Persistent Email Connections via Token Database Failover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of web-based email systems often experience disruptions when connectivity is lost during a session, requiring re-authentication upon switching to a backup server, which can be inconvenient and disrupts the user experience.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where the initial HTTP server stores user authentication information in a database accessible to backup servers, allowing seamless transition by retrieving and validating the stored authentication information when a user reconnects, eliminating the need for re-authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a backup HTTP server is used when the initial server fails, then service continuity is improved, but user authentication information is lost requiring re-authentication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a database as an intermediary component that stores authentication information centrally. When the initial HTTP server fails, the backup server can retrieve the user's authentication information from this database, avoiding the need for re-authentication. The database acts as a mediator that preserves authentication data across server failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by storing authentication information in a database before any server failure occurs. This pre-stored information is readily available when the backup server needs to take over, eliminating the authentication interruption that would otherwise occur.
2Reliability
If authentication information is stored locally on the HTTP server, then security is improved, but service continuity deteriorates when server failure occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the authentication system into two independent parts: the HTTP server that handles requests and the database that stores authentication information. This segmentation allows the database to persist authentication data independently of any single server's fate, enabling seamless failover to backup servers without compromising the authentication mechanism.
3Reliability
If a database is introduced to store authentication information, then service continuity is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the database a universal component that serves multiple HTTP servers (both initial and backup) simultaneously. This multi-functional database architecture allows any server in the system to access authentication information, providing service continuity across multiple servers while using a single shared resource rather than duplicating storage across each server.
Data Source
AI summary
A token for a webclient in communication with an HTTP server to access an email system is stored at a database by the HTTP server. If the HTTP server is unexpectedly unavailable, a backup HTTP server that next interacts with the webclient can locate the token for the webclient using identifying information for the webclient to locate a record in the database containing the token. The backup HTTP server can then provide seamless access to the email system for the webclient despite the loss of connectivity to the initial HTTP server.