Method and apparatus for providing responses for requests of off-line clients

• US 6,757,706 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2000
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dong, Liu, Zhang, XiaoPei, Chen, XiaoYan, Liu, Leo Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US09/492,000
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/224, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

An apparatus for providing responses to requests of an off-line client, comprising: a local request-response storage which stores a plurality of requests and a plurality of responses; a network traffic redirector, for redirecting requests of the client to the client machine itself by modifying the system configuration of the client machine when the client is off-line, and for redirecting requests of the client to the network connection by resuming the system configuration of the client machine when the client leaves the off-line state and enters an on-line state; and a local off-line server, for receiving a request of the client redirected to the client machine itself, for generating a response based on the request, the plurality of requests and the plurality of responses stored in the request-response storage, and for returning the response to the client.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing responses for requests of an off-line client, comprising:

a request-response storage component, provided in a client machine, which stores a plurality of requests and a plurality of responses;

a network traffic redirector, for redirecting requests of the client from a network connection to the client machine itself by modifying system configuration of the client machine when said client is in an off-line state, and for redirecting requests of the client from the client machine itself to the network connection by resuming the system configuration of the client machine when said client leaves the off-line state and enters an on-line state; and

an off-line server, provided in the client machine, for receiving the requests of the client redirected by said network traffic redirector to the client machine itself, and for generating responses based on requests received and on said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses stored in said request-response storage component, and returning generated responses to said client as responses of a server,

wherein said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses stored in said request-response storage are a plurality of requests and a plurality of responses which have been pre-defined by a user.

2. The apparatus according to any claim 1, wherein said off-line server comprises an off-line request storage, for storing each request of the client received by said off-line server;

and

said apparatus further comprises;

an actual network service means, provided in said client machine, for sending each request stored in said off-line request storage to the server through a network connection after said client leaves the off-line state and enters an on-line state.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said off-line server further comprises an off-line response storage, for storing the responses returned to said client in an association manner with the requests stored in said off-line request storage;

and

wherein said actual network service means, after sending each request to said server, further receives each response returned from said server;

said apparatus further comprises;

a comparison means for comparing said response received by said actual network service means from said server with a response stored in said off-line response storage in an association manner with the request sent to said server; and

a notification component for, when the comparison result of said comparison means indicates a logic error, notifying the user of said error.

4. An apparatus for providing responses for requests of an off-line client, comprising:

a request-response storage component, provided in a client machine, which stores a plurality of requests and a plurality of responses;

a network traffic redirector, for redirecting requests of the client from a network connection to the client machine itself by modifying system configuration of the client machine when said client is in an off-line state, and for redirecting requests of the client from the client machine itself to the network connection by resuming the system configuration of the client machine when said client leaves the off-line state and enters an on-line state; and

an off-line server, provided in the client machine, for receiving the requests of the client redirected by said network traffic redirector to the client machine itself, and for generating responses based on requests received and on said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses stored in said request-response storage component, and returning generated responses to said client as responses of a server,

wherein said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses stored in said request-response storage component are a plurality of requests of the client and a plurality of responses of the server which have been intercepted in the client machine while said client is in an on-line state.

5. The apparatus according to any claim 4, wherein said off-line server comprises an off-line request storage, for storing each request of the client received by said off-line server;

and

said apparatus further comprises;

an actual network service means, provided in said client machine, for sending each request stored in said off-line request storage to the server through a network connection after said client leaves the off-line state and enters an on-line state.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said off-line server further comprises an off-line response storage, for storing the responses returned to said client in an association manner with the requests stored in said off-line request storage;

and

wherein said actual network service means, after sending each request to said server, further receives each response returned from said server;

said apparatus further comprises;

a comparison means for comparing said response received by said actual network service means from said server with a response stored in said off-line response storage in an association manner with the request sent to said server; and

a notification component for, when the comparison result of said comparison means indicates a logic error, notifying the user of said error.

7. A method for providing responses for requests of an off-line client, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a request-response storage in a client machine, for storing a plurality of requests and a plurality of responses;

(b) redirecting requests of the client from a network connection to the client machine itself by modifying system configuration of the client machine when said client enters an off-line state; and

(c) while said client is in the off-line state, repeatedly performing in the client machine steps of;

(c1) receiving a request redirected to the client machine itself,

(c2) generating a response based on said request, said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses stored in said request-response storage, and

(c3) returning said response to said client as a response of a server, and

wherein the plurality of requests and the plurality of responses in said step (a) are pre-defined by a user.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein for said step (c1) the request received is further recorded in an off-line request storage provided in the client machine, and said method further comprises steps of:

(d) redirecting requests of the client from the client machine itself to a network connection by resuming the system configuration of the client machine when said client leaves the off-line state and enters an on-line state; and

(e) repeatedly performing following steps in the client machine;

(e1) retrieving a request from said off-line request storage; and

(e2) sending said request to a server through a network connection.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that in step (c3) the response returned to said client is further recorded in an off-line response storage provided in the client machine in an association manner with the requests recorded in step (c1), and

said step (e) further comprises steps of:

(e3) receiving a response returned by said server;

(e4) retrieving from said off-line response storage a response associated with said request retrieved in step (e1);

(e5) comparing the response received in step (e3) with the response retrieved in step (e4); and

(e6) notifying the user of an error if comparison result indicates a logical error.

