Two-Stage Notification Subscription Mechanism for Network Traffic Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Event-driven infrastructure faces challenges in managing network traffic efficiently, particularly in real-time scenarios, due to the lack of effective mechanisms for handling event notifications and data transmission, leading to increased network overhead and responsiveness limitations.

Innovation Solution

A two-stage notification subscription mechanism is implemented, where client components subscribe to topics at a client-side hub and establish connections with a server-side notification server, reducing network traffic by aggregating and preprocessing data before transmission to only relevant client components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If traditional event-driven infrastructure transmits data from all sensors to all client components, then complete data availability is achieved, but network traffic increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata availabilityVSAvoidnetwork traffic

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the event distribution architecture into multiple hierarchical levels: event sources, event hubs (regional aggregation points), and event destinations. This segmentation allows events to be filtered and routed at intermediate hubs rather than being transmitted to all potential destinations, reducing network traffic while maintaining data availability where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Event hubs serve as intermediary components between event sources and destinations. These hubs subscribe to events from sources, process and filter them locally, and then forward only relevant events to subscribed destinations. This intermediary mechanism eliminates the need for direct point-to-point connections between all sources and destinations, significantly reducing network overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If portals use traditional request-response architecture for real-time data, then system simplicity is maintained, but responsiveness to real-time changes is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoidresponsiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional request-response architecture by implementing an event-push model. Instead of portals continuously requesting data or polling for updates, the event-driven infrastructure proactively pushes relevant events to subscribed portals when changes occur. This inversion maintains system simplicity while dramatically improving real-time responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The event subscription mechanism establishes continuous event streams from sources through hubs to destinations. Once subscribed, portals receive events continuously as they occur without needing to initiate requests, maintaining an active connection that ensures immediate delivery of real-time changes while keeping the portal architecture simple.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Adaptability or versatility

If individual portlets manage their own data retrieval, then portlet independence is achieved, but portal performance deteriorates due to redundant network operations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveportlet independenceVSAvoidportal performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the event subscription function at the portal level, where a single event subscription mechanism serves multiple portlets. Instead of each portlet independently subscribing to and retrieving events, the portal-level subscription aggregates event requests and distributes relevant events to subscribed portlets, reducing redundant network operations while maintaining portlet independence and functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS9910668B2Sensor-driven eventing and two stage notification

Publication Date: 2018.03.06 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

A computer-implemented method for reducing network traffic in an event-driven infrastructure by a two-stage notification subscription mechanism may be provided. The method includes subscribing, by client components to notifications for topics at a client-side hub, opening, a connection to a server-side notification server initiated by the client-side hub and subscribing, by the client-side hub to the server-side notification server for a united set of topics client components subscribed to at the client-side hub. The method also comprises, based on the subscriptions, a communicating, a united set of data relating to the united set of topics from the server-side notification server to the client-side hub, wherein the united set of data comprises data the client components subscribed to at the client-side hub such that the network traffic is reduced.