Intermediate message invalidation

• US 8,155,119 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, William A., Muirhead, Richard W., Reddington, Francis X.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chery, Dady
• Application Number:
  US11/264,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20070098013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,352 Days
• Field of Search: 370/465, 370/466, 370/684, 379/111, 379/112.01, 379/114.03, 379/114.14
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are provided for intermediate message invalidation that include receiving, to an intermediate message validation service, a message to be forwarded to a device to administer at least one value of an attribute of the device; determining, by the intermediate message validation service, that the message is invalid; and terminating, by the intermediate message validation service, the invalid message. Embodiments may also include notifying a system administrator that the message is invalid.

Claims

1. A method for intermediate message invalidation, the method comprising:

a computer receiving, in an intermediate message validation service, a message to be forwarded to a device to administer at least one value of an attribute of the device;

the computer determining, by the intermediate message validation service, that the message is invalid, including;

the computer determining differences between the structure of a packet of the message and a predefined proper packet structure, wherein the computer determining the differences between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure comprises the computer counting the differences between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure; and

the computer determining that the differences between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure exceed a threshold similarity requirement, the threshold similarity requirement defining one or more rules that compare a number of bits in the packet of the message to a number of bits in the predefined proper packet structure;

the computer terminating, by the intermediate message validation service, the message including storing the message in a dead message queue; and

the computer notifying a system administrator that the message is invalid, including providing access to the dead message queue to the system administrator.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer terminating, by the intermediate message validation service, the message further comprises dropping the packet of the message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer determining the differences between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure further comprises the computer identifying a qualitative difference between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure.

4. the method of claim 1 wherein the predefined proper packet structure comprises a predefined proper packet structure for the device.

5. the method of claim 1 wherein the predefined proper packet structure comprises a predefined proper packet structure for a network of the device.

6. A computer system for intermediate message invalidation, the computer system comprising:

a computer processor;

a computer readable memory and a computer readable tangible storage device;

first program instructions to receive, in an intermediate message validation service, a message to be forwarded to a device to administer at least one value of an attribute of the device;

second program instructions to determine, by the intermediate message validation service, that the message is invalid, wherein the second program instructions;

determine differences between the structure of a packet of the message and a predefined proper packet structure, wherein determining the differences between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure comprises counting the differences between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure; and

determine that differences between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure exceed a threshold similarity requirement, the threshold similarity requirement defining one or more rules that compare a number of bits in the packet of the message to a number of bits in the predefined proper packet structure;

third program instructions to terminate, by the intermediate message validation service, the message, wherein the third program instructions store the message in a dead message queue; and

fourth program instructions to notify a system administrator that the message is invalid, wherein the fourth program instructions provide access to the dead message queue to the system administrator;

wherein, the first, second, third, and fourth program instructions are stored on the computer readable tangible storage device for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.

7. the computer system of claim 6 further comprising:

fifth program instructions to drop the packet of the message;

wherein the fifth program instructions are stored on the computer readable tangible storage device for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.

8. The computer system of claim 6, further comprising:

fifth program instructions to identify a qualitative difference between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure;

wherein the fifth program instructions are stored on the computer readable tangible storage device for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.

9. A computer program product for intermediate message invalidation, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable tangible storage device;

first program instructions to receive, in an intermediate message validation service, a message to be forwarded to a device to administer at least one value of an attribute of the device;

second program instructions to determine, by the intermediate message validation service, that the message is invalid, wherein the second program instructions;

determine differences between the structure of a packet of the message and a predefined proper packet structure, wherein determining the differences between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure further comprises counting the differences between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure; and

determine that the differences between the structure of the packet of the message and the predefined proper packet structure exceed a threshold similarity requirement, the threshold similarity requirement defining one or more rules that compare a number of bits in the packet of the message to a number of bits in the predefined proper packet structure;

third program instructions to terminate, by the intermediate message validation service, the message, wherein the third program instructions store the message in a dead message queue; and

fourth program instructions to notify a system administrator that the message is invalid, wherein the fourth program instructions provide access to the dead message queue to the system administrator;

wherein the first, second, third, and fourth program instructions are stored on the computer readable tangible storage device.