Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Rodney Thomas Limprecht

Patrick James Helland

Mohsen M Al-Ghosein

Richard Douglas Hill

Shy Cohen

Wilfred G Russell

Jan Stephen Gray

David E Langworthy

Alan Geller

David Richard Reed

Craig Andrew Critchley

Krishnan Srinivasan

Uday Sooryakant Hegde

William D Devlin

David Owen Driver

Hany E Ramadan

Boyd Cannon Multerer

Stefan R Batres

Michael W Thomas

Mohsen M Agsen

Martin J Sleeman

Justin Grant

Lara N Dillingham

Alexander E Mallet

Quentin J Clark

John F Ludeman

Philippe Choquier

Cameron J A Ferroni

Greg Hope

Amit Mital

Margaret J Lye

Michael Thomas Dice

Michael J Moroney

Hany Essam Ramadan

Methods, systems, and computer program products that provide for a runtime messaging infrastructure, which abstracts send and receive operations for exchanging messages with partner endpoint. The messaging infrastructure improves availability and scalability of a message application by improving on the availability and scalability of the underlying message transports. In particular, availability and scalability are improved by linking the message application at runtime with any number of the message transports, without the message application specifying a transport at development time. The message infrastructure receives instructions from the message application specifying end-to-end delivery assurances. The infrastructure uses transports in order to fulfill the specified delivery assurance, and creates a link between the message application and transports for use in exchanging messages. Session state storage can be maintained in a pluggable store, which could be, for example, a durable database store or an application memory store.

Availability and scalability in a messaging system in a manner transparent to the application

The present invention monitors the receipt of messages between two endpoints on established sequence session in accordance with a Reliable Messaging protocol for Web Services (RM-WS protocol). The messages received may be application or infrastructure messages (e.g., acknowledgement messages in accordance with the RM-WS protocol). Further, the present invention defines a time period known as the inactivity timeout, which is an upper limit to the time that may pass without receiving a message (either application or infrastructure) on the sequence session. Based on this inactivity timeout period, the present invention calculates time periods for sending idempotent infrastructure messages in accordance with the RM-WS protocol for verifying and maintaining connection liveliness.

Verifying and maintaining connection liveliness in a reliable messaging for web services environment

A single programming model is provided for accessing a plurality of distinct message transports while developing one or more applications for message delivery between two endpoints. The programming model allows for independently configurable assurances and features for transporting the messages. The configurable assurances may be selected from at least once delivery, at most once message delivery, in order message delivery, and message time to live. The independently chosen features may include a session state storage, an extension of time to live, and transacted message buffering.

Message delivery with configurable assurances and features between two endpoints

A virtual applications architecture is provided according to the present invention. The architecture includes a topology manager for managing applications across a plurality of members, and a virtual applications manager for defining a plurality of resources comprising the applications. The topology manager communicates with the plurality of members to initiate scaling of the applications associated with the virtual applications manager to the members. The architecture may also include a replication system for deploying the applications to the members.

System and method providing virtual applications architecture

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for reliably and securely transferring queued application messages. Application messages are (e.g.,. binary or text) encoded and then encapsulated in transfer messages, enqueue messages, and dequeue responses such that composable protocol elements used in application messages can be reused in the transfer messages, enqueue messages, and dequeue responses. Transfer message headers are encoded and then encapsulated along with encoded application messages such that composable protocol elements used in transfer headers and application messages can be reused in the store and forward messages. Application messages, transfer messages, enqueue messages, dequeue responses, and store and forward messages can all be configured in accordance with the same messaging protocol, such as, for example, Simple Object Access Protocol. Since encapsulated elements are encoded, the encapsulated elements do not interfere with configuration of wrapping messages.

Reliably transferring queued application messages

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for reliably and securely transferring queued application messages. Application messages are (e.g., binary or text) encoded and then encapsulated in transfer messages, enqueue messages, and dequeue responses such that composable protocol elements used in application messages can be reused in the transfer messages, enqueue messages, and dequeue responses. Transfer message headers are encoded and then encapsulated along with encoded application messages such that composable protocol elements used in transfer headers and application messages can be reused in the store and forward messages. Application messages, transfer messages, enqueue messages, dequeue responses, and store and forward messages can all be configured in accordance with the same messaging protocol, such as, for example, Simple Object Access Protocol. Since encapsulated elements are encoded, the encapsulated elements do not interfere with configuration of wrapping messages.

A run-time executive of an object management system for managing execution of software components in an object execution environment uses a component context object to store intrinsic context properties related to an associated component. The run-time executive maintains an implicit association of the component context object with the application component. For example, the context properties can include a client id, an activity id, and a transaction reference. The component context object also provides an interface accessible to the associated component, with member functions for use in transaction processing, in creating additional other application components inheriting component's context properties, and in access control based on abstract user classes (roles).

Software component execution management using context objects for tracking externally-defined intrinsic properties of executing software components within an execution environment

Example embodiments provide for a binding mechanism between RM protocols and request-response transport protocols (e.g., HTTP) in a one-way message exchange pattern. The present invention leverages existing network characteristics of request-response transport protocols without reconfiguration or deployment of new infrastructure services. A request-response transport model is asymmetrical in nature and provides two data-flows; a request flow and a reply flow. When an initiator is not addressable and/or when communication requires a request-response transport, the present invention allows infrastructure and application messages to be sent on the request flow, while acknowledgments and other infrastructure messages may be sent back across the reply flow of the transport.

Reliable one-way messaging over request-response transport protocols

A component-based framework includes system services and component integration interfaces that provide a run-time environment for component-based server application in which server application components have control over the duration of their state independent of client action. The framework provides functions that a server application component calls to indicate its work for a client is complete, and its state is to be destroyed. On the component's return from the client's method call, the framework destroys the component's state thus releasing any server computer resources held by the component. This allows the server application components to be programmed so as to minimize the duration that their state remains in memory consuming server computer resources, and which enhances scalability of the server application.

Recycling components after self-deactivation

Component self-deactivation while client holds a returned reference

Server application components with control over state duration

Growing community of inventors

Woodinville, WA, United States of America

Rodney Thomas Limprecht