Timeout processing for messages

A work dispatcher computer system, comprising one or more processors, one or more memories, and one or more computer readable hardware storage devices, said one or more hardware storage device containing program code executable by the one or more processors via the one or more memories to implement a method for message handling in the work dispatcher computer system that includes a client computer, a dispatch queue and one or more processing nodes, said method comprising:

• determining, by the one or more processors, a total time as a sum of a first time value and a second time value, wherein the first time value is an estimate of an amount of time that a message received from the client computer will spend in the dispatch queue after the message enters the dispatch queue, said estimate of the amount of time being based on an average time that N individual messages previously spent in the dispatch queue, wherein N is at least 2, and wherein the second time value is an estimate of a minimum time or an average time for the message to be processed by the one or more processing nodes;
• determining, by the one or more processors, whether N is at least a specified threshold number of messages;
• in response to determining, by the one or more processors, that N is at least the specified threshold number of messages, ascertaining whether a defined timeout period is not less than a specified threshold percent of the total time;
• in response to said ascertaining ascertains that the defined timeout period is not less than the specified threshold percent of the total time, then sending, by the one or more processors, the message to the dispatch queue;
• and sending, by the one or more processors, the message from the dispatch queue to a first processing node of the one or more processing nodes;
• and
• in response to said ascertaining ascertains that the defined timeout period is less than the specified threshold percent of the total time, then sending, by the one or more processors, a timeout error indication to the client computer instead of sending the message to the dispatch queue.

A computer program product, comprising one or more computer readable hardware storage devices having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code containing instructions executable by one or more processors of a work dispatcher computer system to implement a method for message handling in the work dispatcher computer system that includes a client computer, a dispatch queue and one or more processing nodes, said method comprising:

• determining, by the one or more processors, a total time as a sum of a first time value and a second time value, wherein the first time value is an estimate of an amount of time that a message received from the client computer will spend in the dispatch queue after the message enters the dispatch queue, said estimate of the amount of time being based on an average time that N individual messages previously spent in the dispatch queue, wherein N is at least 2, and wherein the second time value is an estimate of a minimum time or an average time for the message to be processed by the one or more processing nodes;
• determining, by the one or more processors, whether N is at least a specified threshold number of messages;
• in response to determining, by the one or more processors, that N is at least the specified threshold number of messages, ascertaining whether a defined timeout period is not less than a specified threshold percent of the total time;
• in response to said ascertaining ascertains that the defined timeout period is not less than the specified threshold percent of the total time, then sending, by the one or more processors, the message to the dispatch queue;
• and sending, by the one or more processors, the message from the dispatch queue to a first processing node of the one or more processing nodes;
• and
• in response to said ascertaining ascertains that the defined timeout period is less than the specified threshold percent of the total time, then sending, by the one or more processors, a timeout error indication to the client computer instead of sending the message to the dispatch queue.