WO2001073573A1 - Equilibrage des charges par selection des sources des messages - Google Patents

Equilibrage des charges par selection des sources des messages Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001073573A1
WO2001073573A1 PCT/US2000/007996 US0007996W WO0173573A1 WO 2001073573 A1 WO2001073573 A1 WO 2001073573A1 US 0007996 W US0007996 W US 0007996W WO 0173573 A1 WO0173573 A1 WO 0173573A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
message
lan
servers
initiator
list
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/007996
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Maxon Duncan
Richard Mcewan
Original Assignee
Mindarrow Systems, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mindarrow Systems, Inc. filed Critical Mindarrow Systems, Inc.
Priority to PCT/US2000/007996 priority Critical patent/WO2001073573A1/fr
Priority to AU2000240312A priority patent/AU2000240312A1/en
Publication of WO2001073573A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001073573A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
    • H04L67/01—Protocols
    • H04L67/10—Protocols in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network
    • H04L67/1001—Protocols in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
    • H04L67/1036—Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L51/00—User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
    • H04L51/21—Monitoring or handling of messages
    • H04L51/234—Monitoring or handling of messages for tracking messages
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
    • H04L67/01—Protocols
    • H04L67/10—Protocols in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network
    • H04L67/1001—Protocols in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
    • H04W4/12—Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Definitions

