Decreasing login latency

• US 8,370,908 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2009
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gillum, Eliot C., Nassar, Aladdin A., Endresen, Hans Matthew, Walpole, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCOTT, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US12/482,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20100319056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 726/3, 726/5, 713/150, 713/168, 713/175
• 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. Computer storage 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 stores the requested information associated with the first user, wherein the plurality of partitions is associated with a third server;

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

storing a cookie in association with the browser, wherein the cookie includes including location information for the first particular partition and identity information associated with the first user;

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 which second particular partition of the plurality of partitions stores the requested information associated with the second user;

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

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

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.

2. The computer storage 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 computer storage 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 computer storage 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 computer storage of claim 1, further comprising interpreting the location information included in the cookie at the first server.

6. The computer storage of claim 1, 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.

7. The computer storage of claim 5, 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.

8. The computer storage 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 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.

9. Computer storage 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 first user, the request including a cookie comprising location information for a first 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, wherein the plurality of partitions is associated with a third server;

authenticating the user;

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

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

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

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 a second server;

determining at the second server which second particular partition of the plurality of partitions stores the requested information associated with the second user;

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;

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.

10. The computer storage of claim 9,

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.

11. The computer storage of claim 10, further comprising interpreting the location information included in the cookie at the first server.

12. The computer storage of claim 9, 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.

13. The computer storage of claim 11, 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.

14. The computer storage of claim 11, wherein authenticating the first user comprises interpreting the location information included in the first cookie at the authentication server.

15. The computer storage of claim 13, 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.

16. 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 which particular partition of a plurality of partitions stores the requested information associated with the user, wherein the plurality of partitions is in a third server set;

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;

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

at the first server set, 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 set;

determining at the second server set which second particular partition of the plurality of partitions stores the requested information associated with the second user;

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.

17. The computerized method of claim 16, 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.