Patent ID: 7890616

Claim:
A method for validating a failover behavior of a middleware server as a software component of a middleware computer system connected via a network to an alternate backend computer system and a backend computer system, said method comprising: (a) obtaining a command for configuring a protocol component of said middleware computer system, (b) configuring said protocol component of said middleware computer system according to said command, (c) transmitting a request for accessing a network-based service that provided by said backend computer system or said alternate backend computer system to said middleware server on said middleware computer system which was hosted by computer system subsequent to said protocol component having been configured, (d) monitoring said protocol component of said middleware computer system comprising determining whether during processing of said request said middleware server attempted to contact said alternate backend computer system, (e) receiving a response from said middleware server in response to said request in which said response indicates successful processing of said request by said middleware server, and (f) validating said failover behavior of said middleware server by both validating that said response indicates successful processing of said request by said middleware server and validating that a result of said monitoring indicated said alternate backend computer system was contacted by said middleware server during processing of said request wherein said command will cause said protocol component to permit said middleware server to have the ability to communicate with said alternate backend computer system said command will cause said protocol component to deny said middleware server to have the ability to communicate with said backend computer system to cause said middleware server to attempt to contact said alternate backend computer system during processing of said request to validate the failover behavior of said middleware server, and said request will cause said middleware server to attempt to contact said alternate backend computer system.