Mechanism for binding a structured data protocol to a protocol offering up byte streams

• US 20060133427A1
• Filed: 12/03/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kaler, Christopher G., Schlimmer, Jeffrey C., Vernal, Michael Steven, Puri, Siddhartha, Wolf, Kenneth D., Waingold, Elliot Lee, Gudgin, Martin James, Christensen, Eric Bo
• Granted Patent: US 8,533,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/506
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/149 Adaptation of the text data for streaming purposes, e.g. Efficient XML Interchange [EXI] format
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A mechanism for sending structured data using a corresponding byte stream. Upon accessing structured data such as a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) envelope, a byte stream is generated. The byte stream includes bytes that represent the structured data, as well as a collection of bytes that represents properties about the byte stream such as, for example, a mode of communication. The byte stream may then be passed to a communication module (e.g., a TCP or Named Pipes module) capable of receiving and transmitting the byte stream.

Claims

1. In a network environment that includes a first computing system communicatively couplable to a second computing system, a method of the first computing system sending structured data to a second computing system using a corresponding byte stream, the method comprising the following:

an act of accessing structured data for transmission to the second computing system;

an act of generating a byte stream that includes a first plurality of bytes that collectively represent one or more properties of the byte stream, and a second plurality of bytes that collectively represent the structured data; and

an act of passing the byte stream to a byte stream communication module that accepts byte streams for communication with other computing systems.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of accessing the structure data comprising the following:

an act of the first computing system itself generating the structured data.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of accessing the structure data comprising the following:

an act of the first computing system receiving the structured data from another computing system.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the structured data includes XML.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the structured data is a SOAP envelope.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the byte stream communication module is a Named Pipes communication module.

7. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the byte stream communication module is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) communication module.

8. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the byte stream communication module is a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) communication module.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the byte stream communication module is a Named Pipes communication module.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the byte stream communication module is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) communication module.

11. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the byte stream communication module is a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) communication module.

12. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the byte stream communication module is a Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) communication module.

13. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the one or more properties of the byte stream include a version of the byte stream, the version defining permissible collections of properties that may be included in the second plurality of bytes.

14. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the one or more properties of the byte stream include a mode of communication of the byte stream.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the mode of communication of the byte stream includes a mode in which a single connection may be used for the first computing system to send a plurality of byte streams to the different processes on the second computing system.

16. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the mode of communication of the byte stream includes a mode in which a single connection may be used for the first computing system to reliably send a byte stream to the second commuting system.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the mode of communication of the byte stream also includes a mode in which the single connection may be used for the first computing system to reliably receive a byte stream from the second computing system.

18. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the mode of communication of the byte stream includes a mode in which a single connection is used to send a byte stream that is not limited in size to the second computing system.

19. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the one or more properties of the bytes stream includes an encoding format for the first plurality of bytes.

20. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the one or more properties of the bytes stream includes a target destination Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).

21. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the byte stream is a first byte stream and the structure data is first structured data, the method further comprising the following:

an act of receiving a second byte stream from the byte stream communication module, the second byte stream including a third plurality of bytes that collectively represent one or more properties of the second byte stream, and a fourth plurality of bytes that collectively represent second structured data; and

an act of recovering the second structured data from the second byte stream.

22. A computer program product for use in a network environment that includes a first computing system communicatively couplable to a second computing system, the computer program product for implementing a method of the first computing system sending structured data to a second computing system using a corresponding byte stream, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the first computing system, cause the first computing system to perform the method, the method comprising the following:

an act of accessing structured data for transmission to the second computing system;

an act of generating a byte stream that includes a first plurality of bytes that collectively represent one or more properties of the byte stream, and a second plurality of bytes that collectively represent the byte stream; and

an act of passing the byte stream to a byte stream communication module that accepts byte streams for communication with other computing systems.

23. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the act of accessing the structure data comprising the following:

an act of the first computing system itself generating the structured data.

24. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the structured data includes XML.

25. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the structured data is a SOAP envelope.

26. A computer program product in accordance with claim 25, wherein the byte stream communication module is a Named Pipes communication module.

27. A computer program product in accordance with claim 25, wherein the byte stream communication module is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) communication module.

28. A computer program product in accordance with claim 25, wherein the byte stream communication module is a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) communication module.

29. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the byte stream communication module is a Named Pipes communication module.

30. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the byte stream communication module is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) communication module.

31. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the byte stream communication module is a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) communication module.

32. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the byte stream communication module is a Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) communication module.

33. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the one or more properties of the byte stream include a representation of one or more of the following:

a version of the byte stream, the version defining permissible collections of properties that may be included in the second plurality of bytes;

a mode of communication of the byte stream;

an encoding format for the first plurality of bytes; and

a target destination Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).

34. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the byte stream is a first byte stream and the structure data is first structured data, the method further comprising the following:

an act of receiving a second byte stream from the byte stream communication module, the second byte stream including a third plurality of bytes that collectively represent one or more properties of the second byte stream, and a fourth plurality of bytes that collectively represent second structured data; and

an act of recovering the second structured data from the second byte stream.

35. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical memory media.

36. A computer program product in accordance with claim 35, wherein the physical memory media comprises non-volatile memory.

37. A computer program product in accordance with claim 35, wherein the physical memory media comprises system memory.

38. One or more computer-readable media having thereon a byte stream data structure, the byte stream data structure comprising the following:

a first plurality of bytes that collectively represent structured data; and

a second plurality of bytes that collectively represent one or more properties of the byte stream including a version of the byte stream, a mode of communication of the byte stream, an encoding format for the first plurality of bytes, and a target destination URI.

39. One or more computer-readable media in accordance with claim 38, wherein the structured data is a SOAP envelope.

40. One or more computer-readable media in accordance with claim 38, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical memory media.

41. One or more computer-readable media in accordance with claim 40, wherein the physical memory media comprises non-volatile memory.