DECREASING LOGIN LATENCY

• US 20100319056A1
• Filed: 06/10/2009
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Endresen, Hans Matthew, Walpole, John P., Gillum, Eliot C., Nassar, Aladdin A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,370,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-storage media for decreasing web service login latency are provided. Upon a user'"'"'s initial login to the web service from a web browser, the location of user information is identified. A cookie containing information identifying the location of the user information is generated and stored in association with the web browser. Upon a subsequent login to the web service by the same user, the location information included in the cookie is utilized to direct the user request directly to the correct location, without having to repeat the act of identifying the location, thus providing the user with the desired information more quickly.

Claims

1. One or more computer-storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for decreasing login latency, the method comprising:

at a first server, receiving from a browser running on a computing device a first request for information associated with a first user;

authenticating the first user;

directing the first request for the information associated with the first user to a second server;

determining at the second server in association with which first particular partition of a plurality of partitions associated with a third server the requested information associated with the first user is stored;

directing the first request for the information associated with the first user to the first particular partition; and

storing a cookie in association with the browser, the cookie including location information for the first particular partition.

2. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 1,

wherein authenticating the first user comprises determining, at the first server, that the first user is authenticated,

and wherein directing the first request for the information associated with the first user to the second server comprises directing the first request for the information associated with the first user from the first server to the second server.

3. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein authenticating the first user comprises:

determining, at the first server, that the first user is not authenticated;

directing the first request for the information associated with the first user to an authentication server; and

authenticating the first user at the authentication server based upon login information associated with the first user.

4. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 3, wherein directing the first request for the information associated with the first user to the second server comprises directing the first request for the information associated with the first user from the authentication server to the second server.

5. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

at the first server, receiving from the browser a second request for the information associated with the first user, the second request for the information associated with the first user being received later in time than the first request for the information associated with the first user and including the cookie;

authenticating the first user;

directing the second request for the information associated with the first user directly to the first particular partition based upon the location information included in the cookie; and

determining whether the information associated with the first user requested in each of the first and second requests for information is still stored in association with the first particular partition,

wherein upon determining that the information associated with the first user requested in each of the first and second requests for the information is still stored in association with the first particular partition, the method further comprises providing the requested information associated with the first user from the first particular partition to the browser.

6. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 5, further comprising interpreting the location information included in the cookie at the first server.

7. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 5,

wherein authenticating the first user comprises authenticating the first user at an authentication server based upon login information associated with the first user,

and wherein the method further comprises interpreting the location information included in the cookie at the authentication server.

8. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 6, wherein upon determining that the information associated with the first user requested in each of the first and second requests for the information is not still stored in association with the first particular partition, the method further comprises:

directing the second request for the information associated with the first user from the first particular partition to the second server;

determining at the second server in association with which second particular partition of the plurality of partitions associated with the third server the requested information associated with the first user is stored;

directing the second request for the information associated with the first user to the second particular partition; and

storing a modified cookie in association with the browser, the modified cookie including location information for the second particular partition.

9. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein the cookie further includes identity information associated with the first user.

10. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 9,

at the first server, receiving from the browser a first request for information associated with a second user, the first request for information associated with the second user including the cookie;

authenticating the second user;

determining that the cookie does not include identity information associated with the second user;

directing the first request for information associated with the second user to the second server;

determining at the second server in association with which second particular partition of the plurality of partitions associated with the third server the requested information associated with the second user is stored;

directing the first request for the information associated with the second user to the second particular partition; and

storing, in association with the cookie, location information for the second particular partition and identity information associated with the second user.

11. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

at the first server, receiving from the browser a second request for the information associated with the second user, the second request for the information associated with the second user being received later in time than the first request for the information associated with the second user and including the cookie;

authenticating the second user; and

directing the second request for the information associated with the second user directly to the second particular partition based upon the location information associated with the second user included in the cookie.

12. One or more computer-storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for decreasing login latency, the method comprising:

receiving from a browser running on a computing device a request for information associated with a user, the request including a cookie comprising location information for a particular partition of a plurality of partitions that was associated with the requested information upon receipt of the most recent prior request for the information from the browser;

authenticating the user;

directing the request for the information to the particular partition based on the location information included in the cookie; and

determining whether the requested information is still stored in association with the particular partition,

wherein, upon determining that the requested information is still stored in association with the particular partition, the method further comprises providing the requested information from the particular partition to the browser.

13. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 12,

wherein authenticating the user comprises determining at a first server that the user is authenticated,

and wherein directing the request for the information to the particular partition comprises directing the request for the information from the first server directly to the particular partition.

14. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 13, further comprising interpreting the location information included in the cookie at the first server.

15. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 12, wherein authenticating the user comprises:

determining at a first server that the user is not authenticated;

directing the request for the information to an authentication server; and

authenticating the user at the authentication server based upon login information associated with the user.

16. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 14, wherein directing the request for the information to the particular partition comprises directing the request for the information from the authentication server to the particular partition.

17. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 14, wherein authenticating the first user comprises interpreting the location information included in the first cookie at the authentication server.

18. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 16, wherein upon determining that the requested information is not still stored in association with the particular partition, the method further comprises:

directing the request for the information to a redirect server;

determining at the redirect server in association with which different particular partition of the plurality of partitions the requested information is stored;

directing the request for the information from the redirect server to the different particular partition; and

storing a modified cookie in association with the browser, the modified cookie including location information for the different particular partition.

19. A computerized method for decreasing login latency, the method comprising:

at a first server set, receiving from a browser running on a computing device a first request for information associated with a user;

authenticating the user;

directing the first request for information associated with the user to a second server set;

determining at the second server set in association with which particular partition of a plurality of partitions in a third server set the requested information associated with the user is stored;

directing the first request for information associated with the user from the second server set to the particular partition;

providing the requested information from the particular partition to the browser;

generating a cookie, the cookie including location information for the particular partition;

storing the cookie in association with the browser;

receiving from the browser a second request for the information associated with the user, the second request for the information being received later in time than the first request for the information and including the cookie;

authenticating the user; and

directing the second request directly to the particular partition based upon the location information included in the cookie.

20. The computerized method of claim 19, further comprising:

verifying that the requested information is still stored in association with the particular partition to which the second request for information was directed; and

providing the requested information from the particular partition to the browser.