Computer data communications in a high speed, low latency data communications environment

• US 8,296,778 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhogal, Kulvir S., Lewis, Paul D., Okunseinde, Foluso O., Ravisankar, Ramanujam, Wright, Cornell G. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough, H. S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yun, Carina
• Application Number:
  US11/426,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20070300233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,310 Days
• Field of Search: 719/315
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/547 Messaging middleware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for computer data communications in a high speed, low latency data communications environment that include: brokering, by a stream administration server, establishment of a message stream from a contributing client device to a feed adapter, including authenticating the contributing client device, authorizing the contributing client device to send messages to the feed adapter on the message stream, and establishing in messaging middleware of the contributing client device a set of constraints on messages to be transmitted from the contributing client device to the feed adapter; receiving, in the messaging middleware of the contributing client device from an application of the contributing client device, a message for transmission to the feed adapter on the message stream; determining, by the messaging middleware, whether contents of the message satisfy the constraints; and administering the message, by the messaging middleware, in dependence upon whether the message satisfies the constraints.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

issuing a request, from an application of a contributing client device to a stream administration server, for authorization to contribute messages from the application to a feed adapter within a data communications environment via a message stream which bypasses the stream administration server, wherein,

the feed adapter is coupled to a feed source via a feed adapter input stream and to at least one subscribing device via a feed adapter output stream,

the feed source is separate from the contributing client device, and

the feed adapter input stream is separate from the message stream;

receiving, in response to the request and an authentication of the contributing client device, a set of constraints on messages to be transmitted from the contributing client device to the feed adapter, wherein the set of constraints specifies one or more topics of messages that the contributing client device is authorized to contribute to the feed adapter;

establishing the set of constraints in messaging middleware of the contributing client device;

receiving, in the messaging middleware of the contributing client device from the application of the contributing client device, a message for transmission to the feed adapter on the message stream;

determining, by the messaging middleware of the contributing client device, whether contents of the message satisfy the set of constraints, wherein the determining comprises

comparing a topic associated with the message with the one or more topics of messages that the contributing client device is authorized to contribute to the feed adapter; and

administering the message, by the messaging middleware of the contributing client device, in dependence upon whether the message satisfies the set of constraints, wherein said administering the message comprises;

authorizing transmission of the message on the message stream in dependence upon whether the message satisfies the set of constraints, and transmitting the message from the contributing client device to the feed adapter, bypassing the stream administration server, in response to an authorization of transmission of the message on the message stream;

or

logging the message in dependence upon whether the message satisfies the set of constraints.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data communications environment comprises a data communications network, the network further comprising the feed adapter, the stream administration server, the at least one subscribing client device, the contributing client device, and no router.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein

the feed adapter comprises a conversion module to convert messages having a first format received via the feed adapter input stream to messages having a second format for transmission on the feed adapter output stream to the at least one subscribing client device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising setting, by the stream administration server, values of constraints in the messaging middleware of the contributing client device that prevent the message from being sent on the message stream.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

each constraint of the set of constraints is characterized by a message field identifier, a constraint value, and a constraint operator; and

determining, by the messaging middleware, whether contents of the message satisfy the set of constraints further comprises applying the constraint operator to the constraint value and to a value from a data field in the message identified by the message field identifier.

6. An apparatus for computer data communications in a data communications environment, the apparatus comprising one or more computer processors, one or more computer memories operatively coupled to the one or more computer processors, the computer memories having disposed within them computer program instructions capable of:

issuing a request, from an application of a contributing client device to a stream administration server, for authorization to contribute messages from the application to a feed adapter within the data communications environment via a message stream which bypasses the stream administration server, wherein,

the feed adapter is coupled to a feed source via a feed adapter input stream and to at least one subscribing device via a feed adapter output stream,

the feed source is separate from the contributing client device, and

the feed adapter input stream is separate from the message stream;

receiving, in response to the request and an authentication of the contributing client device,

a set of constraints on messages to be transmitted from the contributing client device to the feed adapter, wherein the set of constraints specifies one or more topics of messages that the contributing client device is authorized to contribute to the feed adapter;

establishing the set of constraints in messaging middleware of the contributing client device;

receiving, in the messaging middleware of the contributing client device from the application of the contributing client device, a message for transmission to the feed adapter on the message stream;

determining, by the messaging middleware of the contributing client device, whether contents of the message satisfy the set of constraints, wherein the determining comprises

comparing a topic associated with the message with the one or more topics of messages that the contributing client device is authorized to contribute to the feed adapter; and

administering the message, by the messaging middleware of the contributing client device, in dependence upon whether the message satisfies the set of constraints, wherein said administering the message comprises;

authorizing transmission of the message on the message stream in dependence upon whether the message satisfies the set of constraints, and transmitting the message from the contributing client device to the feed adapter, bypassing the stream administration server, in response to an authorization of transmission of the message on the message stream;

or

logging the message in dependence upon whether the message satisfies the set of constraints.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the data communications environment comprises a data communications network, the network further comprising the feed adapter, the stream administration server, the at least one subscribing client device, the contributing client device, and no router.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein

the feed adapter comprises a conversion module to convert messages having a first format received via a feed adapter input stream to messages having a second format for transmission on the feed adapter output stream to the at least one subscribing client device.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

each constraint of the set of constraints is characterized by a message field identifier, a constraint value, and a constraint operator; and

determining, by the messaging middleware, whether contents of the message satisfy the constraints further comprises applying the constraint operator to the constraint value and to a value from a data field in the message identified by the message field identifier.

10. A computer program product for computer data communications in a data communications environment, the computer program product disposed upon a non-transitory recordable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

issuing a request, from an application of a contributing client device to a stream administration server, for authorization to contribute messages from the application to a feed adapter within the data communications environment via a message stream which bypasses the stream administration server, wherein,

the feed adapter is coupled to a feed source via a feed adapter input stream and to at least one subscribing device via a feed adapter output stream,

the feed source is separate from the contributing client device, and

the feed adapter input stream is separate from the message stream;

receiving, in response to the request and an authentication of the contributing client device,

a set of constraints on messages to be transmitted from the contributing client device to the feed adapter, wherein the set of constraints specifies one or more topics of messages that the contributing client device is authorized to contribute to the feed adapter;

establishing the set of constraints in messaging middleware of the contributing client device;

receiving, in the messaging middleware of the contributing client device from the application of the contributing client device, a message for transmission to the feed adapter on the message stream;

determining, by the messaging middleware of the contributing client device, whether contents of the message satisfy the set of constraints, wherein the determining comprises

comparing a topic associated with the message with the one or more topics of messages that the contributing client device is authorized to contribute to the feed adapter; and

administering the message, by the messaging middleware of the contributing client device, in dependence upon whether the message satisfies the set of constraints, wherein said administering the message comprises;

authorizing transmission of the message on the message stream in dependence upon whether the message satisfies the set of constraints, and transmitting the message from the contributing client device to the feed adapter, bypassing the stream administration server, in response to an authorization of transmission of the message on the message stream;

or

logging the message in dependence upon whether the message satisfies the set of constraints.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the data communications environment comprises a data communications network, the network further comprising the feed adapter, the stream administration server, the at least one subscribing client device, the contributing client device, and no router.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein:

each constraint of the set of constraints is characterized by a message field identifier, a constraint value, and a constraint operator; and

determining, by the messaging middleware, whether contents of the message satisfy the set of constraints further comprises applying the constraint operator to the constraint value and to a value from a data field in the message identified by the message field identifier.