Extending network services using mobile agents

A primary server node for responding to service request, comprising:

• a memory that stores a program;
• an interface circuit;
• and
• a controller coupled to the memory and the interface circuit, the controller, when executing the program, being capable of:
• receiving, through the interface circuit, an initial service request sent from a client node to the primary server node through an intermediate node, the service request identifying a service provided by the primary server node, and
• sending, through the interface circuit, a service response to the client node through the intermediate node, the service response including (i) the service to be forwarded by the intermediate node to the client node, and (ii) a mobile agent that includes a set of rules directing the intermediate node to instruct a secondary server node to provide the service in response to a subsequent service request.

A method for providing a service in response to service requests, comprising the steps of:

• receiving, at an intermediate node, an initial service request sent from a client node to a primary server node that provides the service, and forwarding the initial service request to the primary server node;
• receiving, at the intermediate node, a service response from the primary server node that includes the service and a mobile agent, and forwarding the service to the client node, the mobile agent including a list of server nodes and a set of rules directing the intermediate node to instruct a particular server node on the list to provide the service in response to subsequent service requests, the particular server node being different than the primary server node;
• and
• receiving, at the intermediate node, a subsequent service request that requests the service provided by the primary server node, and sending an instruction to the particular server node instructing the particular server node to provide the service in response to the subsequent service request.

A computerized processing node for providing a service in response to service requests, comprising:

• a memory that stores a program;
• an interface circuit;
• and
• a controller coupled to the memory and the interface circuit, the controller, when executing the program, being capable of:
• receiving, through the interface circuit, an initial service request sent from a client node to a primary server node that provides the service, and forwarding, through the interface circuit, the initial service request to the primary server node,
• receiving, through the interface circuit, a service response from the primary server node that includes the service and a mobile agent, and forwarding, through the interface circuit, the service to the client node, the mobile agent including a list of server nodes and a set of rules directing the controller to instruct a particular server node on the list to provide the service in response to subsequent service requests, the particular server node being different than the primary server node, and
• receiving, through the interface circuit, a subsequent service request that requests the service provided by the primary server node, and sending, through the interface circuit, an instruction to the particular server node instructing the particular server node to provide the service in response to the subsequent service request.

A secondary server node for fulfilling service requests, comprising:

• a memory that stores a program;
• an interface circuit;
• and
• a controller coupled to the memory and the interface circuit, the controller, when executing the program, being capable of:
• receiving, through the interface circuit, a mobile agent from a primary server node, and
• in response to multiple service requests from multiple client nodes, executing code of the mobile agent at the secondary server node to provide multiple service responses to the multiple client nodes, the multiple service responses including a first service response having a first content for a first client node and a second service response having a second content for a second client node, the first and second contents being different from each other.