Port type agnostic proxy support for web services intermediaries

• US 20050132086A1
• Filed: 12/12/2003
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Flurry, Gregory Alan, Holdsworth, Simon Antony James, Snell, James Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,464,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed in which port type agnostic proxy support for web services intermediaries is typically provided by receiving in a web services intermediary a request for execution of a web services operation, wherein the request includes parametric information from which an endpoint for a target service that supports the operation can be identified; identifying, in dependence upon the parametric data, the endpoint for a target service that supports the operation; creating a target service request for execution of the operation on the target service; and issuing the target service request to the target service. Exemplary embodiments typically also include the return path of request-response processing receiving in the intermediary a response from the target service; creating in the intermediary, in dependence upon the response from the target service, a response from the intermediary, and returning the response from the intermediary to the requesting client.

Claims

1. A method of port type agnostic proxy support for web services intermediaries, the method comprising:

receiving in a web services intermediary a request for execution of a web services operation, wherein the request includes parametric information from which an endpoint for a target service that supports the operation can be identified;

identifying, in dependence upon the parametric data, the endpoint for a target service that supports the operation;

creating a target service request for execution of the operation on the target service; and

issuing the target service request to the target service.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the target service request as created and issued to the target service bears unexamined and unmodified message contents of the request received in the web services intermediary.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying to a requester an endpoint of the web services intermediary as an endpoint that supports the operation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the parametric information includes a port type for the operation.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying, in dependence upon the parametric information, the endpoint for a target service that supports the operation further comprises:

identifying, in dependence upon the parametric information, a multiplicity of endpoints of target services that support the operation; and

selecting one endpoint from the multiplicity of endpoints in accordance with selection rules.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the parametric information includes a port type for the operation, and

identifying, in dependence upon the parametric information, a multiplicity of endpoints of target services that support the operation comprises identifying from a registry, in dependence upon the port type, a multiplicity of target services for the port type.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein selecting one endpoint from the multiplicity of endpoints further comprises selecting one endpoint from the multiplicity of endpoints in accordance with selection rules for load balancing among target services.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein creating a target service request for execution of the operation on the target service comprises:

composing the request in a data structure useful in a binding-neutral interface; and

calling the binding-neutral interface, passing the request as a call parameter.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein issuing the target service request to the target service comprises calling one or more member methods in a binding-neutral interface.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving in the intermediary a response from the target service;

creating in the intermediary, in dependence upon the response from the target service, a response from the intermediary; and

returning the response from the intermediary to the requesting client.

11. A system for port type agnostic proxy support for web services intermediaries, the system comprising:

means for receiving in a web services intermediary a request for execution of a web services operation, wherein the request includes parametric information from which an endpoint for a target service that supports the operation can be identified;

means for identifying, in dependence upon the parametric data, the endpoint for a target service that supports the operation;

means for creating a target service request for execution of the operation on the target service; and

means for issuing the target service request to the target service.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the target service request as created and issued to the target service bears unexamined and unmodified message contents of the request received in the web services intermediary.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for identifying to a requester an endpoint of the web services intermediary as an endpoint that supports the operation.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the parametric information includes a port type for the operation.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein means for identifying, in dependence upon the parametric information, the endpoint for a target service that supports the operation further comprises:

means for identifying, in dependence upon the parametric information, a multiplicity of endpoints of target services that support the operation; and

means for selecting one endpoint from the multiplicity of endpoints in accordance with selection rules.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein:

the parametric information includes a port type for the operation, and

means for identifying, in dependence upon the parametric information, a multiplicity of endpoints of target services that support the operation comprises means for identifying from a registry, in dependence upon the port type, a multiplicity of target services for the port type.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein means for selecting one endpoint from the multiplicity of endpoints further comprises means for selecting one endpoint from the multiplicity of endpoints in accordance with selection rules for load balancing among target services.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein means for creating a target service request for execution of the operation on the target service comprises:

means for composing the request in a data structure useful in a binding-neutral interface; and

means for calling the binding-neutral interface, passing the request as a call parameter.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein means for issuing the target service request to the target service comprises means for calling one or more member methods in a binding-neutral interface.

20. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

means for receiving in the intermediary a response from the target service;

means for creating in the intermediary, in dependence upon the response from the target service, a response from the intermediary; and

means for returning the response from the intermediary to the requesting client.

21. A computer program product for port type agnostic proxy support for web services intermediaries, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving in a web services intermediary a request for execution of a web services operation, wherein the request includes parametric information from which an endpoint for a target service that supports the operation can be identified;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying, in dependence upon the parametric data, the endpoint for a target service that supports the operation;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a target service request for execution of the operation on the target service; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for issuing the target service request to the target service.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the target service request as created and issued to the target service bears unexamined and unmodified message contents of the request received in the web services intermediary.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying to a requester an endpoint of the web services intermediary as an endpoint that supports the operation.

24. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the parametric information includes a port type for the operation.

25. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein means for identifying, in dependence upon the parametric information, the endpoint for a target service that supports the operation further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying, in dependence upon the parametric information, a multiplicity of endpoints of target services that support the operation; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting one endpoint from the multiplicity of endpoints in accordance with selection rules.

26. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein:

the parametric information includes a port type for the operation, and

means for identifying, in dependence upon the parametric information, a multiplicity of endpoints of target services that support the operation comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying from a registry, in dependence upon the port type, a multiplicity of target services for the port type.

27. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein means for selecting one endpoint from the multiplicity of endpoints further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting one endpoint from the multiplicity of endpoints in accordance with selection rules for load balancing among target services.

28. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein means for creating a target service request for execution of the operation on the target service comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for composing the request in a data structure useful in a binding-neutral interface; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for calling the binding-neutral interface, passing the request as a call parameter.

29. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein means for issuing the target service request to the target service comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for calling one or more member methods in a binding-neutral interface.

30. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving in the intermediary a response from the target service;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating in the intermediary, in dependence upon the response from the target service, a response from the intermediary; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for returning the response from the intermediary to the requesting client.