Client-server communications system and method using a semi-connectionless protocol

• US 7,406,523 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2000
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kaler, Christopher G., Kruy, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess; Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barqadle; Yasin M
• Application Number:
  US09/717,674
• Time in Patent Office: 2,807 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709201-203, 709216-220, 709227-232
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

A system and method for performing client-server transactions includes an application interface, located at a client, which manages connections between the client and a server. The application interface receives a request from an application program, opens a connection with the server, sends a message that includes the request over the connection, and holds the connection open for at least a timeout period. If the application interface receives another request destined for the server during the timeout period, it sends another message with the new request over the open connection. If the application interface receives one or more requests that are part of a transaction, the application interface assigns a transaction identifier to the transaction. The transaction identifier and a sequence indicator are included in each message with each request. At the server, a transaction manager receives the messages, sequences the requests based on the sequence indicators, and processes the requests in the indicated sequence. If the application interface receives a redirect request from the server in response to a message, the application interface sends the message to another server identified in the redirect request without involving the client application.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for performing a transaction that includes multiple requests, the method comprising:

an application interface of a client computer receiving a request from an application program;

the application interface associating a transaction identifier with the request, wherein the transaction identifier identifies a transaction that the request is associated with;

the application interface forming a message including the transaction identifier and the request;

the application interface sending the message to a server, comprising the steps of opening a connection with the server, sending the message over the connection, initializing a timer indicative of how much time has expired since a message was last sent to the server or a reply was last received from the server, determining whether a timeout period of the timer has expired before another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server, keeping the connection open and reinitializing the timer so long as either another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server before the timeout period has expired, and closing the connection when the timeout period has expired before either another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server;

the server receiving the message; and

the server processing the request in a context of the transaction identified by the transaction identifier in the message.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

the application interface associating a sequence indicator to the request, wherein the sequence indicator indicates in what sequence the server should process the request within the context of the transaction; and

wherein forming the message comprises including the sequence indicator in the message.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

the application interface receiving a reply from the server in response to the request;

the application interface determining that the reply includes a redirect request that indicates that the request should be sent to another server; and

the application interface sending the message to the another server.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

the server allocating a database connection to the transaction; and

the server processing the requests that form a part of the transaction over the database connection allocated to the transaction.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

the application interface including a sequence indicator in the message, wherein the sequence indicator indicates in what sequence the server should process the request within the context of the transaction; and

wherein processing the requests comprises processing the requests in an order indicated by the sequence indicator.

6. A method in a computer system for a client to perform multiple requests in the context of a transaction, the method performed by an application interface associated with the client, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an application program;

associating a transaction identifier with the request, wherein the transaction identifier identifies a transaction that the request is associated with;

forming a message including the transaction identifier and the request; and

sending the message to a server, comprising the steps of opening a connection with the server, sending the message over the connection, initializing a timer indicative of how much time has expired since a message was last sent to the server or a reply was last received from the server, determining whether a timeout period of the timer has expired before another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server, keeping the connection open and reinitializing the timer so long as either another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server before the timeout period has expired, and closing the connection when the timeout period has expired before either another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising assigning the transaction identifier to the transaction if the request is a request to open a new transaction.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

associating a sequence indicator with the request, wherein the sequence indicator indicates in what sequence the server should process the request within the context of the transaction; and

wherein forming the message comprises including the sequence indicator within the message.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

multiplexing together multiple requests that are destined for the server; and

sending the multiple requests to the server in a multiplexed format.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a reply from the server in response to sending the message; and

sending the reply to the application program.

