Patent ID: 7356529

Claim:
A method for optimizing a publish/subscribe communication system within a network switch, wherein the network switch has at least a plurality of line modules for communicating data from trunk lines through the switch to other remote trunk lines across respective line modules across a first communication network, and said network switch has a second communication network separate from said first communication network for connecting outside of said first communication network at least a switching module in said network switch to at least a first and second line module of the plurality of line modules, said method comprising: providing said network switch with a first communication coordinator within said first line modules and a second communication coordinator within said second line modules, said first and second line modules being connected by at least said second communication network; providing said first communication coordinator with at least a first application component; generating a subscription request in said at least one application component; sending a request based on said subscription request from said first communication coordinator to a control module connected to said plurality of line modules, said request comprising an event expression which may be resolved to match a plurality of different event names; said control module determining from said request a set of information pertaining to a publisher on a second line module, said set of information comprising a particular event name to which said publisher publishes; and resolving said set of information within said control module to determine whether said particular event name constitutes a match for said event expression, thereby determining whether said subscription request is a request to receive one or more publications made to said particular event name; in response to a determination that said particular event name constitutes a match for said event expression, providing said set of information pertaining to said subscriber to said second communication coordinator; in response to said second communication coordinator receiving said set of information pertaining to said subscriber, said second communicator sending an event information published for said event name to said first communication controller; said first line module receiving said event information across said second communication network and determining whether to execute a predetermined set of program instructions to affect a change in the communication across the network switch first communication network based on the value of the event information.