Messaging system with distributed filtering modules which register interests, remove any messages that do not match the registered interest, and forward any matched messages for delivery

• US 9,319,362 B1
• Filed: 01/25/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solace Corp.
• Original Assignee: Solace Systems, Inc. (United Kingdom)
• Inventors: McAllister, Shawn, Kondrat, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Murray, Daniel C
• Application Number:
  US13/357,951
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/206, 709/245, 709/246, 370/389
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/54 Store-and-forward switching systems packet switching systems H04L45/00, H04L47/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/564 Connection-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5642 Multicast/broadcast/point-multipoint, e.g. VOD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/252 Store and forward routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

In a message delivery system, messages are carried over a network in packets. Server hosts support applications for originating and receiving messages and network interfaces. Switches interconnect the server hosts and form the packet network. Some of the switches are linked to the local server hosts. Distributed filtering/matching modules associated with the local server hosts register interests for applications on the associated local server hosts, inspect packets received over the network or from a local server host to match messages with registered interests and remove any unmatched packets from the packets. The matched messages are forwarded to the local server host for delivery to the applications. This system offers the ability to use special purpose hardware for the filtering/matching function without requiring connections to a common message broker.

Claims

1. A message delivery system for delivering messages over a network, wherein the messages are carried over the network in packets, comprising:

a plurality of server hosts, each server host running applications for originating and receiving messages, and comprising a messaging layer for framing and formatting messages originating from the applications, a network interface connected to the network, and a network stack that transmits the framed and formatted messages to a predetermined multicast group of server hosts on the network via the network interface;

a plurality of switches interconnecting said server hosts and forming the network, wherein at least some of said switches on the edge of the network serving as ingress/egress switches are connected via links to the network interfaces of the respective server hosts; and

distributed filtering/matching modules associated with but distinct from the respective server hosts and being deployed on said links; and

wherein each filtering/matching module is configured to;

a) register interests associated with the applications on the server host with which the filtering/matching module is associated;

b) inspect packets received over the network for the server host with which the filtering/matching module is associated to match messages carried by the packets with the registered interests;

c) remove any unmatched messages from the packets; and

d) transform a multicast address in a header of a matched packet to a point-to-point address of the host server with which the filtering/matching module is associated and transform a destination port in the message to permit the network stack in the host server which the filtering/matching module is associated to determine a matching application to send the packet to; and

e) forward packets carrying any matched messages to the server host with the filtering/matching module is associated for delivery to the applications having registered interests matching the messages.

2. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filtering/matching modules are embedded in the ingress/egress switches on the edge of the network linked to the network interfaces of the server hosts.

3. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ingress/egress switches comprise ports for connection to other network switches and enhanced ports for connection to the server hosts, and wherein the enhanced ports are associated with the embedded filtering/matching modules.

4. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the filtering/matching modules associated with the enhanced ports are controlled by common control logic reachable as a network host.

5. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the common control logic is reachable over a TCP connection.

6. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 1, where the filtering/matching modules are embedded as distinct entities in the network interfaces of the associated server hosts.

7. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filtering/matching modules are configured to add a marker to the header of each matching message to indicate to the destination server host which applications running on the server host are interested in the message.

8. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of multicast groups, each associated with different sets of topics of interest, and wherein the originating applications are configured to identify sets of topics of interest in the messages and send the packets carrying the messages toward the destination server hosts forming part of the multicast group associated with the identified sets of topics of interest.

9. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a control connection established between the applications on the server hosts and control logic for the associated filtering/matching modules for registering said interests.

10. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control connection is a TCP connection.

11. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filtering/matching modules are configured such that if they receive a message from an application on a server host with which they are associated, and another application on that server host has registered an interest in receiving the message, the filtering/matching modules retain a copy of the message and send it back to the other application on that server host.

12. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filtering/matching modules are configured to match the interests within a topic field contained in the messages.

13. A switch for use in a message delivery system for delivering messages over a network, wherein the messages are carried over the network in packets, comprising:

a plurality of ports, at least one of which is an enhanced port for connection to a local server host; and

at least one filtering/matching module associated with the at least one enhanced port, said at least one filtering/matching module being configured to;

a) register interests for applications on the local server host;

b) inspect packets using multicast addressing received over the network for the local server host to match messages carried by the packets with registered interests;

c) remove any unmatched messages from the packets; and

d) transform a multicast address in a header of a matched packet to a point-to-point address of the local host server and transform a destination port in the message to permit the network stack in the host server which the filtering/matching module is associated to determine a matching application to send the packet to; and

e) forward packets carrying any matched messages to the local server host for delivery to the applications having registered interests matching the messages.

14. A switch as claimed in claim 13, wherein the filtering/matching modules associated with the enhanced ports are controlled by common control logic reachable as a network host.

15. A switch as claimed in claim 14, wherein the common control logic is reachable over a TCP connection.

16. A switch as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one filtering/matching module is configured such that if it receives a message from an application on a local server host, and another application on that local server host has registered an interest in receiving the message, the filtering/matching module retains a copy of the message and send it back to the other application on the local server host.

17. A method of delivering messages over a network having a plurality of switches including ingress/egress switches attached to local server hosts, and wherein the messages are carried over the network in packets, comprising:

receiving messages originating in supporting applications on the local server hosts;

forwarding packets carrying the messages to the network via ingress/egress switches attached to the destination server hosts using multicast addressing;

inspecting the packets in distributed filtering/matching modules associated with local server hosts to match messages received over the network for the local server host with registered interests associated with applications running on the local server host;

removing any unmatched messages from the packets;

transforming a multicast address in a header of a matched packet to a point-to-point address of the host server with which the filtering/matching module is associated and transforming a destination port in the message to permit the network stack in the host server which the filtering/matching module is associated to determine a matching application to send the packet to; and

forwarding packets carrying the matched messages to the local server host for delivery to the applications having registered interests matching the messages.

18. A message delivery system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the filtering/matching modules add a marker to the header of each matching message to indicate to the local server host which applications in the group are interested in that message.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the marker is a bit mask.

20. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the destination server hosts are arranged in a plurality of multicast groups, each associated with different sets of topics of interest, and the originating applications identify sets of topics of interest in the messages and send the messages toward the destination server hosts forming part of the multicast group associated with the identified topics of interest.

21. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the interests are registered in the filtering/matching modules via a control connection from the receiving applications.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the control connection is a TCP connection.

23. A method as claimed claim 17, wherein if a message from an application on a local server host, and another application on that local server host has registered an interest in receiving the message, the filtering/matching modules retain a copy of the message and send it back to the other application on that local server host.

24. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the filtering/matching modules match the interests within a topic field contained in the messages.

25. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the filtering/matching modules are located at the network interface of the local server hosts.

26. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the filtering/matching modules are located at the ingress/egress switches.