Method and apparatus for validating documents based on a validation template

• US 7,146,422 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2000
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Marlatt, David A., Abjanic, John B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N.
• Application Number:
  US09/562,104
• Time in Patent Office: 2,409 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/232, 709/225, 709/238, 709/246, 709/230
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/226 Validation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A network apparatus is provided between a network and a plurality of processing nodes or application servers. The network apparatus includes a validation accelerator to validate (or pre-validate) a document based on validation instructions provided in the document. After the document is validated, the validation instructions are removed or stripped from the document, and the document is then sent to a processing node or application server for processing.

Claims

1. A network apparatus coupled between a network and a plurality of processing nodes or applications servers, the network apparatus comprising:

a validation accelerator operable to validate at least a portion of a message based on a validation template, if the at least portion of the message is valid, said validation accelerator operable to store said validation template in a local cache after validating and to remove validation instructions from the message before sending the message to an application server or other processing node, the validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template;

otherwise, said validation accelerator operable to block or inhibit sending of the message.

2. The network apparatus of claim 1 wherein the validation accelerator comprises a XML validation accelerator to validate XML messages.

3. A validation accelerator coupled between a network and a plurality of processing nodes or application servers, the validation accelerator operable to validate at least a portion of a message based on a validation template, if the at least portion of the message is valid, said validation accelerator operable to store said validation template in a local cache after validating and to remove validation instructions from the message before sending the message to an application server or other processing node, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template;

otherwise, said validation accelerator operable to block or inhibit sending of the message.

4. The network apparatus of claim 3 wherein the validation accelerator comprises a XML validation accelerator to validate XML messages.

5. The network apparatus of claim 3 and wherein the validation accelerator to add a pre-validation indication to the message before sending the message to an application server or other processing node.

6. A data center comprising:

a plurality of processing nodes to process messages; and

a validation accelerator coupled between a network and a plurality of processing nodes, the validation accelerator operable to validate at least a portion of a message based on a validation template, if the at least portion of the message is valid, said validation accelerator operable to store said validation template in a local cache after validating and to remove validation instructions from the message before sending the message to one of the processing nodes, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template;

otherwise, said validation accelerator operable to block or inhibit sending of the message.

7. A network apparatus coupled between a network and a plurality of processing nodes or applications servers, the network apparatus comprising:

a security accelerator;

a validation accelerator coupled to the security accelerator operable to validate at least a portion of a message based on a validation template, if the at least portion of the message is valid, said validation accelerator operable to store said validation template in a local cache after validating, to remove validation instructions from the message, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template and to add a pre-validation indication to the message before forwarding the valid message to one of the processing nodes or applications servers;

otherwise, said validation accelerator operable to block or inhibit forwarding of the message.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a message including application data and validation instructions;

obtaining a validation template for the message based on the validation instructions;

validating at least a portion of the application data based on the validation template;

if the at least portion of the application data is valid, then

storing the validation template in a local cache;

removing the validation instructions from the message, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template; and

sending the validated message to a processing node or application server for processing;

otherwise, blocking or inhibiting sending of the message.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the obtaining a validation template includes parsing an internal validation template from the validation instructions in the message.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the obtaining a validation template comprises obtaining an external validation template from a network based on an external identifier.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the validation template comprises a document type definition.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the validation template comprises a schema.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the schema defines the grammar, structure and data types required for a valid document.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the message includes an XML document, the XML document including XML application data to be validated and the validation instructions.

15. The method of claim 10 and further comprising storing a local copy of the external validation template after the template is retrieved from the network.

16. A method comprising:

receiving a message including validation instructions;

obtaining a validation template for the message based on the validation instructions according to the following;

using an internal validation template if the validation template is provided internal or inline to the message;

using a local copy of a validation template if the template is stored locally and not internal to the document; and

otherwise, retrieving a copy of the validation template from a network;

validating at least a portion of the application data based on the validation template;

if the at least portion of the application data is valid, then

storing the validation template in a local cache if retrieved from the network;

removing the validation instructions from the message, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template; and

sending the validated message to a processing node or application server for processing;

otherwise, blocking or inhibiting sending of the message.

17. A tangible medium storing a computer program, the computer program causing the following to occur when executed by a computer or a computing node:

receive a message including application data and validation instructions;

obtain a validation template for the message based on the validation instructions;

validate at least a portion of the application data based on the validation template;

if the at least portion of the application data is valid, then

store the validation template in a local cache;

remove the validation instructions from the message, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template; and

send the validated message to a processing node or application server for processing;

otherwise, block or inhibit sending of the message.

18. A network apparatus coupled between a network and a plurality of processing nodes or applications servers, the network apparatus comprising a validation accelerator operable to validate at least a portion of a message based on a validation template, if the at least portion of the message is valid, said validation accelerator operable to store said validation template in a local cache after validating, to remove validation instructions from the message, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template and to add a pre-validation indication to the message before sending the message to the application server or other processing node;

otherwise, said validation accelerator operable to block or inhibit sending of the message.

19. The network apparatus of claim 18 the validation accelerator to confirm that the message meets a basic syntax of a language or is well-formed and then to add a well-formed indication to the message before sending the message to an application server or other processing node.

20. A method comprising:

receiving a message including application data and validation instructions;

obtaining a validation template for the message;

validating at least a portion of the application data based on the validation template;

if the at least portion of the application data is valid, then

storing the validation template in a local cache;

removing the validation instructions from the message, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template;

adding a pre-validation indication to the message; and

sending the validated message to a processing node or application server for processing;

otherwise, blocking or inhibiting sending of the message.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the adding comprises indicating in a field of the message that at least a portion of the application data has been validated.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the adding comprises adding an instruction or comment in the application data itself indicating that the application data has been pre-validated.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the adding comprises adding a processing instruction tag indicating that the application data has been pre-validated.

24. A method comprising:

receiving a message including application data and validation instructions;

obtaining a validation template for the message;

determining whether the message is valid as compared to the validation template; and

if the message is valid, then storing the validation template in a local cache, removing the validation instructions from the message, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template, and sending the validated message to a processing node or application server for processing;

otherwise, blocking or inhibiting forwarding or sending of the message.

25. The method of claim 24 and, if the message is valid, altering the message to include an explicit or implicit pre-validation indication before sending the message to a processing node or application server.

26. A method comprising:

receiving a message including application data and validation instructions;

obtaining a validation template for the message based on the validation instructions;

determining whether the message is valid as compared to the validation template; and

if the message is valid, then;

storing the validation template in a local cache;

removing the validation instructions, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template; and

sending the validated message to a processing node or application server for processing; and

otherwise, sending the message to a processing node or application server, including the validation instructions.

27. The method of claim 26 and if the message is valid, further adding a pre-validation indication to the message before sending the valid message to the processing node or application server.

28. A method comprising:

receiving a message including application data and validation instructions;

obtaining a validation template for the message based on the validation instructions, including;

obtaining the validation template from local memory or cache if present locally;

otherwise, retrieving the validation template from a remote location;

validating at least a portion of the application data based on the validation template;

if the at least portion of the application data is valid, then

storing the validation template in a local cache if retrieved from the remote location;

removing the validation instructions from the message, said validation instructions comprising at least one of said validation template and a pointer to said validation template; and

sending the validated message to a processing node or application server for processing;

otherwise, blocking or inhibiting sending of the message.