System and method for identifying applications targeted for message receipt in devices utilizing message queues

• US 20040205769A1
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HMD Global Oy
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ruutu, Jussi Pekka
• Granted Patent: US 7,493,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/313
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method for facilitating the communication of messages between applications. Application identifiers, and corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers associated with message transfers from applications identifiable by their respective application identifiers, are acquired. Associations between the application identifiers and their corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers are established. Responsive inbound messages are directed to the applications having application identifiers that are associated with the outbound logical connection identifiers that correspond to the inbound logical connection identifiers of the responsive inbound messages.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating communication of messages between applications, the method comprising:

acquiring application identifiers and corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers associated with message transfers from applications identifiable by their respective application identifiers;

establishing associations between the application identifiers and their corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers; and

directing responsive inbound messages to the applications having application identifiers associated with the outbound logical connection identifiers that correspond to inbound logical connection identifiers of the responsive inbound messages.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the inbound logical connection identifiers to the outbound logical connection identifiers of the established associations, and identifying at least one outbound logical connection identifier that matches the inbound logical connection identifier; and

using the application identifier having an established association with the matching outbound logical connection identifier to identify the application to which the responsive inbound message is to be directed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers comprises acquiring outbound transport identifiers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein acquiring outbound transport identifiers comprises acquiring outbound socket identifiers via a transport protocol.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein acquiring outbound transport identifiers comprises acquiring outbound transport process identifiers associated with a transport process.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein acquiring outbound transport identifiers comprises acquiring outbound transport thread identifiers associated with a transport thread.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein acquiring outbound transport identifiers comprises acquiring identifiers based on at least one of a socket, a port, a transport process, a transport thread, and a session available at a transport layer of a software hierarchy.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing associations between the application identifiers and their corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers comprises creating a link between each of the application identifiers and its corresponding outbound logical connection identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing associations between the application identifiers and their corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers comprises correlating the application identifiers and their corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers via an entry in a table.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing associations between the application identifiers and their corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers comprises creating a table of entries, wherein each of the entries comprises one of the application identifiers and its corresponding outbound logical connection identifier used to transfer a particular message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein creating a table of entries comprises creating the table of entries using a Message Queue (MQ).

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising maintaining the table of entries using the MQ.

13. A method for identifying at least one application among a plurality of applications that is the target of at least one responsive message using a Message Queue (MQ), the method comprising:

receiving an application identifier and an outbound transport identifier, wherein the outbound transport identifier uniquely identifies a logical connection for a message transfer from the application identified by the application identifier;

creating an association between the application identifier and the outbound transport identifier;

receiving an inbound transport identifier associated with receipt of a responsive message destined for the application; and

identifying the application as the target of the responsive message by matching the inbound transport identifier to the outbound transport identifier, and determining the application identifier for the application from the association between the application identifier and the matched outbound transport identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

receiving an application identifier and an outbound transport identifier comprises receiving a plurality of application identifiers and corresponding outbound transport identifiers;

creating an association between the application identifier and the outbound transport identifier comprises creating a plurality of the associations, one for each of the messages transferred from a plurality of applications corresponding to the plurality of application identifiers;

receiving an inbound transport identifier comprises receiving an inbound transport identifier associated with receipt of a responsive message destined for a targeted one of the plurality of applications; and

identifying the application as the target of the responsive message comprises matching the inbound transport identifier to one of the outbound transport identifiers of the plurality of associations.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein creating an association between the application identifier and the outbound transport comprises creating an ID-table having a plurality of entries, wherein each of the entries comprises one of the application identifiers and one of the outbound transport identifiers.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving an application identifier comprises receiving an existing identifier associated with the application.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving an application identifier comprises receiving a process number corresponding to the application at the MQ.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the application identifier comprises generating the application identifier at the MQ.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining whether the MQ has a process identifier available, and wherein receiving the application identifier comprises using the process identifier as the application identifier if a process identifier is available at the MQ.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the application identifier comprises generating the application identifier at the MQ if a processor identifier is not available.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing the association between the application identifier and the outbound transport identifier.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising directing the responsive message to the application identified by the application identifier.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of applications comprise any combination of two or more different applications, instances of an application, and application processes.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein matching the inbound transport identifier to the outbound transport identifier comprises comparing the inbound transport identifier to a plurality of the created associations to locate the application identifier from the created association having the matching outbound transport identifier.