  • the field of the invention is electronic mail systems and methods.
  • a user when a user sends a mail message to an external address, the following typically occurs: first, the user interacts with a user agent (such as "sendmail” on UNIX systems or Microsoft Outlook® on Microsoft Windows® systems) which accepts text and a request to send the text; second, upon receipt of the request to send, the text is converted into an electronic mail (e-mail) message and transferred to a local mail transfer agent (MTA) (such as "mailhost" on a UNIX systems or "Microsoft Exchange Server®” on Microsoft Windows® systems); finally, the local MTA, either directly or through a relay MTA, transfers the message to a receiving MTA ("mailhost" or "Microsoft Exchange Server®”).
  • MTA mail transfer agent
  • the step of transferring the message from the local MTA to the receiving MTA often involves choosing a route from the local MTA to the receiving MTA.
  • Route selection is typically accomplished via low level protocols and "quasi-static" routing tables. Routing tables are “quasi-static" in the sense that they only change when the topography of the network changes, or when manually modified by an operator. Such tables are typically used to implement "cost based" routing in that each link in a table has an assigned cost and route selection is done so as to minimize the cost.
  • a modified form of cost based routing replaces the cost figure with a desired relative frequency as is described in U.S.Patent No. 5,872,930 herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Although this form achieves a type of load balancing, it is still based on quasi-static tables.
  • Quasi-static tables are not always sufficient because they do not take into account variations in network traffic or the capabilities of individual links. For example, a route over which a message is to travel based on the routing tables may be overburdened and acting as a bottleneck. Such bottlenecks can be particularly troubling when a mail message includes large amounts of data.
  • Suarez US 5790789 teaches a distributed computing system in which agents control services by manipulating messages to the services.
  • the architecture is particularly designed so that some servers can direct other servers to accomplish particular tasks.
  • the Suarez system is, however, considerably different from the client-server and peer to peer architectures contemplated herein, and is distinguished from such systems throughout the specification.
  • Otorii (US 5632018) teaches an electronic mailing system in which recipients of a broadcast can readily send their responses not just to the originator of the broadcast, but to all recipients of the broadcast. The system is accomplished by passing along a list of all broadcast recipients to each of the recipients. Otorii's teachings are interesting, but do nothing to reduce bottlenecks by load balancing the outgoing mail.
  • Miloslavsky (US 5765033) teaches routing of e-mails within a LAN according to the content of the e-mails, and availability of the recipient. Under that system, an e-mail requiring technical assistance would be routed to a technician rather than a salesman, and to a relatively available technician over a relatively busy technician. In other words, Miloslavsky is mostly interested in getting e-mails answered by the right person from a content standpoint, not in load balancing the outgoing e-mails.
  • LANs local area networks
  • some of the servers can be combined into a first LAN that receives a download of at least a portion of the list of potential recipients, and other servers may be combined into a second LAN that receives another portion of the list of potential recipients.
  • allocation of potential recipients can advantageously depend to at least some extent upon the number of out-going mail threads in use servers forming the LAN.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic view of a network embodying the claimed subject matter.
  • FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a preferred method according to the present invention.
  • Initiator 10 obtains lists of potential recipients from the potential recipients database 20, and one or more commercial messages from the commercial messages database 30. Either the underlying information, or at least pointers to such information, are then transmitted to the first LAN 40, the second LAN 50, and the third LAN 60 across the connection 11, 11A, 1 IB, and 11C, respectively.
  • First LAN 40 connects with servers 42, 44 through links 41A, 41B, respectively.
  • Second LAN 50 connects with servers 52, 54, 56 through links 51A, 51B, 51C, respectively.
  • Third LAN 60 connects with servers 62, 64 through links 61A, 61B, respectively.
  • Initiator 10 also produces or accesses a list of message identification codes (message
  • the message IDs received at first LAN 40 are distributed between mail server 42 and mail server 46. The distribution can be made on any logical or non-logical basis, but is preferably made as a function of the relative number of out-going mail threads in use by the servers 42, 44. Outgoing messages are generated at the servers 42, 44 from the subsets of potential recipients, commercial messages, and message IDs received by the first LAN 40. It will be appreciated that the initiator 10 may thus only partially and indirectly be controlling which servers 42, 44 send out which outgoing messages.
  • third LAN 60 The operation of third LAN 60 is different in that the message IDs 66 are generated at the LAN 64, either by one or more of servers 62, 64, or by another machine (not shown).
  • the locally generated message IDs 66 are distributed among mail servers 62, 64, along links 66A and 66B with the distribution again preferably being made as a function of the relative number of out-going mail threads in use by the servers 62, 64.
  • Outgoing messages are generated at the servers 62, 64 from the subsets of potential recipients and commercial messages received by the third LAN 60, as well as from the locally generated message IDs 66.
  • initiator 10 has even less control over the content of the outgoing messages.
  • message IDs can be virtually type of coding.
  • message IDs can be a recipient's name, or an acronym generated from the name, such as RFISH002.
  • Message IDs can also be quite obscure in derivation, such as xxlyz2. It is preferred that message IDs are unique, but they are not necessarily so.
  • Tracking is preferably accomplished by capturing information regarding the recipient's interaction with his or her computer during execution of the file or other message being sent.
  • Information tracked may include file opening time, video start and stop times, cursor positioning, and forwarding of the commercial to others. Such information may advantageously be stored in the registry of the recipient's computer, and transmitted to a tracking server along with the message ID.
  • the term "mail network” means the initiator, the servers, and the communication links among them.
  • a load balanced mail network is a mail network in which at least some of the various components cooperate to balance the load on the network in an attempt to maximize throughput on at least one parameter.
  • Any computer, routers, bridges, or other devices that are not part of the mail network are referred to as being “external” to the mail network.
  • an "external computer” is a computer which is not an initiator, a server, or part of the communication linkway between the initiator and various servers.
  • External devices may be interconnected so as to form one or more external networks such as the Internet.
  • the LAN is the mail network and the Internet is an external network comprising many external devices.
  • Servers 42, 44, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64 act as gateways to provide clean points of separation between the mail network and the external network, and may therefore be referred to as gateways.
  • the separation between the mail network and the external network is physical.
  • the server and any device or communication link on the LAN side of the server is part of the mail network and any device or communication link which is on the Internet side of the server is an external device.
  • the separation is based more on separation of device functions and flow of data than on physical separation with any data/packets destined for the external network flowing through the server as though the mail network and external network were physically distinct.
  • the servers 42, 44, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64 may each have numerous multimedia files stored on them for inclusion in outgoing mail messages.
  • the stored messages may have merely been automatically cached from previous use, or may be intentionally stored for future use. In that manner it is not always necessary for the initiator 10 to send all of the commercial messages 30 to a server, but instead need only send a request specifying the recipient of the message and what to include in the message.
  • the various servers 42, 44, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64 may also be able to access the potential recipients database 20 and the commercial messages database 30 without going through the initiator 10.
  • One advantage of having the initiator 10 send requests to "assemble and mail” rather than complete messages is that it helps prevent the network connecting the initiator 10 to the servers from carrying excess traffic. Thus, even though the system as a whole might require gigabytes per second of bandwidth, internal links do not correspond in size as the requests to "assemble and mail" take relatively little bandwidth.
  • any outgoing mail or mail requests could be directed through any of the servers. It is especially contemplated that a particular server could be chosen over another server to minimize the time needed to transfer a particular message to its recipient, or based upon some other parameter such as round trip time, server response time, and files locally available.
  • the step of having the initiator 10 choose the LANs and/or servers to use from among several possibilities can be viewed as providing a second layer of routing to the network. .
  • Such application layer routing allows the initial choice of routes to be based on information generally not available to lower level protocols.
  • the ability to perform application layer routing is at least partially supported by maintaining a plurality of servers having similar capabilities. It is contemplated that the concept of application can have many embodiments. The concept might best be described as, in a network comprising at least two layers or levels of protocols where one layer is a routing layer, using at least one layer other than the routing layer to route packets from one machine to another.
  • commercial messages includes any material designed to cause someone to think or act in a particular way, such as to vote for a particularly political candidate, or purchase a particular product.
  • Commercial messages may advantageously include pictures, graphics, sound, and video either individually or in combination, particularly electronically stored versions of such works.
  • multimedia file includes computer files containing one or more such works.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Information Transfer Between Computers (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne une architecture client-serveur dans laquelle, pour équilibrer la charge des messages publicitaires sortant à supports riches, on demande à un module lanceur (10) de faire en sorte que plusieurs serveurs (42, 44, 52, 54, 56, 62, 64) en viennent à créer et émettre les messages à leurs destinataires (80). Ces messages comportent des identificateurs de messages (16, 66) qui peuvent être téléchargés depuis le module lanceur (10) ou générés dans un réseau local, localement à l'intention des serveurs (60). Les messages font l'objet d'un suivi en partie au moins en utilisant les identificateurs de messages. Certains des serveurs peuvent être réunis dans des réseaux locaux (40, 50, 60) et la distribution des adresses des destinataires peut reposer au moins en partie sur le nombre de canaux de courrier électronique sortant utilisés dans les serveurs des différents réseaux locaux (40, 50, 60).
PCT/US2000/007996 2000-03-24 2000-03-24 Equilibrage des charges par selection des sources des messages WO2001073573A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/US2000/007996 WO2001073573A1 (fr) 2000-03-24 2000-03-24 Equilibrage des charges par selection des sources des messages
AU2000240312A AU2000240312A1 (en) 2000-03-24 2000-03-24 Load balancing via message source selection

