Regressive transport message delivery system and method

• US 8,046,471 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2002
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hardcastle, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNISON, JERRY B
• Application Number:
  US10/247,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20040059819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,323 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for communicating a message comprising hierarchical information with respect to a plurality of message transport mechanisms, and a plurality of transport managers adapted to communicate with the message transport mechanisms for transmission of a message to a particular destination via any one of the message transport mechanisms according to the hierarchical information.

Claims

1. A system for communicating a message, said system comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory;

hierarchical information with respect to a plurality of message transport mechanisms, the hierarchical information established based on expected availability of particular network infrastructure corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of message transport mechanisms;

a plurality of transport managers stored in the memory, executed by the processor, and adapted to communicate with said message transport mechanisms for transmission of a message to a particular destination via any one of said message transport mechanisms selected regressively from a most preferred message transport mechanism according to said hierarchical information; and

timeout information associated with a particular message transport mechanism of said plurality of message transport mechanisms, a timeout of said timeout information changes in response to a corresponding transport manager detecting a failure to communicate said message by said message transport mechanism,

wherein the most preferred message transport mechanism is based on availability of the particular network infrastructure corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of message transport mechanisms at a time of message transmission determined via a survey of network infrastructure and current conditions associated therewith.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a process manager in communication with said plurality of transport managers and said hierarchical information, wherein said process manager provides said message to said transport managers for transmission according to said hierarchical information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each transport manager of said plurality of transport managers is associated with a message transport mechanism of said plurality of message transport mechanisms.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of transport managers comprises a transport manager associated with a message transport mechanism which is not yet active with respect to site infrastructure implementing said plurality of message transport mechanisms.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the most preferred message transport mechanism is a highest message transport mechanisms in the hierarchical information having a corresponding particular network infrastructure that is then available to use.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical information is further established based on a corresponding particular network infrastructure being suitable for providing most efficient communication of messages.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical information is further established based on a type of network connection available for the corresponding particular network infrastructure.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the timeout information establishes the timeout with respect to a subsequent iteration of said plurality of transport managers attempting transmission of said message according to said hierarchical information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical information is further established based on ability of a message transport mechanism to achieve delivery with a minimum of delay.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of transport mechanisms are at the open systems interconnect model session layer and above.

11. A method for providing regressive transport delivery of a message, said method comprising:

establishing a hierarchy of message transport mechanisms, the hierarchical information established based on expected availability of particular network infrastructure;

changing a timeout of timeout information associated with a particular message transport mechanism of the message transport mechanisms in response to a corresponding transport manager detecting a failure to communicate said message by said message transport mechanism;

, and

providing said message to a message transport mechanism selected regressively from a most preferred message transport mechanism for transmission to a same destination according to said hierarchy, wherein said providing said message to said message transport mechanisms for transmission comprises;

determining a suitability, with respect to transmission of said message, of one of said message transport mechanisms at a time of transmission of said message based on availability of the particular network infrastructure corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of message transport mechanisms determined via a survey of network infrastructure and current conditions associated therewith; and

selecting a next message transport mechanism of said hierarchy when a particular message transport mechanism is determined to be currently unsuitable with respect to transmission of said message; and

deploying a process manager adapted to receive said message from a message source and to control transmission of said message according to said hierarchy.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said establishing a hierarchy of message transport mechanisms is with respect to a particular site infrastructure being suitable for providing most efficient communication of messages.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

deploying at least one transport manager adapted to communicate with said process manager to receive said message and to communicate with said message transport mechanisms for transmission of said message to said destination.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising capturing messages directed to a particular mail server or port, and process said messages to one of said message transport mechanisms selected regressively from a most preferred message transport mechanism according to said hierarchical information.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

deploying a particular one of said plurality of message transport managers after a corresponding particular message transport mechanism of said plurality of message transport mechanisms is brought online; and

updating said hierarchy of message transport mechanisms to include reference to said particular message transport mechanism.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

deploying a particular one of said plurality of message transport managers before a corresponding particular message transport mechanism of said plurality of message transport mechanisms is brought online.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said determining the suitability with respect to transmission of said message comprises:

monitoring, by said at least one transport manager, of an attribute associated with a corresponding message transport mechanism of said plurality of message transport mechanisms; and

reporting a status with respect to said corresponding message transport mechanism to said process manager.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said attribute associated with said corresponding message transport mechanism is indicative of the operational status of said corresponding message transport mechanism.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said attribute associated with said corresponding message transport mechanism is not indicative of the operational status of said corresponding message transport mechanism.

