Patent ID: 7200666

Claim:
A method for connecting a plurality of remote applications with a data source, the method comprising: providing at least one interface module configured to interface with a at least one of the remote applications; providing at least one port module configured to interface between the interface module and the data source; providing a connection manager to facilitate an the interface between the interface module and the port module; and establishing a direct connection between the interface module and the port module for communicating independently from the connection manager in subsequent communications; further comprising returning a port module identifier for the port module to the interface module before directly connecting the interface module and the port module, if the port module is available; wherein a plurality of port modules are provided, and returning a port module identifier for an available port further comprises: determining which of the plurality of port modules are associated with the data source and storing a data source identifier in a first data structure; identifying each of the plurality of port modules by a port module identifier and storing the port module identifier in a second data structure; and determining the availability for each of the plurality of port modules and storing an availability status of each of the plurality of port modules in a third data structure.