Method and system for providing a session involving a plurality of software applications

Method of providing a user with a user session, wherein the user session requires the operation of a plurality of software applications processed by a system operating with the user in a client/server mode, at least one of the software applications being linked to at least a part of a user context related to the user session, characterized in that for each user session, each software application is processed by one application server among a group of application servers that each processes independently said each software application, in that each application server that processes a software application linked to a part of the user context is thereby linked to the user context and is provided with data storage means configured to store the part of the user context to which it is linked, and in that it comprises the following steps performed with at least one processor:

• assigning to the user session a correlation record (DCX) configured to comprise Affinity Keys, each Affinity Key indicating the application server that must be targeted for a given software application and for said user session,
• at one among one or more routing means, one routing means being a main routing means in charge of the user session:
• receiving a transaction;
• determining a software application that is called by the transaction, determining if the transaction requires to be routed to an application server linked to the user context:
• if the transaction requires to be routed to an application server linked to the user context then:
• if the correlation record contains any Affinity Key for the called software application, then routing the transaction according to the Affinity Key;
• if the correlation record does not contain an Affinity Key for the called software application, one of the routing means selects an application server among the group of application servers that process the called software application, enriches the correlation record with an Affinity Key indicating the selected application server, routes the transaction to the selected application server and the main routing means stores the correlation record.

System for providing a user with a user session, comprising a plurality of software applications, the operation of which being required for providing the user session, at least one of the software applications being linked to at least a part of a user context related to the user session,

• characterized in that it comprises:
• a plurality of machines comprising each at least a processor,
• a plurality of application servers (A1, . . . , B8, . . . ) running each on a machine, each application server being arranged so that for that user session each software application is processed by one application server among a group of application servers dedicated to that software application, defining thereby for each user session a set of application servers having each an affinity with the user session,
• data storage means associated to each application server that processes a software application linked to a part of the user context, each storage means being arranged to store the part of the user context that is linked to the software application that is processed by the application server associated to said storage means,
• one or more routing means, among which a main routing means is arranged to be in charge of the user session, the one or more routing means being configured to:
• receive at least a request from the user and route transactions of the user session toward the application servers having an affinity with the user session in order to fulfill the request, the routing means being configured so that the transaction step comprises:
• assigning to the user session a correlation record (DCX) arranged to comprise Affinity Keys, each Affinity Key indicating an application server that has an affinity with the user session for a given software application,
• propagating the correlation record with each transaction, allowing thereby the routing means to read the correlation record for targeting the application servers that have an affinity with the user session and that process the software applications relevant to handle the transaction.