Method and apparatus for passing messages using a fault tolerant storage system
US6889244B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 31, 2000 |
| Grant date | May 3, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 20, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L67/303
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus pass messages between server and client applications using a fault tolerant storage system (FTSS). The interconnection fabric that couples the FTSS to the computer systems that host the client and server applications may also be used to carry messages. A networked system capable of hosting a distributed application includes a plurality of computer systems coupled to an FTSS via an FTSS interconnection fabric. The FTSS not only processes file-related I/O transactions, but also includes several message agents to facilitate message transfer in a reliable and fault tolerant manner. The message agents include a conversational communication agent, an event-based communication agent, a queue-based communication agent, a request/reply communication agent, and an unsolicited communication agent. The highly reliable and fault tolerant nature of the FTSS ensures that the FTSS can guarantee delivery of a message transmitted from a sending computer system to a destination computer system. As soon as a message is received by the FTSS from a sending computer system, the message is committed to a nonvolatile fault tolerant write cache. Thereafter, the message is written to a…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.