Modular Server Architecture for Extensible HTTP Processing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing web servers have limited extensibility and performance due to tightly integrated features, making it difficult to customize or replace functionalities, leading to increased development costs and reduced performance from duplicated processing tasks.

Innovation Solution

A modular server architecture that allows self-contained components to be plugged in or out, providing rich APIs for controlling server operations and integrating native and managed modules, enabling selective feature loading and execution based on request conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If features are tightly integrated inside the web server implementation, then performance is improved, but extensibility deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveperformanceVSAvoidextensibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The web server is divided into separate native modules and managed modules, each handling specific functionality. Native modules provide core server functions while managed modules handle application-level tasks, allowing independent loading, configuration, and removal of features to maintain performance while enabling extensibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

An application development layer is introduced as an intermediary between the web server and application logic. This layer provides a rich set of APIs and utilities that bridge the gap between the highly optimized native server code and the need for customizable application functionality, eliminating the need to tightly integrate application logic into the core server.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If application development layer implementations are added, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of application developmentVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The native web server functionality and the application development layer are merged into a unified modular architecture. Both native modules and managed modules can coexist and work together through standardized interfaces, providing rich development capabilities without duplicating core server functionality, thus managing complexity through integration rather than separation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of operation

If application development layer is layered on top of web server, then ease of operation is improved, but productivity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of application developmentVSAvoidrequest processing performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically selects which modules to load based on the specific request and configured conditions. Not all modules are loaded into memory simultaneously; instead, modules are loaded on-demand and can be dynamically enabled or disabled based on runtime conditions, optimizing performance by minimizing memory usage and processing overhead while maintaining ease of operation through the available APIs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Adaptability or versatility

If all features are provided by default, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeature availabilityVSAvoidconfiguration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Different configurations of modules are provided for different scenarios and environments. Each module can be independently configured with its own parameters and conditions, allowing the system to be customized for specific needs without requiring all possible features to be active simultaneously. This reduces configuration complexity by allowing selective enabling of features where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS7721278B2Modular server architecture for multi-environment HTTP request processing

Publication Date: 2010.05.18 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Methods are provided for utilizing a modular server architecture for processing requests for services, such as authorization and authentication, in a web server. The modular server architecture includes self-contained modular components that can be plugged in and out of the web server, as needed, to provide requested web services. The modular server architecture is also extensible in that it provides set of server APIs for processing requests for supporting built-in server functionality as well as functionality provided by third party modular components. The modular server architecture also supports the integration of request processing tasks for both native and managed modular components, such as ASP.NET modules, by virtue of a managed module host component. The modular server architecture also optimizes server performance by only providing modular component functionality when needed. By utilizing the modular server architecture, server functionality is extended, duplication of request processing tasks is eliminated and performance administrative overhead is reduced.