Web server system and method

• US 7,478,122 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2004
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deluxe Small Business Sales, Inc. (Deluxe Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hostopia.Com Inc. (Deluxe Corp.)
• Inventors: Campbell, Bill F., Burroughs, Todd F.
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/918,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,611 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/212, 709/213, 709/219, 709/226, 709/217, 709/227, 709/230, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

The present invention is a system for running a plurality of different web sites requiring different resource applications wherein each of the resource applications are run in an optimized environment. The system includes a web server having a web server application resident thereon. A plurality of web sites are resident on the web server, the web sites having a plurality of different resource request generators for generating a plurality of different types of resource requests. Each type of resource request requires a particular resource application. A first back end server is operatively coupled to the web server, the first back end server running a first operating environment optimized to run a first group of resource applications resident on the first back end server. A second back end server is operatively coupled to the web server, the second back end server running a second operating environment which is optimized for running a second group of resource applications running on the second back end server, the operating environments running on the first and second back end servers being different. Finally, the system also includes a resource allocation application loaded onto the web server for sending the resource requests to the corresponding resource application.

Claims

1. A system for running a plurality of different web sites requiring different resource applications comprising:

a) a web server configured to run web server applications;

b) a plurality of first and second types of web sites resident on the web server, the first type of web site configured to generate a first type of resource requests, the second type of web site configured to generate a second type of resource requests;

c) a first and second back end server operatively coupled to the web server, the first back end server configured to run a first application, based on a first operating environment configured to process the first type of resource requests and the second back end server configured to run a second application on a second operating environment configured to process the second type of resource requests;

d) a resource allocation application loaded onto the web server, the resource allocation application configured to send resource requests of the first type generated by the web server to the first application on the first back end server, the resource allocation application being further configured to send resource request of the second type generated by the web server to the second application on the second back end server, wherein each type of resource request has a unique file type and wherein the resource allocation application is configured to allocate the resource requests based on the file types of the requests.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first back end server and the web server are one in the same.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the resource allocation application includes a database which lists the file types of each type of resource request and the location of the application corresponding to the type of resource request and wherein the allocation application is configured to forward the resource request to the appropriate resource application by cross referencing the file type of the resource request with the location of the corresponding resource application.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the resource allocation application is further configured to send an error message if the file extension of the resource request is not listed in the database.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the resource allocation application is configured to wait a predetermined interval of time for the results of the resource allocation requests forwarded and to generate an error message in the event the resource allocation requests are not processed within the predetermined interval of time.

6. The system of claim 3 further comprising a plurality of web savers, each web server running a web server application, each web server having a resource allocation application resident thereon and each resource allocation application having a substantially identical database, said web servers being operatively coupled to the back end servers.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of web servers, each web server running a web server application, each web server having a resource allocation application resident thereon.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of web servers, each web server running a web server application, each web server having a resource allocation application resident thereon, said web servers being operatively coupled to the back end servers.

9. A system for running a plurality of different web sites requiring different resource applications comprising:

a) a web server having a web server application resident thereon;

b) a plurality of web sites resident on the web server, the web sites having a plurality of different resource request generators for generating a plurality of different types of resource requests, each type of resource request requiring a particular resource application;

c) a first back end server operatively coupled to the web server, the first back end server running a first operating environment, a first group of resource applications running on the first back end server;

d) a second back end server operatively coupled to the web server, the second back end server running a second operating environment, the second operating environment being different than the first operating environment, a second group of resource applications running on the second back end serve, and

e) a resource allocation application loaded onto the web server for sending the resource requests to the corresponding resource application, wherein each type of resource request has a unique file extension and wherein the resource allocation application is configured to allocate the resource requests based on the file types of the requests.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the resource allocation application includes a database which lists the file types of each type of resource request and the location of the resource application corresponding to the type of resource request and wherein the allocation application is configured to forward the resource request to the appropriate resource application by cross referencing the file type of the resource request with the location of the corresponding resource application

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the database further includes the domain portion of the URL of each of the web sites resident on the web server and which type of resource request generators are present on each web site.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising a plurality of web servers, each web server running a web server application, each web server having a resource allocation application resident thereon and each resource allocation application having an identical database, said web servers being operatively coupled to the back end servers.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the resource allocation application is further configured to send an error message if the file extension of the resource request is not listed in the database.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the resource allocation application is configured to wait a predetermined interval of time forte results of the resource allocation requests forwarded and to generate an error message in the event the resource allocation requests are not processed within the predetermined interval of time.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the web server and the first back end server are one and the same.

16. The system of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of web servers, each web server running a web server application, each web server having a resource allocation application resident thereon, said web servers being operatively coupled to the back end servers.