an error has occurred; and

,

wherein any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the transaction-counter identifier comprises an ordered counter of bits.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the first-message identifier comprises a bit set to one when tagged and otherwise set to zero.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein the last-message identifier comprises a bit set to one when tagged and otherwise set to zero.

21. A computer-implemented method for performance within an transaction message system within a network comprising;

at a sender, for a transaction comprising an ordered plurality of messages, tagging a first message of the transaction with a first-message identifier and tagged a last message of the transaction with a last-message identifier;

transmitting the messages of the transaction from the sender to a receiver;

at the receiver, determining whether the tagged first message of the transaction and the tagged last message of the transaction have been received, and upon so determining, concluding at least that a transaction having a proper first and last message has been received; and

,

wherein any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.

22. The method of claim 21, further initially comprising, at the sender, tagging each message of the transaction as part of the transaction.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising, at the received, determining whether each message received after the first message of the transaction is tagged as part of the transaction, until the tagged last message of the transaction has been received, and concluding at least that a transaction having a proper first and last message has been received only upon so determining.

24. A sender computer of a message transaction system within a network comprising:

a communication device;

a computer program designed to set transactional boundaries among messages, such that a receiver computer is able to determine whether at least a proper first and last message of a transaction have been received, and to transmit the messages via the communications device; and

,

wherein any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.

25. The sender computer of claim 24, further comprising a processor and a computer-readable medium, such that the computer program is executed by the processor from the computer-readable medium.

26. A sender computer of a message transaction system within a network comprising:

a communication devices;

means for setting transactional boundaries among messages, such that a receiver computer is able to determine whether at least a proper first and last message of a transaction have been received, and for transmitting, the message via the communications device; and

,

wherein any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.

27. A receiver computer of a message transaction system within a network comprising:

a communications device;

a computer program designed to receive messages via the communications device, and to determine transactional boundaries among the messages, such that the program is able to determine whether at least a proper first and last message of a transaction have been received; and

,

wherein any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.

28. The received computer of claim 27, further comprising a processor and a computer-readable medium, such that the computer program is executed by the processor from the computer-readable medium.

29. A receiver

computer of a message transaction system within a network comprising:

a communications device;

means for receiving messages via the communications device, and for determining transactional boundaries among the messages, such that the means is able to determine whether at least a proper first and last message of a transaction have been received; and

,

wherein any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.

30. A computerized message transaction system within a network comprising:

a first computer designed to at least set transactional boundaries among messages, and to transmit the messages;

a second computer designed to at least receive the messages, and to determine the transactional boundaries among the messages, such that the second computer is able to determine whether at least a proper first and last message of a particular transaction have been received; and

,

wherein any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.

31. A computerized message transaction system within a network comprising:

means for setting transactional boundaries among messages and transmitting the message;

means for receiving the messages, and for determining the transactional boundaries among the messages, such that the means is able to determine whether at least a proper first and last message of a particular transaction have been received; and

,

wherein any other message of the transaction is not sequentially tagged.