Computer network method and system for guaranteed messaging service
View Patent ↗A system and method for reliable messaging is provided. Instead of returning a message as undeliverable, the message is routed to a relay server. The relay server attempts to re-send or re-route the message to the destination server. Once the destination server and associated connection becomes operational, the relay server provides the message to the destination server. If the attempts to re-send or re-route the message time out or do not succeed after a certain number of attempts, the relay server may invoke a process to create another messaging server. The other messaging server substitutes for the original destination server and processes the message for the receiving user. In either situation, the message is provided to the receiving user.
1. A method for providing a messaging service on a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) routing a message to a messaging server;
(b) providing the message to a relay server when the messaging server is inoperable such that the message is undeliverable to the messaging server;
(c) re-routing the message from the relay server to the messaging server if the messaging server becomes operational; and
(d) invoking another messaging server if the messaging server in step (c) does not become operational.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
(e) routing the message to the other messaging server of step (d).
3. The method of claim 2 :
further comprising (f) storing the message; and
wherein step (e) comprises changing server information of the stored message.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) comprises periodically attempting delivery of the message from the relay server to the messaging server.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
(d) sending the message to the messaging server in response to step (c).
6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
(f) sending the message to the other messaging server in response to step (e).
7. A computer network for providing a messaging service, the network comprising:
a messaging server;
a DNS server operable to route a message to the messaging server;
a relay server operably connected to the DNS server and the messaging server, the DNS server operable to provide the message to the relay server when the messaging server is inoperable such that the message is undeliverable to the messaging server;
wherein the relay server is operable to re-route the message from the relay server to the messaging server if the messaging server becomes operational; and
another messaging server, the other messaging server invoked by the relay server if the messaging server does not become operable such that the message is undeliverable to the messaging server in response to the re-routing.
8. The network of claim 7 wherein the relay server is operable to route the message to the other messaging server.
9. The network of claim 8 further comprising:
a storage device operably connected to the relay server and the other messaging server, the message being stored in the storage device; and
wherein the relay server is operable to change server information of the stored message to route the message to the other messaging server.
10. The network of claim 7 wherein the relay server is operable to periodically attempt delivery of the message from the relay server to the messaging server.
11. The network of claim 7 wherein the relay server is operable to send the message to the messaging server in response to the re-routing.
12. The network of claim 8 wherein the relay server is operable to send the message to the other messaging server in response to routing the message to the other messaging server.
13. The network of claim 7 wherein the messaging server and the relay server are within a first data center.
14. The network of claim 7 wherein the messaging server and the other messaging server are in first and second data centers, the first data center remote from the second data center.
15. The network of claim 7 wherein the relay server is operable to invoke a process to create another messaging server with a same name and IP address.