Coordinating resources using a volatile network intermediary

• US 8,505,030 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2008
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Allen, Nicholas A., Dar, Affan Arshad, Taylor, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Application Number:
  US12/018,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20090133036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for coordinating resources using a volatile network intermediary. Embodiments provide a mechanism for an network intermediary to facilitate a state coordination pattern between an application and a communication medium when the communication medium does not support the state coordination pattern. In some embodiments, receiving applications can make use of this network intermediary by changing the receive location. However, the receiving application may not be able to distinguish the network intermediary from a native implementation of the state coordination pattern. Further, the network intermediary does not require deployment of a persistent or durable store to coordinate state between receiving applications and the original communication medium.

Claims

1. In a computer architecture including a communication medium, an intermediary resource manager, and an application with a plurality of consumers that consume messages from the communication medium, the intermediary resource manager situated between the application and the communication medium, the application supporting a state coordination pattern to coordinate state transitions between the application and accessible communication mediums, wherein the communication medium does not support the state coordination pattern of the application, a method for coordinating state between the communication medium and the application based on the state coordination pattern, notwithstanding that the communication medium does not support the state coordination pattern, the method comprising:

receiving a message request from a consumer in the plurality of consumers, wherein the message request is requesting a message from the communication medium through the intermediary resource manager, for processing;

the intermediary resource manager identifying an available message available at the communication medium;

an act of the intermediary resource manager implementing at least part of the state coordination pattern to facilitate processing of the available message, wherein the intermediary resource manager including a message list which is a temporary queue listing enumerated message IDs for messages, wherein the intermediary resource manager including a consumer list which is a temporary queue listing competing consumers for messages, wherein the intermediary resource manager including a lock table comprising corresponding message IDs and consumer IDs, and wherein the intermediary resource manager enumerates the message list to find a message that is not present in the lock table;

the intermediary resource manager implementing the state coordination pattern on behalf of the communication medium to coordinate state between the application and the communication medium, the intermediary resource manager appearing to the consumer as the communication medium, wherein the intermediary resource manager provides an implementation of the state coordination pattern for the application and manipulates the state of the communication medium which does not support the state coordination pattern of the application such that the states of the application and the communication medium are coordinated as if the communication medium supported the state coordination pattern directly despite that the communication medium does not support the state coordination pattern;

the intermediary resource manager receiving a signal from the requesting consumer indicating the results of an attempt to update application state based on the contents of the available message;

an act of determining what the corresponding communication medium state is to be based on and in response to the received signal indicating the results of attempting to update the application state; and

an act of the intermediary resource manager implementing at least a second part of the state coordination pattern on behalf of the communication medium to coordinate the corresponding communication medium state with the application state.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of the resource manager enumerating the one or more messages of the communication medium prior to identifying an available message.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein identifying an available message comprises identifying the first available message on the communication medium that is not locked.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the intermediary resource manager implementing at least part of the state coordination pattern to facilitate processing of the available message comprises:

an act of the resource manager accessing the contents of the available message;

an act of the resource manager locking the message to prevent further access to the contents of the message during the time the requesting consumer is processing the accessed message contents; and

an act of the resource manager providing the accessed contents to the application.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the act of the resource manager locking the message comprises an act of inserting a record into the lock table, the record including a message ID of the available message and a consumer ID of the requesting consumer, the record indicating that the message is locked for processing by the requesting consumer.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the intermediary resource manager implementing at least part of the state coordination pattern to facilitate processing of the available message comprises an act of the intermediary resource manager implementing at least part of a peek lock state coordination pattern to facilitate processing of the available message.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the act of the intermediary resource manager implementing at least a second part the state coordination pattern on behalf of the communication medium to coordinate the corresponding communication medium state with the application state comprises an act of the intermediary resource manager implementing at least a second part of the peek lock state coordination pattern.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving a signal from the requesting consumer comprises receiving a signal that indicates the available message was successfully processed.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of determining what the corresponding communication medium state is to be comprises an act of determining that the available message is to be deleted from the communication medium.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving a signal from the requesting consumer comprises receiving a signal that indicates the available message was not successfully processed.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the act of determining what the corresponding communication medium state is to be comprises an act of determining that the available message is to remain at the communication medium.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the intermediary resource manager implementing at least a second part the state coordination pattern on behalf of the communication medium to coordinate the corresponding communication medium state with the application state comprises an act of the intermediary resource manager unlocking the message.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of the intermediary resource manager implementing at least a second part the state coordination pattern on behalf of the communication medium to coordinate the corresponding communication medium state with the application state comprises an act of the intermediary resource manager signaling a corresponding appropriate state update to the communication medium.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the act of the intermediary resource manager signaling a corresponding appropriate state update to the communication medium comprises an act of signaling the communication medium to delete the available message.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the act of intermediary resource manager signaling a corresponding appropriate state update to the communication medium comprises an act of the intermediary resource manager participating in a transaction that atomically coordinates:

an appropriate state update to the communication medium, removal of a record for the available message from a lock table, the lock table, and at least one operation for the application.

