Time zone negotiation in a client-server communication architecture

• US 7,318,082 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2002
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Murphy, Thomas E. Jr., Krissell, Daniel L., Stevens, Jeffrey S., Orzel, Francine M., Rieth, Paul F., Parasida, Kelly
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt; Yves
• Application Number:
  US10/154,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20030220965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/209, 709/225, 709/237, 709/223, 709/219, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method, system, and software associated with a client-server communication architecture in which there is a server and one or more clients. A client of the one or more clients communicates the client'"'"'s time zone value to the server over a communication path and during a communication-session between the client and the server. The time-zone value is so communicated through options negotiations between the client and the server. The negotiated time-zone value is stored in a storage area of a computer system that includes the server.

Claims

1. A client-server communication method, comprising:

receiving, by a server from a client over a communication path and during a communication session between the client and the server, a negotiated time-zone value that identifies a time zone or the client, wherein receiving the negotiated time-zone value includes receiving the negotiated time-zone value in a storage area of a computer system that includes the server,

said method further comprising during the session executing on the server an application initialed by the client or initiated from within the computer system, wherein executing the application includes;

retrieving the time-zone value from the storage area; and

determining whether to take an action relating to the client based on whether a condition involving the retrieved time-zone value is satisfied, wherein to take an action relating to the client comprises at least one of;

to communicate a message to the client and to terminate the session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the application was initiated from within the computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the application was initiated by the client.

4. A client-server communication method, comprising

receiving, by a server from a client over a communication path and during a communication session between the client and the server, a negotiated time-zone value that identifies a time zone of the client, wherein receiving the negotiated time-zone value includes receiving the negotiated time-zone value in a storage area of a computer system that includes the server, and wherein the method further comprises executing on the server during the session a device manager of the computer system, wherein executing the device manager includes routing the session to a logical subsystem that is keyed to the negotiated time-zone value;

and

executing on the server during the session an application initiated by the client or from within the computer system, wherein executing the application initiated by the client or from within the computer includes determining whether to take an action relating to the client based on whether a condition is satisfied, and wherein the condition involves the logical subsystem to which the session is routed, wherein to take an action relating to the client comprises at least one of;

to communicate a message to the client and to terminate the session.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the negotiated time-zone value includes receiving the negotiated time-zone value through use of an environment variable as a negotiated option.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the client is a Telnet client, and wherein the server is a Telnet server.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the communication path includes a TCP/IP network, and wherein the client is directly connected to the server via the TCP/IP network while the time-zone value is negotiated between the client and the server.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the application is initiated by the client.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the application is initiated from within the computer system.

10. A client-server communication system comprising a server, wherein the server is adapted to receive from a client, in a storage area of a computer system that comprises the server and over a communication path between the client and the server and during a communication session between the client and the server, a negotiated time-zone value that identifies a time zone of the client, wherein the server is adapted to execute during the session an application initiated by the client or initiated from within the computer system, and wherein to execute the application includes:

to retrieve the time-zone value from the storage area; and

to determine whether to take an action relating to the client based on whether a condition involving the retrieved time-zone value is satisfied, wherein to take an action relating to the client comprises at least one of;

to communicate a message to the client and to terminate the session.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the server is adapted to execute during the session the application initiated from within the computer system.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the server is adapted to execute during the session the application initiated by the client.

13. A client-server communication system comprising a server, wherein the server is adapted to receive from a client, in a storage area of a computer system that comprises the server and over a communication path between the client and the server and during a communication session between the client and the server, a negotiated time-zone value that identifies a time zone of the client, wherein the server is further adapted to execute on the server during the session a device manager of the computer system, wherein to execute the device manager includes:

to route the session to a logical subsystem that is keyed to the negotiated time-tone value, wherein the server is further adapted to execute on the server during the session an application initiated by the client or from within the computer system, wherein to execute the application initiated by the client or from within the computer system includes to determine whether to take an action relating to the client base on whether a condition is satisfied, and wherein the condition involves the logical subsystem to which the session is routed, and wherein to take an action relating to the client comprises at least one of;

to communicate a message to the client and to terminate the session.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein to receive comprises to receive the negotiated time-zone value through use of an environment variable as a negotiated option.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the client is a Telnet client, and wherein the server is a Telnet server.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication path includes a TCP/IP network, and wherein the client is directly connected to the server via the TCP/IP network while the time-zone value is negotiated between the client and the server.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the application is initiated by the client.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the application is initiated from within the computer system.

19. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable storage medium having a computer readable program code stored therein, wherein the computer readable program code comprises a software application adapted to be initiated by a client of client-server communication system during a communication session between the client and a server of the client-server communication system, wherein the client-server communication system has a communication path between the client and the server, wherein the software application is further adapted to execute on the server during the communication session, and wherein to execute the software application includes to make a decision relating to a negotiated time-zone value that identifies a time zone of the client, wherein to make a decision relating to the negotiated time-zone value comprises to determine whether to take an action relating to the client based on whether a condition is satisfied, and wherein to take an action relating to the client comprises at least one of:

to communicate a message to the client and to terminate the session.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:

the condition involves the negotiated time-zone value retrieved from a storage area of the computer system.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the condition involves a logical subsystem to which the session is routed, and wherein the logical subsystem is keyed to the negotiated time-zone value.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the client is a Telnet client, and wherein the server is a Telnet server.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the communication path includes a TCP/IP network, and wherein the client is directly connected to the server via the TCP/IP network while the time-zone value is negotiated between the client and the server.

24. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable storage medium having a computer readable program code stored therein, wherein the computer readable program code comprises a software application adapted to be initiated from within a computer system that includes a server of a client-server communication system during a communication session between the server and a client of the client-server communication system, wherein the client-server communication system has a communication path between the client and the server, wherein the software application is further adapted to execute on the server during the communication session, and wherein to execute the software application includes to make a decision relating to a negotiated time-zone value that identifies a time zone of the client, wherein to make a decision relating to the negotiated time-zone value comprises to determine whether to take an action relating to the client based on whether a condition is satisfied, and wherein to take an action relating to the client comprises at least one of:

to communicate a message to the client and to terminate the session.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, the condition involves the negotiated time-zone value retrieved from a storage area of the computer system.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the condition involves a logical subsystem to which the session is routed, and wherein the logical subsystem is keyed to the negotiated time-zone value.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the client is a Telnet client, and wherein the server is a Telnet server.

28. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the communication path includes a TCP/IP network, and wherein the client is directly connected to the server via the TCP/IP network while the time-zone value is negotiated between the client and the server.