25. A source device operable on a network and capable of communicating messages with at least one destination device, comprising:

a memory to store affiliations of application identifiers and corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers for each of a plurality of outbound messages communicated from the source device; and

a Message Queue (MQ) module configured to compare inbound logical connection identifiers of inbound messages to the outbound logical connection identifiers of the stored affiliations, and to identify the local application having the application identifier affiliated with the outbound logical connection identifier that matches the inbound logical connection identifier.

26. The source device as in claim 25, wherein the MQ module is implemented in software, and wherein the source device comprises a processor configured to execute the MQ software to establish the affiliations of application identifiers and corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers, to compare the inbound logical connection identifiers to the outbound logical connection identifiers of the stored affiliations, and to identify the local application having the application identifier affiliated with the outbound logical connection identifier that matches the inbound logical connection identifier.

27. The source device as in claim 25, wherein the MQ module is further configured to establish the affiliation of the application identifiers and corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers in the memory for each of the plurality of outbound messages communicated from the source device.

28. The source device as in claim 25, wherein the memory comprises a data structure to store the affiliations of application identifiers and corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers.

29. The source device as in claim 28, wherein the data structure comprises a table of the affiliations of application identifiers and corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers.

30. The source device as in claim 25, wherein the memory comprises a linked list to store the affiliations of application identifiers and corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers.

31. The source device as in claim 25, wherein the MQ module is further configured to direct the inbound message to the identified local application affiliated with the outbound logical connection identifier that matches the inbound logical connection identifier.

32. The source device as in claim 25, further comprising a processor, wherein the local applications comprise any one or more of an instance of an application operable on the processor, a distinct application operable on the processor, and an application process including a plurality of message classes operable on the processor.

33. The source device as in claim 25, wherein the source device comprises any one of a wireless communicator and a landline computing system.

34. The source device as in claim 25, wherein the MQ module comprises a software module architecturally positioned between an application layer associated with the local application and a transport layer.

35. A system for communicating information between a plurality of applications over a network, comprising

(a) a source device comprising a plurality of source applications for transmitting messages over the network;

(b) a destination device comprising at least one destination application for receiving one or more of the messages and for providing reply messages in response to the received messages;

wherein the source device comprises;

(i) a memory to store affiliations of application identifiers and corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers for each of a plurality of outbound messages communicated from the source device; and

(ii) a source Message Queue (MQ) module configured to compare inbound logical connection identifiers of the reply messages to the outbound logical connection identifiers of the stored affiliations, and to identify the local application having the application identifier affiliated with the outbound logical connection identifier that matches the inbound logical connection identifier.

36. The system as in claim 35, wherein the destination device is configured to directly transmit and receive the messages without a destination MQ.

37. The system as in claim 35, wherein the destination device comprises a destination MQ of a different type than the source MQ.

38. The system as in claim 35, wherein the plurality of source applications comprise any one or more of discrete applications, instances of a common application, and application processes.

39. The system as in claim 35, wherein the source device and the destination device comprise any one of a wireless communicator and a landline computing system.

40. The system as in claim 35, wherein the network comprises one or more of a wireless network and a landline network.

41. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by a computing system for facilitating communication of messages between applications by performing steps comprising:

acquiring application identifiers and corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers associated with message transfers from applications identifiable by their respective application identifiers;

establishing associations between the application identifiers and their corresponding outbound logical connection identifiers; and

directing responsive inbound messages to the applications having application identifiers associated with the outbound logical connection identifiers that correspond to inbound logical connection identifiers of the responsive inbound messages.

42. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by a computing system for identifying at least one application among a plurality of applications that is the target of at least one responsive message by performing steps comprising:

receiving an application identifier and an outbound transport identifier, wherein the outbound transport identifier uniquely identifies a logical connection for a message transfer from the application identified by the application identifier;

creating an association between the application identifier and the outbound transport identifier;

receiving an inbound transport identifier associated with receipt of a responsive message destined for the application; and

identifying the application as the target of the responsive message by matching the inbound transport identifier to the outbound transport identifier, and determining the application identifier for the application from the association between the application identifier and the matched outbound transport identifier.