HYBRID APPLICATION ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20140019516A1
• Filed: 07/13/2012
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kamath, Rajesh, Banerjee, Atanu, Narayanan, Venkatesh, Yadav, Vinay, Toola, Sivashankar
• Granted Patent: US 9,887,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• 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

Abstract

Provided herein are systems, methods, and software for facilitating hybrid application environments. In at least one implementation, an application server within a hosting environment receives a data request initiated by a hosted application within the hosting environment. The hosted application may initiate the data request in response to a page request made on behalf of a hosted identity logged into the hosting environment. The application server generates a hybrid data request based on request information comprising at least a portion of the data request and the hosted identity and directs the hybrid data request over a connection established between the hosting environment and an enterprise environment for handling by an application server within the enterprise environment.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating a hybrid application environment, the method comprising:

in a first application server within a hosting environment, receiving a data request initiated by a hosted application within the hosting environment in response to a page request made on behalf of a hosted identity logged into the hosting environment;

in the first application server, generating a hybrid data request based on request information comprising at least a portion of the data request and the hosted identity; and

in the first application server, directing the hybrid data request over a connection established between the hosting environment and an enterprise environment for handling by a second application server within the enterprise environment.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in the first application server, receiving a second data request initiated by a second hosting application within the hosting environment in response to a second page request made on behalf of the hosted identity logged into the hosting environment; and

in the first application server, handling the second data request by retrieving second data from a hosted data source within the hosting environment.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in the second application server, handling the hybrid data request using an enterprise identity associated with the hosted identity.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein handling the hybrid data request comprises retrieving data from an enterprise data source accessible through the enterprise environment using the enterprise identity.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein handling the hybrid data request comprises generating a hybrid data reply to the hybrid data request comprising the data retrieved from the enterprise data source.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising, in the hosted application, generating a response to the page request for delivery to a web browsing application that originated the page request, wherein the response comprises a web page including the data retrieved from the enterprise data source.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in the second application server, receiving a second data request initiated by an enterprise application within the enterprise environment in response to a second page request made on behalf of the enterprise identity logged into the enterprise environment;

in the second application server, generating a second hybrid data request based on second request information comprising the second data request and the hosted identity associated with the enterprise identity; and

in the second application server, directing the second hybrid data request over the connection established between the hosting environment and the enterprise environment for handling by the first application server within the hosting environment.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein handling the second hybrid data request comprises retrieving second data from a hosted data source accessible through the hosting environment using the hosted identity.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein handling the second hybrid data request comprises generating a second hybrid data reply to the second hybrid data request comprising the second data retrieved from the hosted data source.

10. One or more computer readable media having stored thereon program instructions for operating an application server within a hosting environment to facilitate a hybrid application environment, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the application server, direct the application server to at least:

receive a plurality of data requests initiated by a plurality of hosted applications within the hosting environment;

to respond to the plurality of data requests, selectively engage with one of at least a hosted data source within the hosting environment and an enterprise data source within an enterprise environment based on configurable handling information associated with the plurality of hosted applications; and

to engage with the enterprise data source within the enterprise environment, generate a plurality of hybrid data requests for enterprise data based on the plurality of data requests and a plurality of hosted identities associated with the plurality of data requests and direct the plurality of hybrid data requests to the enterprise environment.

11. The one or more computer readable media of claim 10 wherein the program instructions further direct the application server to:

render a configuration menu for presentation during installation of the plurality of hosted applications; and

receive the configurable handling information input through the configuration menu.

12. The one or more computer readable media of claim 10 wherein, to engage with the hosted data source within the hosting environment, the program instructions further direct the application server to retrieve hosted data from a hosted data source within the hosting environment.

13. The one or more computer readable media of claim 10 wherein the plurality of data requests are initiated by the plurality of hosted applications in response to web page requests generated by a plurality of browsing applications in communication with the plurality of hosted applications, through which a plurality of users are logged into the hosting environment using the plurality of hosted identities.

14. The one or more computer readable media of claim 10 wherein at least a first hosted application of the plurality of hosted applications is associated with a first tenant subscribed to the hosting environment and wherein at least a second hosted application of the plurality of hosted applications is associated with a second tenant subscribed to the hosting environment.

15. One or more computer readable media having stored thereon program instructions for facilitating a hybrid application environment, the program instructions comprising:

first program instructions that, when executed by a computing system direct the computing system to;

process a data request, initiated by a hosted application within the hosting environment in response to a page request made on behalf of a hosted identity logged into the hosting environment, to generate a hybrid data request based on request information comprising at least a portion of the data request and the hosted identity; and

direct the hybrid data request over a connection established between the hosting environment and an enterprise environment for handling by a second application server within the enterprise environment.

16. The one or more computer readable media of claim 15 wherein the first program instructions further direct the computing system to, responsive to a second data request initiated by a second hosting application within the hosting environment in response to a second page request made on behalf of the hosted identity logged into the hosting environment, retrieve second data from a hosted data source within the hosting environment.

17. The one or more computer readable media of claim 16 wherein the first program instructions further direct the computing system to render a configuration menu for presentation during installation of the hosted application and receive configurable handling information input through the configuration menu specifying for data requests initiated by the hosted application to be directed to the enterprise environment.

18. The one or more computer readable media of claim 17 wherein the first program instructions further direct the first application server to render a second configuration menu for presentation during installation of the second hosted application and receive second configurable handling information input through the second configuration menu specifying for second data requests initiated by the second hosted application to be handled within the hosting environment.

19. The one or more computer readable media of claim 15 wherein the program instructions further comprise:

second program instructions that, when executed by a second computing system, direct the second computing system to;

process a second data request, initiated by an enterprise application within the enterprise environment in response to a second page request made on behalf of the enterprise identity logged into the enterprise environment, to generate a second hybrid data request based on second request information comprising the second data request and the hosted identity associated with the enterprise identity; and

direct the second hybrid data request over the connection established between the hosting environment and the enterprise environment for handling by the first application server within the hosting environment.

20. The one or more computer readable media of claim 19 wherein to handle the second hybrid data request, the first program instructions direct the computing system to retrieve second data from a hosted data source accessible through the hosting environment using the hosted identity.