Patent ID: 8566842

Claim:
A method for identifying a protocol used in a message, the method comprising: receiving the message at a universal port in a communication system, wherein the universal port is capable of receiving the message using any number of different protocols; determining whether the message has an envelope, wherein an additional header added by an application that sent the message forms the envelope; responsive to a determination that the message does not have an envelope, identifying a portion of the message containing protocol information, wherein the portion is identified when the message is received at a socket associated with the universal port; comparing a format of the protocol used in the message from the protocol information in the portion of the message with a plurality of formats for different protocols, wherein a matching of the protocol information in the portion of the message with one of the plurality of formats for different protocols identifies the protocol used in the message; responsive to a determination that the message has an envelope, identifying a first header in the message in addition to a second header in the message, wherein the first header forming the envelope, and the first header is located before a second header in the message, the first header uses a first protocol and the second header uses a protocol used in the message; identifying the protocol used in the message from the first header of the message using a module associated with the port; identifying a process associated with the communication system configured to process the protocol used in the message; and forwarding the message to the process identified.