Connection Pool Teardown Time Management for Firewall Stale Connections

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Solution Overview

Problem

Standard firewalls unpredictably tear down network connections, leading to stale connections in connection pools, causing unnecessary retries, slower response times, and potential transaction failures in applications.

Innovation Solution

Implement a connection pool management system that initializes and configures connections to pierce firewalls, stores creation times, and sets a more stringent teardown time period than the firewall's preset, ensuring only active connections are maintained and replaced proactively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the connection pool uses the firewall's preset connection teardown time, then connections are maintained longer, but stale connections are used causing retries and slower response times

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection validityVSAvoidresponse time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The connection pool proactively removes connections before the firewall's teardown time expires by using a shorter internal teardown time. This preliminary action prevents connections from becoming stale and ensures only valid connections are used, eliminating retries and improving response times.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If the connection pool allows stale connections to remain in the pool, then connection reuse is maximized, but application performance deteriorates due to unnecessary retries

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection reuse efficiencyVSAvoidtransaction success rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The connection pool changes the teardown time parameter to be shorter than the firewall's preset time. This parameter change ensures connections are removed before becoming stale, maintaining connection reuse efficiency while preventing transaction failures caused by stale connections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the connection pool uses a shorter teardown time than the firewall's preset time, then stale connections are prevented, but connections are terminated more aggressively

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection freshnessVSAvoidconnection management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The connection pool automatically manages connection lifecycle by comparing current time with creation time and removing connections based on the configured teardown time. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual intervention or complex external coordination with the firewall, achieving connection freshness with minimal complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS8271659B2Methods and systems for automatic removal and replacement of connections in a pool rendered stale by a firewall

Publication Date: 2012.09.18 ORACLE INT CORP

AI summary

This disclosure describes, generally, methods and systems for managing connections within a connection pool. The method includes initializing a plurality of connections. The plurality of connections are configured to pierce a firewall. The method further includes placing the plurality of connections in a connection pool, and storing creation times for each of the plurality of connections. The method then determines the firewall's connection teardown time period and, based at least in part on the firewall's connection teardown time period, setting the connection pool's connection teardown time period to be at least less than the firewall's connection teardown time period.