Guaranteed exactly once delivery of messages

• US 7,162,512 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2000
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Frank, Alexander, Amit, Neta, Peled, Yifat
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOUTAH, ALINA A
• Application Number:
  US09/514,460
• Time in Patent Office: 2,507 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/204, 709/206, 710/29, 710/54, 707/1
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

Guaranteed, exactly once delivery of messages is disclosed. In one embodiment, there is a sender and a receiver. In a sender transaction, the sender does the following: receives a message from a sender queue; generates a substantially unique identifier and an expiration time for the message; and, saves the identifier, the expiration time, and the message in a sender database. The sender then sends the identifier, the expiration time, and the message to the receiver. In a receiver transaction, the receiver then does the following: receives the identifier, the expiration time, and the message from a receiver queue; determines whether the message has expired based on the expiration time and determines whether the message is present in a receiver database by its identifier; and, upon determining that the message has not expired and is not present in the receiver database, stores the message in the receiver database, and performs actions associated with the message.

Claims

1. A method for a sender to guarantee an exactly once delivery of a message to a receiver, the method comprising:

associating an expiration time with the message;

associating an identifier with the message;

storing the message in association with the expiration time and with the identifier;

sending to the receiver the message in association with the expiration time and with the identifier; and

upon reaching the expiration time, if the message has not yet been deleted, then deleting the message along with the identifier and the expiration time associated with the message, the deleting being performed by a scavenger thread at the sender.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from the receiver an acknowledgement of receipt of the message; and

deleting the message along with the identifier and the expiration time associated with the message.

3. A computer-readable medium having instructions for performing a method for a sender to guarantee an exactly once delivery of a message to a receiver, the method comprising:

associating an expiration time with the message;

associating an identifier with the message;

storing the message in association with the expiration time and with the identifier;

sending to the receiver the message in association with the expiration time and with the identifier; and

upon reaching the expiration time, if the message has not yet been deleted, then deleting the message along with the identifier and the expiration time associated with the message, the deleting being performed by a scavenger thread at the sender.