10. A method for providing responses for requests of an off-line client, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a request-response storage in a client machine, for storing a plurality of requests and a plurality of responses;

(b) redirecting requests of the client from a network connection to the client machine itself by modifying system configuration of the client machine when said client enters an off-line state; and

(c) while said client is in the off-line state, repeatedly performing in the client machine steps of;

(c1) receiving a request redirected to the client machine itself,

(c2) generating a response based on said request, said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses stored in said request-response storage, and

(c3) returning said response to said client as a response of a server, and

wherein said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses in said step (a) are obtained by repeatedly performing, while said client is in an on-line state, the steps of;

intercepting a request sent by said client to a server;

sending said request to said server through a network connection;

receiving a response returned by said server;

returning said response to said client; and

storing said request and said response into said request-response storage.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein for said step (c1) the request received is further recorded in an off-line request storage provided in the client machine, and said method further comprises steps of:

(d) redirecting requests of the client from the client machine itself to a network connection by resuming the system configuration of the client machine when said client leaves the off-line state and enters an on-line state; and

(e) repeatedly performing following steps in the client machine;

(e1) retrieving a request from said off-line request storage; and

(e2) sending said request to a server through a network connection.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that in step (c3) the response returned to said client is further recorded in an off-line response storage provided in the client machine in an association manner with the requests recorded in step (c1), and

said step (e) further comprises steps of:

(e3) receiving a response returned by said server;

(e4) retrieving from said off-line response storage a response associated with said request retrieved in step (e1)

(e5) comparing the response received in step (e3) with the response retrieved in step (e4); and

(e6) notifying the user of an error if comparison result indicates a logical error.

13. A computer-readable media for recording programs, on which a program is recorded for performing steps of:

when it is determined that a client enters an off-line state, modifying system configuration of the client machine, such that requests of the client are redirected from a network connection to the client machine itself; and

while said client is in the off-line state, repeatedly performing following steps in the client machine;

receiving a request redirected to the client machine itself,

generating a response based on said request, said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses stored in a request-response storage provided in the client machine, and

returning said response to said client as a response of a server, characterized in that said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses stored in said request-response storage are pre-defined by a user.

14. The computer-readable media for recording programs according to claim 13, wherein the step (c1) the request received is further recorded in an off-line request storage provided in the client machine, and

the program stored in said computer-readable media further performs steps of:

(d) redirecting requests of the client from the client machine itself to a network connection by resuming the system configuration of the client machine when said client leaves the off-line state and enters an on-line state; and

(e) repeatedly performing following steps in the client machine;

(e1) retrieving a request from said off-line request storage; and

(e2) sending said request to a server through a network connection.

15. The computer-readable media for recording programs according to claim 14, characterized in that in step (c3) the response returned to said client is further recorded in an off-line response storage provided in the client machine in an association manner with the requests recorded in step (c1), and

said step (e) further comprises steps of:

(e3) receiving a response returned by said server;

(e4) retrieving from said off-line response storage a response which is associated with said request retrieved in step (e1);

(e5) comparing the response received in step (e3) with the response retrieved in step (e4); and

(e6) notifying the user of an error if comparison result indicates a logical error.

16. A computer-readable media for recording programs, on which a program is recorded for performing steps of:

when it is determined that a client enters an off-line state, modifying system configuration of the client machine, such that requests of the client are redirected from a network connection to the client machine itself; and

while said client is in the off-line state, repeatedly performing following steps in the client machine;

receiving a request redirected to the client machine itself,

generating a response based on said request, said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses stored in a request-response storage provided in the client machine, and

returning said response to said client as a response of a server, characterized in that said plurality of requests and said plurality of responses stored in said request-response storage are obtained by repeatedly performing following steps while said client is in an on-line state;

intercepting a request sent by said client to a server;

sending said request to said server through a network connection;

receiving a response returned by said server;

returning said response to said client; and

storing said request and said response into said request-response storage.

17. The computer-readable media for recording programs according to claim 16, wherein the step (c1) the request received is further recorded in an off-line request storage provided in the client machine, and

the program stored in said computer-readable media further performs steps of:

(d) redirecting requests of the client from the client machine itself to a network connection by resuming the system configuration of the client machine when said client leaves the off-line state and enters an on-line state; and

(e) repeatedly performing following steps in the client machine;

(e1) retrieving a request from said off-line request storage; and

(e2) sending said request to a server through a network connection.

18. The computer-readable media for recording programs according to claim 17, characterized in that in step (c3) the response returned to said client is further recorded in an off-line response storage provided in the client machine in an association manner with the requests recorded in step (c1), and

said step (e) further comprises steps of:

(e3) receiving a response returned by said server;

(e4) retrieving from said off-line response storage a response which is associated with said request retrieved in step (e1);

(e5) comparing the response received in step (e3) with the response retrieved in step (e4); and

(e6) notifying the user of an error if comparison result indicates a logical error.