16. A computer program product for use in a computer architecture including a communication medium, a resource manager, and an application with a plurality of consumers that consume messages from the communication medium, the computer program product for implementing a method for coordinating state between the communication medium and the application, wherein the communication medium does not support a state coordination pattern of the application, the computer program product comprising one or more computer readable physical storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer architecture to perform the method, including the following:

receive a message request from a consumer in the plurality of consumers, wherein the message request is requesting a message from the communication medium the resource manager, for processing;

the resource manager accessing the message list of one or more messages of the communication medium to identify an available message;

access the contents of the available message;

lock the available message to prevent further access to the contents of the available message;

the resource manager providing the accessed message contents to the requesting consumer, wherein the resource manager appears to the consumer as the communication medium, wherein the resource manager including a message list which is a temporary queue listing enumerated message IDs for messages, wherein the resource manager including a consumer list which is a temporary queue listing competing consumers for messages, wherein the resource manager including a lock table comprising corresponding message IDs and consumer IDs, and wherein the resource manager enumerates the message list to find a message that is not present in the lock table;

wherein the resource manager provides an implementation of the state coordination pattern for the application and manipulates a state of the communication medium which does not support the state coordination pattern of the application such that the states of the application and the communication medium are coordinated as if the communication medium supported the state coordination pattern directly despite that the communication medium does not support the state coordination pattern;

receive a signal from the requesting consumer indicating the results of an attempt to update application state based on the contents of the message; and

at least unlock the available message in response to the received signal.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the computer architecture to identify an available message comprise computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the computer architecture to identify the first available message on the communication medium that is not locked.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the computer architecture to lock the available message to prevent further access to the contents of the available message comprise computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the computer architecture to insert a record into the lock table, the record including a message ID of the available message and a consumer ID of the requesting consumer, the record indicating that the message is locked for processing by the requesting consumer.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the computer architecture to at least unlock the available message in response to the received signal comprise computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the computer architecture to:

unlock the available message in response to the received signal from the application; and

signal the communication medium to delete the available message.

20. A computer system, the computer system including:

one or more processors;

system memory;

one or more computer storage media have stored thereon computer-executable instructions representing a communication medium, an application, and

an intermediary resource manager situated between the communication medium and the application, wherein the communication medium is configured to;

receive messages;

receive signals to delete messages from the intermediary resource manager; and

delete messages based on and in response to delete signals;

wherein the application includes a plurality of consumers that consume messages from the communication medium, each consumer configured to;

request messages from the communication medium;

receive the contents of messages;

attempt to update application state based on the contents of messages; and

signal results of attempted application state updates to the communication medium; and

wherein the intermediary resource manager is configured to appear to the plurality of consumers as the communication medium, wherein the intermediary resource manager including a message list which is a temporary queue listing enumerated message IDs for messages, wherein the intermediary resource manager including a consumer list which is a temporary queue listing competing consumers for messages, wherein the intermediary resource manager including a lock table comprising corresponding message IDs and consumer IDs, and wherein the intermediary resource manager enumerates the message list to find a message that is not present in the lock table;

the intermediary resource manager providing an implementation of a state coordination pattern for the application and manipulating a state of the communication medium which does not support the state coordination pattern of the application such that states of the application and the communication medium are coordinated as if the communication medium supported the state coordination pattern directly despite that the communication medium does not support the state coordination pattern, the intermediary resource manager also configured to;

receive requests for messages from each consumer in the plurality of consumers;

access a message list of one or more messages of the communication medium to identify available messages;

access the contents of available messages;

lock messages to prevent further access to the contents of the messages;

provide accessed message contents to consumers;

receive signals from consumers indicating the results of an attempt to update application state based on the contents of the message;

unlock messages; and

signal the communication medium to delete messages.