11. A method in a computer system for a client to send one or more messages to a server, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an application program;

associating a transaction identifier with the request, wherein the transaction identifier identifies a transaction that the request is associated with;

forming one or more messages including the transaction identifier and the request;

opening a connection with the server;

sending the one or more messages over the connection;

initializing a timer indicative of how much time has expired since a message was last sent to the server or a reply was last received from the server;

determining whether a timeout period of the timer has expired before another message for the server is received from an application program of the client or another reply is received from the server;

keeping the connection open and reinitializing the timer so long as either another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server before the timeout period has expired; and

closing the connection when the timeout period has expired before either another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein determining whether the timeout period has expired comprises comparing a value of the timer to the timeout period.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving another request destined for the server within the timeout period; and

sending the another request to the server over the connection.

14. A computer system for processing requests from application programs, the computer system comprising:

a processor for executing an application interface which receives requests destined for the server from at least one application program, associates transaction identifiers with each of the requests that are associated with transactions, and forms messages including the transaction identifiers and the requests; and

an interface to the server, coupled to the processor through a bus, which sends the messages to the server by opening a connection with the server, sending the messages over the connection, initializing a timer indicative of how much time has expired since a message was last sent to the server or a reply was last received from the server, determining whether a timeout period of the timer has expired before a subsequent message for the server is received from the at least one application program or another reply is received from the server, keeping the connection open and reinitializing the timer so long as either another message for the server is received from the at least one application program or another reply is received from the server before the timeout period has expired, and closing the connection when the timeout period has expired before either another message for the server is received from the at least one application program or another reply is received from the server.

15. The computer system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processor is further for associating sequence indicators with the requests, wherein the sequence indicators indicate the order that the requests within a transaction should be performed by the server.

16. A computer system for processing requests from application programs, the computer system comprising:

a processor for executing an application interface which receives requests destined for a server from at least one application program, wherein the processor opens a connection with the server, sends one or more messages over the connection, initializes a timer indicative of how much time has expired since a message was last sent to the server or a reply was last received from the server, determines whether a timeout period of the timer has expired before another message for the server is received from the at least one application program or another reply is received from the server, keeps the connection open and reinitializes the timer so long as either another message for the server is received from the at least one application program or another reply is received from the server before the timeout period has expired, and closes the connection when the timeout period has expired before either another message for the server is received from the at least one application program or another reply is received from the server; and

an interface to the server, coupled to the processor through a bus, which receives a request from an application program, associates a transaction identifier with the request, wherein the transaction identifier identifies a transaction that the request is associated with, forms one or more messages including the transaction identifier and the request, and sends the one or more messages to the server for processing of the request in a context of the transaction identified by the transaction identifier in the one or more messages.

17. The computer system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the processor is further for sending one or more additional requests destined for the server over the connection during the timeout period.

18. A computer-readable medium holding computer executable instructions, the computer-readable medium for performing a method in a computer system for a client to perform multiple requests in the context of a transaction, the method performed by an application interface associated with the client, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an application program;

associating a transaction identifier with the request, wherein the transaction identifier identifies a transaction that the request is associated with;

forming a message including the transaction identifier and the request; and

sending the message to a server, comprising the steps of opening a connection with the server, sending the message over the connection, initializing a timer indicative of how much time has expired since a message was last sent to the server or a reply was last received from the server, determining whether a timeout period of the timer has expired before another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server, keeping the connection open and reinitializing the timer so long as either another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server before the timeout period has expired, and closing the connection when the timeout period has expired before either another message for the server is received from the application program or another reply is received from the server.

19. A computer-readable medium holding computer executable instructions, the computer-readable medium for performing a method in a computer system for a client to send one or more messages to a server, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an application program;

associating a transaction identifier with the request, wherein the transaction identifier identifies a transaction that the request is associated with;

forming one or more messages including the transaction identifier and the request;

opening a connection with the server;

sending the one or more messages over the connection;

initializing a timer indicative of how much time has expired since a message was last sent to the server or a reply was last received from the server;

determining whether a timeout period of the timer has expired before another message is received for sending to the server or another reply is received from the server;

keeping the connection open and reinitializing the timer so long as either another message for the server is received or another reply is received from the server before the timeout period has expired; and

closing the connection when the timeout period has expired before either another message for the server is received or another reply is received from the server.