System and method of binding a client to a server

• US 8,606,874 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Upland Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hipcricket, Inc. (Upland Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ali, Awais, Talucci, Fabrizio, Zimmerman, Charlie, Cooney, John M
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US12/551,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1006 with static server selection, e.g. the same server being selected for a specific client
• 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 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

Systems and methods to bind a client with a server are provided. A particular method includes establishing a connection between a server and a client. A list of best-fit server IP addresses is received at the client via the connection. A determination is made whether the server is identified in the list of best-fit server IP addresses. When the server is not identified in the list of best-fit server IP addresses, the connection to the server is terminated.

Claims

1. A method of binding a client to a server, the method comprising:

establishing a connection between a server and a client;

receiving, at the client via the connection, a list of best-fit server Internet Protocol (IP) addresses;

determining, at the client, whether the server is identified in the list of best-fit server IP addresses;

maintaining the connection to the server in response to determining that the server is identified in the list of best-fit server IP addresses; and

ending the connection to the server in response to determining that the server is not identified in the list of best-fit server IP addresses.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of best fit server IP addresses includes at least three server IP addresses.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least three server IP addresses are arranged in an order of preference in the list of best fit server IP addresses.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating establishment of a connection to at least one server IP address of the list of best fit server IP addresses after ending the connection to the server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the client, whether the connection to the server has been lost; and

when the connection to the server has been lost, initiating establishment of a connection to a first server IP address that is retrieved from the list of best fit server IP addresses.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, when the connection to the first server IP address is not established, initiating establishment of a connection to a next server IP address in the list of best fit server IP addresses.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a request for the list of best fit server IP addresses from the client to the server via the connection using a first protocol, wherein the list of best-fit server IP addresses is received by the client using a second protocol.

2. A server device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory accessible to the processor; and

a protocol engine executable by the processor to;

establish a connection to a client device; and

send a list of best-fit server Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to the client device via the connection, wherein the list of best-fit server IP addresses is determined based on network distribution criteria;

wherein the client device ends the connection to the server device in response to determining that an address of the server device is not identified in the list of best-fit server IP addresses; and

wherein the client device maintains the connection to the server device in response to determining that the address of the server device is identified in the list of best-fit server IP addresses.

10. The server device of claim 2, wherein the protocol engine sends the list of best-fit server IP addresses via a Session Initiation. Protocol (SIP) message.

11. The server device of claim 2, wherein the protocol engine sends the list of best-fit server IP addresses in response to a request from the client.

12. The server device of claim 11, wherein the request is received via a Simple Traversal of User Datagram Protocol through Network Address Translators (NATs) (STUN) message.

13. The server device of claim 2, wherein the memory further comprises an optimizer program that is executable by the processor to select the list of best-fit server IP addresses based on routing and availability information.

14. The server device of claim 13, wherein addresses on the list of best-fit server IP addresses are determined based on a database of best-fit solutions.

15. The server device of claim 13, wherein addresses on the list of best-fit server IP addresses are dynamically computed.

16. The server device of claim 13, wherein the optimizer program identifies an order of preference of the IP addresses of the list of best-fit server IP addresses.

17. The server device of claim 13, wherein the routing and availability information includes at least one of a routing distance, a message delivery latency, and server loading.

3. A client device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory accessible to the processor;

a protocol engine executable by the processor to;

establish a connection between a server and the client device;

receive, at the client device via the connection, a list of best-fit server Internet Protocol (IP) addresses; and

determine whether the server is identified in the list of best-fit server IP addresses;

maintain the connection to the server in response to determining that the server is identified in the list of best-fit server IP addresses; and

end the connection to the server in response to determining that the server is not identified in the list of best-fit server IP addresses.

18. The client device of claim 3, wherein the memory stores the list of best-fit server IP addresses.

19. The client device of claim 18, wherein, after the client device ends the connection to the server, the client device accesses the list of best-fit server IP addresses in the memory, selects a first server from the list of best-fit server IP addresses, and attempts to establish a connection to the first server based on an order of the list of best-fit server IP addresses.

20. The client device of claim 19, wherein, when the client device is not able to establish the connection to the first server, the client device accesses the list of best-fit server IP addresses in the memory, selects a second server from the list of best-fit server IP addresses, and attempts to establish a connection to the second server based on an order of the list of best-fit server IP addresses.