20. A computer program product, comprising:

a hardware computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for providing regressive transport delivery of a message, the computer program logic comprising;

hierarchical information with respect to a plurality of transport mechanisms, the hierarchical information established based on expected availability of particular network infrastructure corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of message transport mechanisms;

a process manager adapted to capture messages directed to a particular mail server or port and to control transmission of said messages according to said hierarchical information;

a plurality of transport managers adapted to communicate with said process manager to receive said messages and to communicate with said message transport mechanisms for transmission of said messages to a particular destination, wherein said transport managers determine a suitability of said ones of said message transport mechanisms for transmission of said message at a time of transmission of said messages based on availability of the particular network infrastructure corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of message transport mechanisms determined via a survey of network infrastructure and current conditions associated therewith; and

timeout information associated with a particular message transport mechanism of said plurality of message transport mechanisms, a timeout of said timeout information changes in response to a corresponding transport manager detecting a failure to communicate said message by said message transport mechanism,

wherein a message transport mechanisms selected regressively from a most preferred message transport mechanism according to said hierarchical information.

21. A system for communicating a message, said system comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory;

hierarchical information with respect to a plurality of message transport mechanisms;

a plurality of transport managers stored in the memory, executed by the processor, and adapted to communicate with said message transport mechanisms for transmission of a message to a particular destination via any one of said message transport mechanisms according to said hierarchical information; and

timeout information establishing a timeout with respect to a subsequent attempt to utilize a message transport mechanism after a corresponding transport manager detects a failure to communicate said message by said message transport mechanism,

wherein a timeout of said timeout information associated with a particular message transport mechanism of said plurality of message transport mechanisms changes in response to a corresponding transport manager detecting a failure to communicate said message by said message transport mechanism.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein a timeout of said timeout information associated with a particular message transport mechanism of said plurality of message transport mechanisms is increased in response to a corresponding transport manager detecting a failure to communicate said message by said message transport mechanism.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein a timeout of said timeout information associated with a particular message transport mechanism of said plurality of message transport mechanisms is decreased in response to a corresponding transport manager detecting success in communicating said message by said message transport mechanism.

24. A method for providing regressive transport delivery of a message, said method comprising:

establishing a hierarchy of message transport mechanisms; and

providing said message to said message transport mechanisms for transmission to a same destination according to said hierarchy, wherein said providing said message to said message transport mechanisms for transmission comprises;

determining a suitability, with respect to transmission of said message, of one of said message transport mechanisms at a time of transmission of said message; and

selecting a next message transport mechanism of said hierarchy when a particular message transport mechanism is determined to be currently unsuitable with respect to transmission of said message;

deploying a process manager adapted to receive said message from a message source and to control transmission of said message according to said hierarchy;

establishing a timeout value associated with at least one message transport mechanism of said plurality of message transport mechanisms; and

changing said timeout value in response to repeated determinations that said at least one message transport mechanism is unsuitable with respect to transmission of said message.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein changing said timeout value in response to repeated determinations that said at least one message transport mechanism is unsuitable with respect to transmission of said message includes enlarging said timeout value in response to repeated determinations that said at least one message transport mechanism is unsuitable with respect to transmission of said message.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein changing said timeout value in response to repeated determinations that said at least one message transport mechanism is unsuitable with respect to transmission of said message includes reducing said timeout value in response to a determination that said at least one message transport mechanism is suitable with respect to transmission of said message.