Methods, systems, and data structures to connect services

• US 7,093,018 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2002
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Nuttall, David L., Barfuss, Lex B., Whitehouse, Steven T., Tse, Ralph, Clayton, Scott M., Sievers, A. Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US10/093,142
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/217, 709/218, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

Methods, systems, and data structures are provided to connect services. A local service attempts to connect with a remote service by first using an internal address for the remote service, where the internal address is used to establish a local connection between the local service and the remote service. If the internal address does not establish a connection, then an external address for the remote services is used. The external address is used to establish an external connection between the local service and the remote service. In one embodiment, a volatile memory associated with the local service is scanned initially to detect an internal or external address, which was last successfully used by the local service in establishing a connection with the remote service. In another embodiment, the internal address and the external address are updated by the remote service one the local service is connected with the remote service.

Claims

1. A method to manage connection addresses for a remote service, comprising:

retaining an internally accessible address associated with an internal and local connection to a remote service and retaining an externally accessible address associated with an external connection to the remote service during installation;

scanning a memory for a previously successful address for the remote service associated with either the local connection or the external connection; and

refreshing the internally accessible address and the externally accessible address when a connection is made to the remote service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising acquiring a modifiable address for the remote service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in scanning the memory, the memory is a volatile memory.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a generic address during installation to redirect and acquire the internally accessible address and the externally accessible address on installation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising attempting to connect to the remote service using each of the addresses beginning with the previously successful address and terminating the attempts once connected to the remote service.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein in retaining, the remote service is an electronic mail service.

7. A method to connect with a remote service, comprising:

attempting to connect to the remote service using a previously successful address associated with a previous connection to the remote service, wherein the previous connection is associated with an internal or local connection or an external connection;

attempting to connect to the remote service using an internal address associated with the local connection to the remote service;

attempting to connect to the remote service using an external address associated with the external connection to the remote service;

attempting to connect to the remote service using a modifiable address associated with a manually provided connection to the remote service; and

ceasing the attempts to connect with the remote service when a successful connection to the remote service is made.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising connecting to the remote service using a generic address that redirects and acquires a valid address necessary for a valid connection with the remote service, if previous connection attempts fail.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising updating the internal address and the external address when a connection is made to the remote service.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising acquiring the previously successful address from a volatile memory.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein in processing the method, the attempts are made serially and in order starting with attempting to connect to the remote service using the previously successful address.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein in attempting to connect to the remote service using the previously successful address, each of the addresses are Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein in attempting to connect to the remote service using the modifiable address, the modifiable address is requested when attempts to connect to the remote service using the previously successful address, the internal address, and the external address fail.

14. A connection system, comprising:

a local service;

a remote service; and

a connection set of executable instructions that automatically first attempts to connect the local service with the remote service using a local connection address for the remote service associated with a local connection and, if unsuccessful, next automatically attempts to connect the local service with the remote service using an external connection address for the remote service, wherein the external connection address is associated with an external connection.

15. The connection system of claim 14, further comprising an installation set of executable instructions that connects the local service with an intermediary service during installation, and wherein the intermediary service redirects the local service to the remote service.

16. The connection system of claim 15, wherein the connection set of executable instructions acquires the local connection address and the external connection address from the remote service once the local service is redirected to the remote service by the installation set of executable instructions.

17. The connection system of claim 14, wherein the connection set of executable instructions scans volatile memory associated with the local service for an updated local connection address or an updated external connection address before attempting to connect the local service with the remote service.

18. The connection system of claim 14, wherein connection set of executable instructions attempts to acquire a manually modifiable address for the remote service if the local connection address and the external connection address fail to connect the local service with the remote service.

19. The connection system of claim 14, wherein the connection set of executable instructions automatically initiates whenever the local service attempts to communicate with the remote service and when there are no existing connections between the local service and remote service.

20. The connection system of claim 14, wherein the connection set of executable instructions uses an existing Internet connection of the local service when attempting to connect the local service with the remote service.

21. A remote connection data structure used to connect a local service with a remote service and implemented within a computer-readable medium, the data structure comprising:

a local service identifier used to uniquely identify the local service;

an internal address associated with the local service identifier and used automatically by the local service to establish a local connection to the remote service; and

an external address associated with the local service identifier and used automatically by the local service to establish an external connection to the remote service.

22. The remote connection data structure of claim 21, further comprising an installation address associated with the local service identifier and used to redirect the local service to the remote service during installation of the local service, and wherein the remote service provides the internal address and the external address once the local service is redirected to the remote service during installation.

23. The remote connection data structure of claim 21, wherein at least one of the internal address and the external address is acquired from a volatile memory associated with the local service.

24. The remote connection data structure of claim 21, further comprising a modifiable address for the remote service associated with the local service identifier and used to connect to the remote service if the internal address and the external address fail to connect the local service with the remote service.

25. The remote connection data structure of claim 21, wherein the remote service is at least one of a data base service, an email service, and an Intranet service.