Asynchronous context data messaging

• US 8,166,114 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Radware Limited
• Original Assignee: Strangeloop Networks, Inc. (Radware Limited)
• Inventors: Alstad, Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zuniga, Jackie
• Application Number:
  US11/623,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20070209040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

An acceleration engine that stores context data is operatively disposed between a network and at least one web server. Incoming requests from the network are inspected by the acceleration engine and passed on to the web server. If the inspection reveals a reference to context data, the acceleration engine retrieves the context data and asynchronously sends the context data to the web server. The web server synchronizes that request and context data and generates a response message accordingly. The response message is forwarded back to the initiator of the request with or without interception by the acceleration engine. Should context data be generated during processing of the request, such context data is sent to the acceleration engine for updating purposes.

Claims

1. In a network architecture comprising at least two servers and an acceleration engine, a method for handling network messages, comprising:

receiving, at the acceleration engine, context data from a first server;

storing the context data in a data store associated with the acceleration engine;

at the acceleration engine, intercepting a request message intended for at least one of the servers;

at the acceleration engine, determining whether the intercepted request message references context data;

forwarding the intercepted request message from the acceleration engine to a second server;

in response to a determination that the intercepted request message references context data;

retrieving, by the acceleration engine, the stored context data from the data store and sending the context data from the acceleration engine to the second server; and

at the second server;

associating the request message with the context data; and

generating a response message based on the associated request message and context data;

wherein the sending of the context data to the second server is performed separately from and independently of the forwarding of the intercepted request message to the second server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the intercepted request message comprises a web page request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message comprises a web page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the request message references context data occurs without modification of the request message, and wherein the request message forwarded to the second server is identical to the request message intercepted at the acceleration engine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the intercepted request message comprises at least one of a user datagram protocol (UDP) message, a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) message, a transmission control protocol (TCP) message, a secured hypertext transport protocol (HTTPS) message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the acceleration engine, context data from a first server is performed separately from and independently of receiving any response message at the acceleration engine.

7. In a network architecture comprising at least two servers and an acceleration engine, a method for handling network messages, comprising:

receiving, at the acceleration engine, context data from a first server;

storing the context data in a data store associated with the acceleration engine;

at the acceleration engine, intercepting a request message intended for at least one of the servers;

at the acceleration engine, determining whether the intercepted request message references context data;

forwarding the intercepted request message from the acceleration engine to a second server;

determining whether the second server has an updated copy of the context data; and

in response to a determination that the request message references context data and that the second server does not have an updated copy of the context data;

retrieving, by the acceleration engine, the stored context data from the data store and sending the context data from the acceleration engine to the second server; and

at the second server;

associating the request message with the context data; and

generating a response message based on the associated request message and context data;

wherein the sending of the context data to the second server is performed separately from and independently of the forwarding of the intercepted request message to the second server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving, at the acceleration engine, context data from a first server is performed separately from and independently of receiving any response message at the acceleration engine.

9. In a network architecture comprising at least two servers and an enhanced network module, a method for handling network messages comprising:

receiving, at the enhanced network module, context data from a first server;

storing the context data in a data store associated with the enhanced network module;

at the enhanced network module, intercepting a request message intended for at least one of the servers;

at the enhanced network module, inspecting the intercepted network message and forwarding the intercepted network message to a second server;

at the enhanced network module, in response to the inspection, determining whether the intercepted network message references context data; and

in response to a determination that the network message references context data;

retrieving, by the enhanced network module, the context data from the data store and sending the context data from the enhanced network module to the second server; and

at the second server;

associating the network message with the context data; and

generating a response message based on the associated network message and context data;

wherein the sending of the context data to the second server is performed separately from and independently of the forwarding of the intercepted network message to the second server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the enhanced network module is operatively connected to a TCP/IP router.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the intercepted network message comprises at least one of a user datagram protocol (UDP) message, a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) message, a transmission control protocol (TCP) message, and a secured hypertext transport protocol (HTTPS) message.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the intercepted network message comprises a web page request.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the context data is retrievable by index data in the network message.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the index data is stored in one of an HTTP-post hidden form field, an ASP.NET View State fields, and an URL query string.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

at the enhanced network module, receiving context data from the second server; and

updating the data store with the received context data.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein intercepting the network message comprises receiving the network message from a user computer.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein inspecting the intercepted network message occurs without modification of the network message.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving, at the enhanced network module, context data from a first server is performed separately from and independently of receiving any response message at the enhanced network module.

