Message queues for rapid re-hosting of client devices

• US 9,887,955 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2016
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Inventors: Son, Aaron Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Chirag R
• Application Number:
  US15/091,857
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

Connected gateway servers relay an electronic message from a first client device to a second client device by storing the message in respective user message queues associated with the sender and/or recipient of the message and then sending the message along a sequence of gateway servers to a gateway server that hosts the second client device. Upon receiving the electronic message at a first gateway server, a second gateway server that is hosting the second client device is identified and a sequence of gateway servers starting at the first gateway server and ending at the second gateway server is determined. Each gateway server in the sequence relays the message to the following gateway server in the sequence while maintaining user message queues. Failure of the last gateway server in the sequence results in the penultimate gateway server in the sequence assuming the responsibility of hosting the second client device.

Claims

1. A method for relaying electronic messages between connected gateway servers, the method comprising:

assigning a first chain of the gateway servers to a first client device, the first chain starting at a first gateway server of the gateway servers that hosts the first client device and ending at a second gateway server of the gateway servers;

assigning a second chain of the gateway servers to a second client device, the second chain starting at a third gateway server of the gateway servers that hosts the second client device and ending at a fourth gateway server of the gateway servers;

receiving, at the first gateway server, an electronic message from a sender associated with the first client device to a recipient associated with the second client device;

determining a sequence of the gateway servers that starts at the first gateway server and ends at the third gateway server, the sequence comprising the first and second chains;

sending, by each of the gateway servers in the sequence, the electronic message to the subsequent gateway server in the sequence;

storing the electronic message in a message queue associated with the sender in each of the gateway servers of the first chain, and

storing the electronic message in a message queue associated with the recipient in each of the gateway servers of the second chain.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising each of the gateway servers in the sequence:

detecting that a gateway server in the first chain that is hosting the first client device is not functioning and hosting the first client device by the subsequent gateway server in the first chain; and

detecting that a gateway server in the second chain that is hosting the second client device is not functioning and hosting the second client device by the subsequent gateway server in the second chain.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising each of the gateway servers in the sequence acknowledging receipt of the electronic message after receiving the electronic message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein detecting that the gateway server in the first or second chain is not functioning is based on the gateway server in the first or second chain failing to acknowledge receipt of the electronic message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting the electronic message from each message queue associated with the sender and from each message queue associated with the recipient based on detection of a triggering event.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the triggering event comprises the electronic message being received at the second client device or a response to the electronic message being sent from the second client device.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

deleting the electronic message from each message queue associated with the sender and from each message queue associated with the recipient based on an expiration of a specified time period;

storing a copy of the electronic message in an external storage based on the expiration of the specified time period; and

deleting the electronic message from the external storage based on detection of the triggering event.

8. A system comprising:

a message transmission module comprising at least one processor and configured to;

assign a first chain of gateway servers to a first client device, the first chain starting at a first gateway server of the gateway servers that hosts the first client device and ending at a second gateway server of the gateway servers;

assign a second chain of the gateway servers to a second client device, the second chain starting at a third gateway server of the gateway servers that hosts the second client device and ending at a fourth gateway server of the gateway servers;

detect that an electronic message, from a sender associated with the first client device to a recipient associated with the second client device, is received at the first gateway server;

determine a sequence of the gateway servers that starts at the first gateway server and ends at the third gateway server, the sequence comprising the first and second chains;

instruct each of the gateway servers in the sequence to send the electronic message to the subsequent gateway server in the sequence;

store the electronic message in a message queue associated with the sender in each of the gateway servers of the first chain, and

store the electronic message in a message queue associated with the recipient in each of the gateway servers of the second chain.

9. The system of claim 8, the message transmission module further configured to:

detect that a gateway server in the first chain that is hosting the first client device is not functioning and instruct the subsequent gateway server in the first chain to host the first client device; and

detect that a gateway server in the second chain that is hosting the second client device is not functioning and instruct the subsequent gateway server in the second chain to host the second client device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the message transmission module is further configured to receive an acknowledgement of receipt of the electronic message from each of the gateway servers in the sequence.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the message transmission module is further configured to detect that the gateway server in the first or second chain is not functioning based on the gateway server in the first or second chain failing to acknowledge receipt of the electronic message.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the message transmission module is further configured to delete the electronic message from each message queue associated with the sender and from each message queue associated with the recipient based on detection of a triggering event.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the triggering event comprises the electronic message being received at the second client device or a response to the electronic message being sent from the second client device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the message transmission module is further configured to:

delete the electronic message from the respective message queues in each of the gateway servers in the first and second chain based on expiration of a specified time period;

store a copy of the electronic message in an external storage based on expiration of the specified time period; and

delete the electronic message from the external storage based on detection of the triggering event.

15. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that are executable by at least one hardware processor of a machine to cause the machine to perform operations including:

assigning a first chain of the gateway servers to a first client device, the first chain starting at a first gateway server of the gateway servers that hosts the first client device and ending at a second gateway server of the gateway servers;

assigning a second chain of the gateway servers to a second client device, the second chain starting at a third gateway server of the gateway servers that hosts the second client device and ending at a fourth gateway server of the gateway servers;

receiving, at the first gateway server, an electronic message from a sender associated with the first client device to a recipient associated with the second client device;

determining a sequence of the gateway servers that starts at the first gateway server and ends at the third gateway server, the sequence comprising the first and second chains;

sending, by each of the gateway servers in the sequence, the electronic message to the subsequent gateway server in the sequence;

storing the electronic message in a message queue associated with the sender in each of the gateway servers of the first chain, and

storing the electronic message in a message queue associated with the recipient in each of the gateway servers of the second chain.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

detecting that a gateway server in the first chain that is hosting the first client device is not functioning and hosting the first client device by the subsequent gateway server in the first chain; and

detecting that a gateway server in the second chain that is hosting the second client device is not functioning and hosting the second client device by the subsequent gateway server in the second chain.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising each of the gateway servers in the sequence acknowledging receipt of the electronic message after receiving the electronic message.

18. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein detecting that the gateway server in the first or second chain is not functioning is based on the gateway server in the first or second chain failing to acknowledge receipt of the electronic message.

19. The storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising deleting the electronic message from each message queue associated with the sender and from each message queue associated with the recipient based on detection of a triggering event, wherein the triggering event comprises the electronic message being received at the second client device or a response to the electronic message being sent from the second client device.

20. The storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

deleting the electronic message from each message queue associated with the sender and from each message queue associated with the recipient based on an expiration of a specified time period;

storing a copy of the electronic message in an external storage based on the expiration of the specified time period; and

deleting the electronic message from the external storage based on detection of the triggering event.