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/US2000/007996 WO2001073573A1 (fr) 2000-03-24 2000-03-24 Equilibrage des charges par selection des sources des messages

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2001073573A1 true WO2001073573A1 (fr) 2001-10-04

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2000/007996 WO2001073573A1 (fr) 2000-03-24 2000-03-24 Equilibrage des charges par selection des sources des messages

Country Status (2)

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AU (1) AU2000240312A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2001073573A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1540969A1 (fr) * 2002-08-26 2005-06-15 SK Telecom Co., Ltd. Procede de traitement d'adresse de centre de services d'envoi de message courts dans un reseau asynchrone du systeme international de telecommunication mobile 2000
US8289892B2 (en) 2006-09-29 2012-10-16 Electronics And Telecommunications Research Institute System for controlling multimedia broadcast multicast service for load distribution and control method thereof

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5603029A (en) * 1995-06-07 1997-02-11 International Business Machines Corporation System of assigning work requests based on classifying into an eligible class where the criteria is goal oriented and capacity information is available
US5724521A (en) * 1994-11-03 1998-03-03 Intel Corporation Method and apparatus for providing electronic advertisements to end users in a consumer best-fit pricing manner
US5740549A (en) * 1995-06-12 1998-04-14 Pointcast, Inc. Information and advertising distribution system and method
US5790790A (en) * 1996-10-24 1998-08-04 Tumbleweed Software Corporation Electronic document delivery system in which notification of said electronic document is sent to a recipient thereof
US5872930A (en) * 1996-07-11 1999-02-16 Microsoft Corporation Load balancing between E-mail servers within a local area network
US6055510A (en) * 1997-10-24 2000-04-25 At&T Corp. Method for performing targeted marketing over a large computer network

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5724521A (en) * 1994-11-03 1998-03-03 Intel Corporation Method and apparatus for providing electronic advertisements to end users in a consumer best-fit pricing manner
US5603029A (en) * 1995-06-07 1997-02-11 International Business Machines Corporation System of assigning work requests based on classifying into an eligible class where the criteria is goal oriented and capacity information is available
US5740549A (en) * 1995-06-12 1998-04-14 Pointcast, Inc. Information and advertising distribution system and method
US5872930A (en) * 1996-07-11 1999-02-16 Microsoft Corporation Load balancing between E-mail servers within a local area network
US5790790A (en) * 1996-10-24 1998-08-04 Tumbleweed Software Corporation Electronic document delivery system in which notification of said electronic document is sent to a recipient thereof
US6055510A (en) * 1997-10-24 2000-04-25 At&T Corp. Method for performing targeted marketing over a large computer network

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1540969A1 (fr) * 2002-08-26 2005-06-15 SK Telecom Co., Ltd. Procede de traitement d'adresse de centre de services d'envoi de message courts dans un reseau asynchrone du systeme international de telecommunication mobile 2000
EP1540969A4 (fr) * 2002-08-26 2007-12-26 Sk Telecom Co Ltd Procede de traitement d'adresse de centre de services d'envoi de message courts dans un reseau asynchrone du systeme international de telecommunication mobile 2000
US8289892B2 (en) 2006-09-29 2012-10-16 Electronics And Telecommunications Research Institute System for controlling multimedia broadcast multicast service for load distribution and control method thereof

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
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