Patent ID: 6675196
Filing Date: 2004-01-06
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method of communicating between a client device and a server device over a communications link, the method comprising the steps of:under control of a client device, initiating establishment of a link layer connection between the client device and a specified server device; under control of the server device, establishing a data connection with the client device over the link layer connection by transmitting a tag line message to the client device that identifies a specified data protocol with which the server device is capable of communicating, the established data connection based on the specified data protocol; and subsequent to the establishment of the data connection, transmitting a service-command from the client device to the server device over the data connection, the service-command identifying a particular service to be performed by the server device; and in response to receiving the service-command at the server device, initiating the requested service and transmitting a status-response to the client device over the data connection.