Method for ensuring client access to messages from a server

• US 7,392,282 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2001
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Morrison, Thomas Clarke, Davis, James Robert, Yuan, Jack Chiu-Chiu, Kuo, Steve T., Hughes, Gerald Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell; Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blair; Douglas B
• Application Number:
  US09/808,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20020133563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,659 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/203, 709/223, 709/229, 709/248, 714/4
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The present invention is a method for ensuring client access to paired and unpaired response messages. In the method, the server detects one or more unpaired message which are stored in a data structure on the server. The data structure may be created when the server is started or automatically when the first unpaired message is identified. The method then uses a communications protocol between the client and server which allows the client to request one or more of the stored unpaired messages. The present invention uses a request module configured to receive a client request and prepare the client request for a response generator. The response generator receives the client request from the request module and generates an appropriate response. Next, an unpaired message module analyzes the response message generated by the response generator and distinguishes a paired message from an unpaired message. Then, the unpaired message module stores paired messages in an unpaired response data structure. Finally, a response module communicates paired and unpaired messages to the client.

Claims

1. A method for ensuring client access to unpaired messages from a database management system (DBMS) server, comprising:

the DBMS server determining that a transaction response message is in response to a communication disruption between a client and the DBMS server, the DBMS server storing the unpaired message in an unpaired message queue, the unpaired message corresponding to a specific client, the transaction response message associated with a transaction request;

creating the unpaired message queue in a DBMS server separate from a paired message queue in response to determining a transaction response message is an unpaired message, the unpaired message queue configured to store a plurality of unpaired messages intended for the client, the unpaired message queue and paired message queue storing messages according to a First-In-First-Out protocol; and

communicating transaction requests and transaction responses using an Open Transaction Manager Access (OTMA) protocol which allows the client to request at least one unpaired message stored in the unpaired message queue.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the DBMS server dynamically creating the unpaired message queue in response to the DBMS server detecting at least one unpaired message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the DBMS server of a client request to enable dynamic creation of the unpaired message queue.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein notifying the DBMS server occurs during establishment of communications between the client and the DBMS server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the DBMS server notifying the client when the unpaired message queue contains an unpaired message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a request message to be sent from the client to the DBMS server; and

storing an indicator in the request message to enable the client to distinguish between unpaired messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the protocol further comprises allowing the client to request automatic transmission of unpaired messages stored in the unpaired message queue.