REQUEST-RESPONSE OPERATION FOR ASYNCHRONOUS MESSAGING

• US 20140108492A1
• Filed: 10/14/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Garza, Jose E., Hobson, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,350,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer programs for facilitating communication between a client application and a server application. A client application initiates an asynchronous communication with the server application by sending a request via a communication manager. The communication manager sends the request synchronously to the server application. Responsive to the communication manager not having received a final response from the server application, the communication manager responds to the client application that the sending the request was unsuccessful. Responsive to the communication manager having received a final response from the server application, the communication manager retains the response from the server application and responds to the client application that the sending a request was successful. The client application requests a final response from the communication manager and the communication manager provides the previously retained response.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating communication between a client application and a server application, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the client application at a communication manager to initiate an asynchronous communication with the server application;

the communication manager sending said request synchronously to the server application;

responsive to the communication manager not having received a final response from the server application, the communication manager responding to the client application that said sending the request was unsuccessful;

responsive to the communication manager having received a final response from the server application, the communication manager retaining the response from the server application and responding to the client application that the sending a request was successful; and

receiving, from the client application and at a communication manager, a request for a final response;

communication manager providing the previously retained response in response to the request for the final response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication manager comprises a client application'"'"'s queue manager.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing the server application with a predetermined amount of time in which to process the client application'"'"'s request and transmit its response message to the client application'"'"'s queue manager.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the request from the client application manager via the communication manager is completed inside a transaction;

the client application requesting a final response from the communication manager is completed inside said transaction; and

the client application completes other processing between one or more of the transaction beginning and the asynchronous communication manager responding to the client application that the sending a request was successful, the asynchronous communication manager responding to the client application that the sending a request was successful and the client application requesting a final response from the communication manager, and the client application requesting a final response from the communication manager and the transaction being committed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said client application sends said request message to a queue name which represents the server application; and

said communication manager uses configuration information for said queue name to locate and communicate with the server application.

6. An apparatus for facilitating communication between a client application and a server application, the apparatus comprising:

a communication manager,

wherein the client application is configured to initiate an asynchronous communication with the server application by sending a request via the communication manager and the communication manager is configured to send said request synchronously to the server application;

wherein the communication manager is configured to respond to the client application by indicating that said sending the request was unsuccessful, responsive to the communication manager not having received a final response from the server application,

wherein the communication manager is configured to retain a final response from the server application and to respond to the client application that the sending a request was successful, responsive to the communication manager having received the final response from the server application;

wherein the communication manager is configured to respond to a request from the client application for a final response from the communication manager by providing the previously retained final response.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the communication manager comprises a client application'"'"'s queue manager.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the communication manager is further configured to provide the server application with a predetermined amount of time in which to process the client application'"'"'s request and transmit its response message to the client application'"'"'s queue manager.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the client application is configured to send a request via a communication manager is completed inside a transaction,

the client application is configured to request a final response from the communication manager is completed inside said transaction,

the client application is configured to complete other processing between one or more of the transaction beginning,

the asynchronous communication manager is configured to respond to the client application that the sending a request was successful,

the asynchronous communication manager is configured to respond to the client application that the sending a request was successful,

the client application is configured to request a final response from the communication manager, and

the client application is configured to request a final response from the communication manager upon the transaction being committed.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

said client application is configured to send said request message to a queue name which represents the server application; and

said communication manager is configured to use configuration information for said queue name to locate and communicate with the server application.

11. A computer program product for facilitating communication between a client application and a server application, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code executable by a processor for;

receiving, from the client application and via a communication manager, a request for initiating an asynchronous communication with the server application;

sending, by the communication manager, said request synchronously to the server application;

responsive to the communication manager not having received a final response from the server application, the communication manager responding to the client application that said sending the request was unsuccessful;

responsive to the communication manager having received a final response from the server application, the communication manager retaining the response from the server application and responding to the client application that the sending a request was successful; and

requesting, by the client application, a final response from the communication manager and the communication manager providing the previously retained response.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the communication manager comprises a client application'"'"'s queue manager.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

providing the server application with a predetermined amount of time in which to process the client application'"'"'s request and transmit its response message to the client application'"'"'s queue manager.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein:

the request from the client application manager via the communication manager is completed inside a transaction;

the client application requesting a final response from the communication manager is completed inside said transaction; and

the client application completes other processing between one or more of the transaction beginning and the asynchronous communication manager responding to the client application that the sending a request was successful, the asynchronous communication manager responding to the client application that the sending a request was successful and the client application requesting a final response from the communication manager, and the client application requesting a final response from the communication manager and the transaction being committed.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein:

said client application sends said request message to a queue name which represents the server application; and

said communication manager uses configuration information for said queue name to locate and communicate with the server application.