System and method for storing large messages

• US 7,840,532 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Hoebanx, Pascal, Dalal, Sanjay, Wiser, David
• Primary Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US11/740,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 707/610, 707/613, 707/624
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A large message can be stored by separating the message into an envelope portion containing information such as headers, protocols, and addresses, and a payload portion containing items such as file attachments. The envelope portion can be stored in local storage, while the payload can be stored to a persistent store. The message can be processed incrementally, such that the entire message is never in system memory. Once the envelope portion is processed, the payload portion can be read in increments without being processed, and those increments written directly to the persistent store. Alternatively, the payload can be streamed to the persistent store. A pointer in the envelope can then be used to locate and retrieve attachments from persistent storage.

This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Claims

1. A system for providing access to a message in a computer environment, comprising:

a computer, that includes

a memory for in-memory storage of message information;

a persistent store for persistent storage of message data; and

an integration component that receives a message from a sending application, and then

creates both an envelope, and a separate payload, for the message, including reading the message in incremental portions smaller than the total message size, and successively writing those portions to the persistent storage as the payload,

stores the payload in the persistent store as a plurality of selectively retrievable portions,

creates within the envelope a header information, and pointers to different portions of the payload,

stores the envelope in the memory, while the separate payload is stored at the persistent store,

provides in-memory access to the envelope by one or more receiving applications, and

enables the receiving applications to access the envelope in memory, and to use the pointers in the message envelope to select and retrieve selected portions of the message payload from the persistent store for use by those receiving applications.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of creating a separate envelope and payload includes parsing the message with a protocol parser to identify portions of the message to the integration component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of creating a separate envelope and payload includes parsing the message with an XML parser to read header and body portions of the message, and to separate the head and body portions into the envelope and payload respectively.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of creating a separate envelope and payload includes processing the message in increments.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the persistent store is located at the computer that receives the message.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the persistent store is located at a computer different from the one that receives the message, and wherein the persistent store is shared among a plurality of computers for storage of and access to message payloads for the plurality of computers.

7. A method for providing access to a message in a computer environment, comprising the steps of:

providing a computer that includes

a memory for in-memory storage of message information,

a persistent store for persistent storage of message data, and

an integration component;

receiving a message from a sending application, at the integration component at the computer;

creating both an envelope, and a separate payload, for the message, including reading the message in incremental portions smaller than the total message size, and successively writing those portions to the persistent storage as the payload;

storing the payload in the persistent store as a plurality of selectively retrievable portions;

creating within the envelope a header information, and pointers to different portions of the payload;

storing the envelope in the computer'"'"'s memory, while the separate payload is stored at the persistent store; and

providing in-memory access to the envelope by one or more receiving applications to access the envelope in memory, and to use the pointers in the message envelope to select and retrieve selected portions of the message payload, from the persistent store, for use by those receiving applications.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of creating a separate envelope and payload includes parsing the message with a protocol parser to identify portions of the message to the integration component.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of creating a separate envelope and payload includes parsing the message with an XML parser to read header and body portions of the message, and to separate the head and body portions into the envelope and payload respectively.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of creating a separate envelope and payload includes processing the message in increments.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the persistent store is located at the computer that receives the message.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the persistent store is located at a computer different from the one that receives the message, and wherein the persistent store is shared among a plurality of computers for storage of and access to message payloads for the plurality of computers.

13. A computer readable medium including instructions stored thereon which when executed cause the computer to perform the steps of:

receiving at a computer, including a memory for in-memory storage of message information, and a persistent store for persistent storage of message data, a message, from a sending application, at an integration component at the computer;

creating both an envelope and a separate payload for the message, including reading the message in incremental portions smaller than the total message size, and successively writing those portions to the persistent storage as the payload;

storing the payload in the persistent store as a plurality of selectively retrievable portions;

creating within the envelope a header information, and pointers to different portions of the payload;

storing the envelope in the computer'"'"'s memory, while the separate Payload is stored at the persistent store; and

providing in-memory access to the envelope, by one or more receiving applications to access the envelope in memory, and to use the pointers in the message envelope to selectively retrieve selected portions of the message payload from the persistent store, for use by those receiving applications.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the step of creating a separate envelope and payload includes parsing the message with a protocol parser to identify portions of the message to the integration component.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the step of creating a separate envelope and payload includes parsing the message with an XML parser to read header and body portions of the message, and to separate the head and body portions into the envelope and payload respectively.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the step of creating a separate envelope and payload includes processing the message in increments.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the persistent store is located at the computer that receives the message.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the persistent store is located at a computer different from the one that receives the message, and wherein the persistent store is shared among a plurality of computers for storage of and access to message payloads for the plurality of computers.