Asynchronous processing of task components in connection with rights management system and the like

• US 8,229,996 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Waxman, Peter, Cottrille, Scott, Yarmolenko, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodchild, William
• Application Number:
  US10/723,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,163 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5017 Task decomposition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/509 Offload
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication 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 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A server receives a request and identifies a corresponding task with core and peripheral components. The server performs the core components and collects relevant context data. The server returns a result to the requester based on having performed the core components, and constructs a message including the collected context data and sends same to an asynchronous message collector. An asynchronous message processor takes up and processes the message from the collector to perform the peripheral components. Thus, the message processor performs less-time-sensitive peripheral work independent of the server and allows the server to attend to more-time-sensitive core work.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a server receiving a request from a client;

the server identifying a task corresponding to the request, the identified task including a set of core task components and a set of peripheral task components,

the core task components identified on the basis of time available to the server for responding to a plurality of requests;

the server responding to the request by performing the core task components of the identified task;

the server collecting request context data relevant to the request and the identified task;

the server returning a result to the requesting client based on having performed the core task components of the identified task;

the server constructing a message to include the collected request context data and the returned results;

the server sending the constructed message to an asynchronous message collector;

the server sending the constructed message to a first asynchronous message collector;

a forwarding server taking up the message from the first collector and forwarding same to one of a plurality of second asynchronous message collector based on a load balancing algorithm, each second collector having an asynchronous message processor associated therewith; and

the asynchronous message processor associated with the sent-to second collector taking up and processing the message therefrom to perform one or more peripheral task components of the identified task based on the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a request for a license and the set of core components comprises a request validation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the set of core components further comprises parsing, and policy validation, and wherein the set of peripheral task components comprises billing and subscription maintenance.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the asynchronous message processor taking up and processing the message from the collector to perform one or more peripheral task components of the identified task based on the message.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the server identifying the task corresponding to the request, the identified task including core task components including task components identified as relatively low-bandwidth tasks that do not adversely impact response time.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the server identifying the task corresponding to the request, the identified task including peripheral task components including task components identified as relatively high-bandwidth tasks that could adversely impact response time.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the server collecting the request context data and organizing same according to a pre-defined schema recognizable to each message processor.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the server sending the constructed message to the asynchronous message collector according to a reliable message technology protocol to ensure delivery of the message to the collector.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising one of a plurality of message processors associated with the collector taking up and processing the message from the collector.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the server collecting request context data defining the peripheral task components to be performed by the message processor, the message processor taking up and processing the message from the collector to perform the peripheral task components defined by the collected request context data of the message.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the server sending the constructed message to one of a plurality of asynchronous message collectors, each collector having an asynchronous message processor associated therewith;

the asynchronous message processor associated with the sent-to collector taking up and processing the message therefrom to perform one or more peripheral task components of the identified task based on the message.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the server sending the constructed message to a plurality of asynchronous message collectors, each collector having an asynchronous message processor associated therewith;

the asynchronous message processor associated with each sent-to collector taking up and processing the message therefrom to perform one or more peripheral task components of the identified task based on the message.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the server encrypting the constructed message and sending the encrypted message to the asynchronous message collector;

the asynchronous message processor taking up and decrypting the message from the collector and processing the decrypted message.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the server signing the constructed message and sending the signed message to the asynchronous message collector;

the asynchronous message processor taking up and verifying the signed message from the collector and processing the verified message.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is for a rights management (RM) server in an RM system to respond to a request for an RM service from an RM client.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the storage medium is not a signal, the storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing operations comprising:

a server receiving a request from a client;

the server identifying a task corresponding to the request, the identified task including a set of core task components and a set of peripheral task components,

the core task components identified on the basis of time available to the server for responding to a plurality of requests;

the server responding to the request by performing the core task components of the identified task;

the server collecting request context data relevant to the request and the identified task;

the server returning a result to the requesting client based on having performed the core task components of the identified task;

the server constructing a message to include the collected request context data and the returned results;

the server sending the constructed message to an asynchronous message collector;

the server sending the constructed message to a first asynchronous message collector;

a forwarding server taking up the message from the first collector and forwarding same to one of a plurality of second asynchronous message collector based on a load balancing algorithm, each second collector having an asynchronous message processor associated therewith;

the asynchronous message processor associated with the sent-to second collector taking up and processing the message therefrom to perform one or more peripheral task components of the identified task based on the message.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise the asynchronous message processor taking up and processing the message from the collector to perform one or more peripheral task components of the identified task based on the message.

18. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the server collects request context data including input parameters on the request, and data generated as a result of performing the core task components of the identified task.

19. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise the server identifying the task corresponding to the request, the identified task including core task components including task components identified as necessary to be performed prior to responding to the corresponding request.

20. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise the server identifying the task corresponding to the request, the identified task including core task components including task components identified as relatively low-bandwidth tasks that do not adversely impact response time.

21. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise the server identifying the task corresponding to the request, the identified task including peripheral task components including task components identified as relatively high-bandwidth tasks that could adversely impact response time.

22. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise the server collecting the request context data and organizing same according to a pre-defined schema recognizable to each message processor.

23. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise the server sending the constructed message to the asynchronous message collector according to a reliable message technology protocol to ensure delivery of the message to the collector.

24. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise one of a plurality of message processors associated with the collector taking up and processing the message from the collector.

25. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise the server collecting request context data defining the peripheral task components to be performed by the message processor, and the message processor taking up and processing the message from the collector to perform the peripheral task components defined by the collected request context data of the message.

26. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

the server sending the constructed message to one of a plurality of asynchronous message collectors, each collector having an asynchronous message processor associated therewith;

the asynchronous message processor associated with the sent-to collector taking up and processing the message therefrom to perform one or more peripheral task components of the identified task based on the message.

27. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

the server sending the constructed message to a plurality of asynchronous message collectors, each collector having an asynchronous message processor associated therewith;

the asynchronous message processor associated with each sent-to collector taking up and processing the message therefrom to perform one or more peripheral task components of the identified task based on the message.

28. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

the server encrypting the constructed message and sending the encrypted message to the asynchronous message collector;

the asynchronous message processor taking up and decrypting the message from the collector and processing the decrypted message.

29. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

the server signing the constructed message and sending the signed message to the asynchronous message collector;

the asynchronous message processor taking up and verifying the signed message from the collector and processing the verified message.

30. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations are for a rights management (RM) server in an RM system to respond to a request for an RM service from an RM client.