Message delivery downgrading annotations

• US 7,836,172 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Christensen, Erik Bo, Millet, Stephen James, Wolf, Kenneth David, Allen, Nicholas Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): BHATIA, AJAY M
• Application Number:
  US11/752,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20080291909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 709/207, 709/244
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

Selectively modifying a message delivery requirement of a datagram message at an intermediary network node between an origin and a destination. A message delivery requirement is defined for a particular message. The message delivery guarantee defines how to transmit the particular message. A downgrading intent of the particular message is provided for the message at the origin. The downgrading intent of the particular message indicates that the message delivery requirement can be bypassed. The defined message delivery guarantee, the network delivery requirement, and the provided downgrading intent of the particular message are processed at the intermediate network node. The message delivery requirement of the particular message is ignored based on the provided downgrading intent. The message is delivered via a network protocol according to the provided downgrading intent.

Claims

1. A computer executable method of selectively modifying a message delivery requirement of a datagram message at an intermediary network node between an origin and a destination, said node unaware of said message delivery requirement, said method comprising instructions executable by a processor of the node, said instructions comprising:

receiving a datagram message at the node;

estimating the message delivery requirement for the received message based on available capabilities/resources used during a previous hop, said estimated message delivery requirement defining how to transmit the received message;

determining a downgrading intent for the received message, said downgrading intent attached to the datagram message by the origin and different from the message delivery requirement, said downgrading intent indicating that the estimated message delivery requirement can be bypassed by the node;

selectively ignoring the estimated message delivery requirement of the received message based on the determined downgrading intent; and

thereafter transmitting the received message via a network protocol according to at least one of the message delivery requirement and the determined downgrading intent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message delivery requirement includes a circuit-routing requirement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the received message via the network protocol comprises delivering the received message via one of the following network protocols:

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated message delivery requirement comprises a continuous connection to and from the intermediary network node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the continuous connection comprises an open connection for a reply message after the message is delivered.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the downgrading intent comprises a downgrading annotation indicative of the downgrading intent in a message header of the received message, said downgrading annotation further indicative of a packet-routing capability for successfully transmitting the received message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the downgrading annotation further comprises an external correlating rule, said external correlating rule establishing a uniform rule for delivery of subsequent messages from the origin to the destination via the node such that the downgrading intent is applied to subsequent messages by the origin without processing each subsequent message individually.

8. A system for selectively modifying a particular message delivery requirement during transmission of a message, said system comprising:

an origin for sending the message, wherein the origin determines the message is a datagram and provides a downgrading intent for the message, said downgrading intent indicative of permission to bypass an estimated message delivery requirement of the message, said downgrading intent different from said message delivery requirement;

one or more intermediary network nodes for processing the downgrading intent of the message, said one or more network nodes situated between the origin and a destination and providing intermediary stops that the message will pass through before being delivered to the destination, wherein the one or more network nodes are unaware of the message delivery requirement, wherein the one or more intermediary network nodes estimate the message delivery requirement of the message based on available capabilities/resources used during a previous hop, as the estimated message delivery requirement, wherein the one or more network nodes selectively bypass the estimated message delivery requirement of the message and transmit the message according to at least one of the message delivery requirement and the downgrading intent.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the origin is configured to provide an external correlating rule indicative of the downgrading intent, said external correlating rule establishing a uniform rule for delivery of subsequent messages from the origin to the destination such that the downgrading intent is applied by the origin to subsequent messages without processing each subsequent message individually.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the message delivery requirement comprises a circuit-routing requirement for delivering the message.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the message delivery requirement comprises maintaining a continuous connection between the origin, the destination, and the one or more intermediary network nodes.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the continuous connection comprises an open connection for a reply message after the message is delivered.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more intermediary network nodes transmit the message via a network protocol which comprises one of the following network protocols:

transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the origin is configured to specify a downgrading annotation indicative of the downgrading intent in a message header of the message, said downgrading annotation further indicative of a packet-routing capability for successfully delivering the message.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable components for selectively modifying a particular message delivery requirement during transmission of a message by an intermediate node, said computer-executable components comprising:

an identification component for processing the a downgrading intent of a received message, said downgrading intent indicative of bypassing an estimated message delivery requirement of the received message, said downgrading intent different from a message delivery requirement of the received message;

a downgrading component for selectively ignoring the message delivery requirement of the message according to the downgrading intent; and

a delivery component, responsive to the downgrading component, for delivering the message to a destination according to at least one of the message delivery requirement and the downgrading intent.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the downgrading intent is an external correlating rule, said external correlating rule establishing a uniform rule for delivery of subsequent messages from an origin to a destination such that the downgrading intent is applied to subsequent messages by the origin without processing each subsequent message individually.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the intermediate node is situated between an origin and a destination, and wherein the message delivery requirement includes a continuous connection between the origin, the destination, and the intermediate node.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the continuous connection comprises an open connection for a reply message after the message is delivered.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the delivery component delivers the message via a network protocol which comprises one of the following network protocols:

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the the downgrading intent is specified in a message header of the message and is indicative of a packet-routing capability for successfully delivering the message.