19. In a network architecture comprising at least two servers and an enhanced network module, a method for handling network messages, comprising:

receiving, at the enhanced network module, context data from a first server;

storing the context data in a data store associated with the enhanced network module;

at the enhanced network module, intercepting a network message intended for at least one of the servers;

at the enhanced network module, inspecting the intercepted network message and forwarding the intercepted network message to a second server;

at the enhanced network module, in response to the inspection, determining whether the intercepted network message references context data and whether the second server has an updated copy of the context data; and

in response to a determination that the intercepted network message references context data and that the second server does not have an updated copy of the context data;

retrieving, by the enhanced network module, the stored context data from the data store and sending the context data from the enhanced network module to the second server; and

at the second server;

associating the network message with the context data; and

generating a response message based on the associated network message and context data;

wherein the sending of the context data to the second server is performed separately from and independently of the forwarding of the intercepted network message to the second server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving, at the enhanced network module, context data from a first server is performed separately from and independently of receiving any response message at the enhanced network module.

21. A system for handling network messages, comprising:

a network;

at least two servers operatively connected to the network; and

an acceleration engine operatively disposed between the network and the servers, wherein the acceleration engine comprises;

a data store, for storing context data received from a first server;

a first module arranged to intercept a request message addressed to a second server, and to inspect the intercepted request message,

a second module arranged to forward the intercepted request message to the second server,

a third module arranged to conditionally retrieve context data from the data store in response to the inspection of the intercepted request message, and

a fourth module arranged to conditionally send the context data to the second server in a manner that is performed separately from and independently of the forwarding of the intercepted request message to the second server;

wherein the second server comprises;

a synchronization module arranged to associate the forwarded request message with the context data; and

a processing module arranged to generate a response message based on the associated request message and context data.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the intercepted request message comprises a web page request.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the first module is further arranged to inspect the intercepted request message without modification of the intercepted request message.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the intercepted request message comprises at least one of a user datagram protocol (UDP) message, a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) message, a transmission control protocol (TCP) message, and a secured hypertext transport protocol (HTTPS) message.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the acceleration engine further comprises:

a fifth module arranged to determine whether the second server has an updated cache copy of the context data;

and wherein the fourth module sends the context data to the second server responsive to a determination by the fifth module that the second server does not have an updated cache copy of the context data.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the second server further comprises:

a relay module arranged to send to the acceleration engine context data newly generated in response to the generation of the response message.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the acceleration engine is operatively connected to a TCP/IP router.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the acceleration engine further comprises:

a fifth module arranged to update the data store in response to receiving context data from at least one of the servers.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the acceleration engine receives context data from the first server separately from and independently of receiving any response message at the acceleration engine.

30. A computer program product for handling network messages in a network architecture comprising at least two servers and an acceleration engine, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium;

computer program code, encoded on the medium, configured to cause at least one processor of the acceleration engine to perform the steps of;

receiving context data from a first server;

storing the context data in a data store associated with the acceleration engine;

intercepting a request message intended for at least one of the servers;

determining whether the intercepted request message references context data;

forwarding the intercepted request message from the acceleration engine to a second server; and

in response to a determination that the intercepted request message references context data;

retrieving the stored context data from the data store and sending the context data from the acceleration engine to the second server; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, configured to cause at least one processor of the second server to perform the steps of;

associating the request message with the context data; and

generating a response message based on the associated request message and context data;

wherein the computer program code configured to cause at least one processor to send the context data to the second server is configured to send the context data separately from and independently of the forwarding of the intercepted request message to the second server.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the intercepted request message comprises a web page request and the response message comprises a web page.

32. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the computer program code configured to cause at least one processor to determine whether the request message references context data is configured to operate without modification of the request message, and wherein the request message forwarded to the second server is identical to the request message intercepted at the acceleration engine.

33. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the intercepted request message comprises at least one of a user datagram protocol (UDP) message, a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) message, a transmission control protocol (TCP) message, a secured hypertext transport protocol (HTTPS) message.