Method and system for brokering messages in a distributed system

• US 8,849,892 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2004
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Espino, Mayel
• Primary Examiner(s): VOSTAL, ONDREJ C
• Application Number:
  US10/865,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20050278410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,764 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230, 709/202, 709/206, 709/231, 709/203, 704/270
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/128 involving web programs, i.e. using technology especially used in internet, generally interacting with a web browser, e.g. hypertext markup language [HTML], applets, java
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1246 by handling markup languages, e.g. XSL, XML, HTML
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/423 Preprocessors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for brokering messages in a distributed system is disclosed, in which a resource, such as a hypertext file specified by a user agent, is preprocessed to request the services of a message broker configured to communicate messages among a plurality of non-compatible clients and servers for sending a message to an application at an application server in a protocol not supported by the user agent. In response, markup is generated and sent back to the user agent.

Claims

1. A distributed system, comprising:

a first message broker configured for encapsulating and exchanging a message among a plurality of clients and servers using incompatible protocols;

an intermediary client interfacing the first message broker and a user agent, and configured for generating the message, wherein a user of the user agent is unable to view the message generated by the intermediary client;

a second message broker configured for communicating with the first message broker over a data network, the second message broker interfacing an application server;

a storage device for storing a resource remote from a user agent, said resource containing markup source and at least one instruction for calling the second message broker to communicate the message to an application at the application server; and

a preprocessor configured for preprocessing the resource in response to a communication from the user agent specifying the resource, the preprocessing including;

in response to executing the at least one instruction, calling the second message broker based on the communication to communicate the message to the application at the application server in a protocol not supported by the user agent;

generating markup based on the markup source contained in the resource; and

sending the generated markup to the user agent.

2. A distributed system according to claim 1, wherein:

the communication from the user agent includes a parameter specifying the application; and

said calling the second message broker to communicate the message to the application is further based on the parameter specifying the application.

3. A distributed system according to claim 1, wherein the user agent includes a browser.

4. A distributed system according to claim 1, wherein the intermediary client includes a web server and resides on an edge server along with the first message broker.

5. A distributed system according to claim 1, wherein the resource includes a file containing the markup source and the at least one instruction, said at least one instruction including a server-side preprocessing instruction.

6. A distributed system according to claim 5, wherein the server-side preprocessing instruction includes one of a Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) instruction, an Active Server Pages (ASP) instruction, a Perl instruction, and a ColdFusion instruction.

7. A distributed system according to claim 5, wherein the server-side preprocessing instruction includes a call to the second message broker via an application programming interface implemented by the first message broker.

8. A distributed system according to claim 7, wherein the application programming interface implemented by the first message broker includes at least a register instruction for initiating a session.

9. A distributed system according to claim 1, wherein said preprocessing further includes:

receiving a reply from the application via the second message broker; and

generating the markup based further on the reply from the application.

10. A distributed system according to claim 1, wherein the first message broker is configured to determine a current address of a network node of the application server.

11. A method of communicating a message in a distributed computer system from a user agent to an application at an application server, comprising:

generating, by an intermediary client, the message;

receiving a communication via a first message broker from the user agent identifying a resource stored remote from the user agent, said resource containing markup source and at least one instruction for calling a second message broker based on the communication to communicate the message to the application at the application server; and

preprocessing, by a hypertext server, the resource specified in the communication, said preprocessing including;

in response to executing the at least one instruction, calling the second message broker based on the communication to communicate the message to the application at the application server in a protocol not supported by the user agent; and

generating markup based on the markup source contained in the resource; and

sending the generated markup to the user agent,

wherein the intermediary client interfaces the first message broker and the user agent, and a user of the user agent is unable to view the message generated by the intermediary client.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein:

the communication from the user agent includes a parameter specifying the application; and

said calling the message second broker to communicate the message to the application is further based on the parameter specifying the application.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the user agent includes a browser.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the resource is stored at a web server.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein the resource includes a file containing the markup source and the at least one instruction, said at least one instruction including a server-side preprocessing instruction.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the server-side preprocessing instruction includes one of a Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) instruction, an Active Server Pages (ASP) instruction, a Perl instruction, and a ColdFusion instruction.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the server-side preprocessing instruction includes a call to the second message broker via an application programming interface implemented by the first message broker.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the application programming interface implemented by the first message broker includes at least a register instruction for initiating a session.

19. A method according to claim 11, wherein said preprocessing further includes:

receiving a reply from the application via the second message broker; and

generating the markup based further on the reply from the application.

20. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first message broker is configured to determine a current address of a network node of the application server and to encapsulate messages among a plurality of clients and servers using incompatible protocols.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing, remote from a user agent, a resource containing markup source and one or more instructions for communicating a message in a distributed computer system from the user agent to an application at an application server, said one or more instructions being configured, when preprocessed by a hypertext server in response to a communication received by a first message broker from the user agent identifying the non-transitory computer-readable medium, to cause one or more processors to perform the steps of:

calling a second message broker to communicate the message based on the communication to the application at the application server in a protocol not supported by the user agent; and

generating markup based the markup source contained in the resource,

wherein the message is generated by an intermediary client interfacing the first message broker and a user agent, and a user of the user agent is unable to view the message generated by the intermediary client.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein:

the communication from the user agent includes a parameter specifying the application; and

said calling the second message broker to communicate the message to the application is further based on the parameter specifying the application.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the user agent includes a browser.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the hypertext server includes a web server.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the resource includes a file containing the markup source and said one or more instructions, said one or more instructions including a server-side preprocessing instruction.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 25, wherein the server-side preprocessing instruction includes one of a Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) instruction, an Active Server Pages (ASP) instruction, a Perl instruction, and a ColdFusion instruction.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 25, wherein the server-side preprocessing instruction includes a call to the second message broker via an application programming interface implemented by the first message broker.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 27, wherein the application programming interface implemented by the first message broker includes at least a register instruction for initiating a session.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein said one or more instructions are further configured to perform the steps of:

receiving a reply from the application via the second message broker; and

generating the markup based further on the reply from the application.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the first message broker is configured to determine a current address of a network node of the application server and to encapsulate messages among a plurality of clients and servers using incompatible protocols.