Implementation of an extranet server from within an intranet

• US 8,977,691 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2006
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Inventors: Fink, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ansari, Najeebuddin
• Application Number:
  US11/476,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20080005248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,177 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/201, 709/206, 709/217, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A request for information or services available on an intranet may be made by users on an extranet outside the intranet. An email is generated in an external server on the extranet in response to the request for information or services, and then sent from the external server to an internal server inside the intranet. The email comprises one or more approved forms based on the request, wherein specifics of the request are embedded into the body of the email. The email is processed at the internal server, in order to generate a response to the request, wherein the response is returned by the internal server to the external server in a reply email. The reply email includes an attachment containing the results of the processing performed by the internal server. The external server allows the user to access these results via an external graphical user interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of processing a request for information or services available on an intranet to users outside the intranet, comprising:

(a) receiving a request for information or services from a user at an external server, wherein the information or services are available on an internal server inside an intranet and the external server is outside the intranet;

(b) automatically generating a request email in the external server in response to the request for information or services, wherein specifics of the request for information or services are embedded into the request email by the external server;

(c) sending the request email from the external server outside the intranet to the internal server inside the intranet;

(d) processing the request email at the internal server inside the intranet in order to automatically generate a reply email in response to the request for information or services, wherein one or more functions are performed based on the specifics of the request for information or services embedded into the request email, the functions are performed against a database, results from the functions comprise the response to the request for information or services, specifics of the response are embedded into the reply email by the internal server, the response includes an attachment to the reply email containing the results from the functions, and the attachment is in a form accessible and readable only by the internal server and external server; and

(e) sending the reply email from the internal server inside the intranet to the external server outside the intranet; and

(f) processing the reply email in the external server, in order to allow the user to access the response to the request for information or services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request email is sent from the external server to the internal server via an email server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request email can only be sent from the external server to the internal server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request email comprises one or more approved forms based on the request for information or services.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for information or services comprises inserts, queries, reports or updates against a database.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the specifics of the request for information or services identify which records to add, retrieve or update in the database.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the internal server invokes and executes one or more predefined programs to process the request email, and the predefined programs perform one or more approved functions based on the form of the request email and the specifics of the request for information or services that are embedded into the request email.

8. A computer-implemented apparatus for processing a request for information or services available on an intranet to users outside the intranet, comprising:

(a) an external server, outside the intranet; and

(b) an internal server, inside the intranet;

(c) the external server being configured for receiving a request for information or services from a user, wherein the information or services are available on the internal server inside the intranet, and for automatically generating a request email in response to the request for information or services, wherein specifics of the request for information or services are embedded into the request email by the external server and the request email is sent from the external server outside the intranet to the internal server inside the intranet; and

(d) the internal server being configured for processing the request email in order to automatically generate a reply email in response to the request for information or services, wherein one or more functions are performed based on the specifics of the request for information or services embedded into the request email, the functions are performed against a database, results from the functions comprise the response to the request for information or services, specifics of the response are embedded into the reply email by the internal server, the response includes an attachment to the reply email containing the results from the functions, the attachment is in a form accessible and readable only by the internal server and external server, and the reply email is sent from the internal server inside the intranet to the external server outside the intranet for processing the reply email, in order to allow the user to access the response to the request for information or services.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the request email is sent from the external server to the internal server via an email server.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the request email can only be sent from the external server to the internal server.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the request email comprises one or more approved forms based on the request for information or services.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the request for information or services comprises inserts, queries, reports or updates against a database.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the specifics of the request for information or services identify which records to add, retrieve or update in the database.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the internal server invokes and executes one or more predefined programs to process the request email, and the predefined programs perform one or more approved functions based on the form of the request email and the specifics of the request for information or services that are embedded into the request email.