System and method for managing connections between a client and a server

• US 6,877,036 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Akamba Corp.
• Original Assignee: Akamba Corp.
• Inventors: Smith, Jack J., Weatherford, William T., MacDonell, Eoin B., Burright, Richard T., Worley, W. Spencer III, Vastano, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Application Number:
  US09/405,608
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: 710/27, 710/310, 709/227, 709/228, 709/203, 709/217, 709/202
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/663 Transport layer addresses, e.g. aspects of transmission control protocol [TCP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1078 Resource delivery mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An adapter card for managing connections between clients and a network server off-loads the connection management burden from the server. The adapter card includes a memory with an embedded proxy application and a communication protocol stack, a processing unit for executing the application code, a network controller for interfacing with an internetwork, and a bus protocol bridge for interfacing with the internal bus of the network server. The proxy application receives client requests on behalf of the server over relatively slow and unreliable network connections, and submits the requests to the server over fast, reliable bus connections.

Claims

1. In an interface device operatively coupled to an internal bus of an origin sender, a method for managing connections between at least one client and said origin server, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a network connection with one of said clients via a network;

receiving a communication from said client via said network connection;

accumulating one or more separate transmissions from said client in a buffer;

establishing a bus connection with said origin server via an internal bus of said origin server after a complete client request is accumulated in said buffer;

forwarding said client communication to said origin server via said bus connection;

receiving a response to said client communication from said server via said bus connection; and

forwarding said response to said client via said network connection.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of receiving said response from said server includes storing said response in a buffer.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein mid step of receiving said response from said server includes terminating said bus connection after said response is received.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said client communication includes an HTTP request.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said response from said server includes an HTML page.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of establishing a network connection with a client includes establishing a separate network connection with each of a plurality of clients via said network.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said step of establishing said bus connection with said server includes establishing a plurality of connections with said server via said internal bus of said server.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the maximum number of simultaneous client connections exceeds the maximum number of simultaneous server connections.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising performing a security operation on said client communication prior to forwarding said client communication to said server.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of receiving said client communication includes discerning an application identifier from said client communication; and

said step of forwarding said client communication to said server includes invoking one of a plurality of proxy applications based on said application identifier.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said application identifier is the connection port number.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of receiving said client communication includes receiving at least a portion of an HTTP request.

13. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 1.

14. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 2.

15. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 3.

16. A computer readable medium having code-embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 4.

17. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 5.

18. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 6.

19. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 7.

20. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 7.

21. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 9.

22. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 10.

23. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 11.

24. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 12.

34. An adapter card according to claim 3, wherein said application identifier is the connection port number.

25. An adapter card for operatively coupling to an internal bus of an origin server for managing origin server communication with a network, said adapter card comprising:

a network controller for communicating with clients on said network;

a memory-device for storing data and code, said code including a reverse proxy application;

a processing unit coupled to said memory device for executing said code; and

a protocol adapter coupled to said processing unit, and adapted to couple to said internal bus of said origin server, for communicating with said origin server; and

wherein

said reverse proxy application is operative to establish a network connection with a client on said network, to receive a communication from said client via said network connection to store said communication in said memory device by accumulating one or more separate transmissions from said client in said memory device, establishing a bus connection with said server after a complete client request is accumulated in said memory device, receiving a response to said client communication from said server via said bus connection, and forwarding said response to said client via said network connection.

26. An adapter card according to claim 25, wherein said code further comprises a communication protocol stack.

27. An adapter according to claim 26, wherein said communication protocol stack comprises a standard TCP/IP protocol stack.

28. An adapter card according to claim 25, wherein said proxy application includes a security proxy.

29. An adapter card according to claim 25, wherein said proxy application includes a pass-through proxy.

30. An adapter card according to claim 25, wherein said proxy application includes an HTTP proxy.

31. An adapter card according to claim 25, wherein said proxy application includes a master process module responsive to a connection request received from one of said clients, and operative to establish a connection with said client and to initiate a new client process module to maintain said established connection.

32. An adapter card according to claim 31, wherein said master process module is further operative to notify said proxy application of said established connection.

33. An adapter card for operatively coupling to an internal bus of an origin server for managing origin server communication with a network, said adapter card comprising:

a network controller for communicating with clients on said network;

a memory device for storing data and code, said code including a reverse proxy application and a master process module;

a processing unit coupled to said memory device for executing said code; and

a protocol adapter coupled to said processing unit, and adapted to couple to said internal bus of said origin server, for communicating with said origin server; and

wherein

said master process module is operative to discern an application identifier from a communication received from one of said clients and to invoke one of a plurality of proxy applications based on said application identifier.

35. In an interface device operatively coupled to an internal bus of an origin server, a method for managing connections between at least one client and said origin server, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a network connection with one of said clients via a network;

receiving a communication from said client via said network connection;

establishing a bus connection with said origin server via an internal bus of said origin server; and

forwarding said client communication to said origin server via said bus connection; and

wherein

said step of receiving said client communication includes discerning an application identifier from said client communication; and

said step of forwarding said client communication to said server includes invoking one of a plurality of proxy applications based on said application identifier.

36. A method according to claim 35, wherein said application identifier is the connection port number.

37. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 36.

38. A computer readable medium having code embodied therein for causing an electronic device to perform the steps of claim 35.