Message transport system using publication and subscription mechanisms

• US 8,675,518 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Thompson, Daniel, Liptack, Michael K., Lyon, James M., Hanz, Robert, Suriyanarayanan, Guhan, Yu, Chien-Lung
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Man
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US12/698,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20110188406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/245, 709201-203
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

A message transport system may use a publication subscription mechanism to connect nodes and transport messages through the nodes. Each node may establish connections to other nodes, and subscription requests and publication notifications may be passed across the nodes to establish paths for messages. When a message is published, the message may be passed over those connections for which a subscription is active. A path identifier may be added to the message as it is passed between nodes, and the path identifier may be used by a subscribing node for identification of the information being received. When a subscriber notification is removed, the path may be deconstructed across multiple nodes. The nodes may be arranged such that each node is agnostic to any connections past the nodes to which it is connected, and may allow any node to subscribe to any information published within the network.

Claims

1. A method for operating a first node in a network, said method being performed on a computer processor, said method comprising:

forming a first connection between said first node and a second node;

determining a first connection identification for said first connection;

forming a second connection between said first node and a third node;

determining a second connection identification for said second connection;

receiving a first subscription request on said second connection;

creating a second subscription request comprising at least a portion of said first subscription request and said second connection identification;

transmitting said second subscription request over said first connection;

receiving a first publication item over said first connection;

creating a second publication item comprising said first publication item and said first connection identification;

transmitting said second publication item over said second connection;

monitoring said first and second connections to determine whether said first and second connections are active;

determining that said first connection is not active;

generating a message indicating that said first publication item is no longer available; and

transmitting said message over said second connection.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

forming a third connection between said first node and said third node;

determining a third connection identification for said third node;

receiving a third subscription request from said third node;

creating a fourth subscription request comprising at least a portion of said third subscription request and said third connection identification; and

transmitting said fourth subscription request over said first connection upon determining that said first connection is active.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

transmitting said third subscription request over said second connection.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

transmitting said second publication item over said third connection.

5. The method of claim 4, said first publication item comprising a plurality of node identifications and connection identifications.

6. The method of claim 2, said first subscription request comprising a first subscription classification.

7. The method of claim 6, said first publication item comprising a first publication classification.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

evaluating said first publication classification and said first subscription classification to determine that said first publication item meets said first subscription request prior to said transmitting said second publication item.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining a second subscription classification from said third subscription request; and

evaluating said first publication classification and said second subscription classification to determine that said first publication does not meet said third subscription request and not transmitting said second publication item over said third connection.

10. A system comprising:

a computer processor;

a plurality of services operable on said computer processor;

a network operable within said computer processor comprising a plurality of nodes, each of said plurality of services being one of said plurality of nodes and further being at least one of a publisher node and a subscriber node, said publisher node being one of said nodes producing a published item, said subscriber node being one of said nodes consuming said published item, said plurality of nodes comprising transport nodes;

each of said transport nodes performing a method comprising;

forming a first connection between said transport node and a second node;

determining a first connection identification for said first connection;

forming a second connection between said transport node and a third node;

determining a second connection identification for said second connection;

receiving a first subscription request on said second connection;

creating a second subscription request comprising at least a portion of said first subscription request and said second connection identification;

transmitting said second subscription request over said first connection;

receiving a first publication item over said first connection;

creating a second publication item comprising said first publication item and said first connection identification;

transmitting said second publication item over said second connection; and

monitoring said first and second connections to determine whether said first and second connections are active;

at least one of said transport nodes performing the following;

determining that said respective first connection is not active;

generating a message indicating that said respective first publication item is no longer available; and

transmitting said message over said respective second connection;

each of said publisher nodes generating at least one publication item; and

each of said subscriber nodes generating at least one subscription request.

11. The system of claim 10, at least one of said transport nodes also being a publisher node.

12. The system of claim 11, at least one of said transport nodes also being a subscriber node.

13. The system of claim 12, at least one of said subscriber nodes also being a publisher node.

14. The system of claim 10, said first publication item being a persistent publication item.

15. The system of claim 14, said method further comprising:

determining that said first connection is active;

determining that said second connection is not active;

generating a message indicating that said second publication item is no longer available; and

transmitting said message over said first connection.

16. The system of claim 15, said method comprising:

receiving a third publication item over said first connection;

detecting that said third publication item is a one-shot publication item;

creating a fourth publication item comprising said third publication item and said first connection identification; and

transmitting said fourth publication item over said second connection.

17. The system of claim 10, said method further comprising:

receiving a third publication item over said first connection;

detecting that said third publication item is an update to said first publication item;

creating a fourth publication item comprising said third publication item and said first connection identification; and

transmitting said fourth publication item over said second connection.

18. A method performed by a computer processor, said method comprising:

determining a first node identification for a first node, said first node being a transport node;

forming a first connection between said first node and a second node, said second node being a node attached to a service, said service creating consumable data having a first classification;

determining a first connection identification for said first connection;

forming a second connection between said first node and a third node;

determining a second connection identification for said second connection;

receiving a first subscription request on said second connection, said first subscription request comprising a second classification describing requested data;

creating a second subscription request comprising at least a portion of said first subscription request and said second connection identification;

transmitting said second subscription request over said first connection;

receiving a first publication item over said first connection, said first publication item comprising said first classification;

determining that said first classification is at least a subset of said second classification, creating a second publication item comprising said first publication item and said first connection identification, and transmitting said second publication item over said second connection;

monitoring said first and second connections to determine whether said first and second connections are active;

determining that said first connection is not active;

generating a message indicating that said first publication item is no longer available; and

transmitting said message over said second connection.

19. The method of claim 18, said third node being a transport node.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

forming a third connection between said first node and said third node;

determining a third connection identification for said third node;

receiving a third subscription request from said third node;

creating a fourth subscription request comprising at least a portion of said third subscription request and said third connection identification and further comprising a third classification; and

determining that said first classification is not at least a subset of said third classification, and not transmitting said second publication item over said third connection.