1. A method of validating, as part of a web portal session, a user for access to a web application, in which the method includes: receiving from a web browser a request for access to the web application; in which the request comprises a web portal session cookie; at a first traffic manger, detecting the web portal session cookie provided in the request; when a web portal session cookie has been detected, checking the request for a cookie generated by the first traffic manger indicating authorisation of the user to access the application; and when the cookie generated by the first traffic manger is found in the request, forwarding the request via an intermediate web server to a second traffic manger; in which the second traffic manger forwards the request to the application.
2. The method of claim 1, in which, when no cookie generated by the first traffic manger indicating authorisation of the user to access the application is found in the request, the first traffic manger forwards the request to the intermediate web server for validating and authorising the user for access to the application; in which, upon receiving a response from the intermediate web server indicating successful validation and authorisation of the user, the first traffic manger generates a cookie indicating authorisation of the user to access the application and sends the cookie to the web browser in a response to the request; in which the response requires the web browser to resubmit the request incorporating the cookie sent in the response.
3. The method of claim 1 in which the second traffic manger forwards the request to the application along with information identifying the application provided from a database via the intermediate web server.
4. The method of claim 1 in which the cookie generated by the first traffic manger is encrypted.
5. The method of any of claim 1 in which the application responds to the request forwarded by the second traffic manager with a response including one or more cookies generated by the application.
6. The method of claim 5 in which the one or more cookies generated by the application are name-spaced in which each name space corresponds to a different virtual server running on the first traffic manger.
7. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which on receipt of the request from the first network traffic manger, the intermediate web server validates the portal session and keeps the portal session alive.
8. A computer readable medium storing processor executable instructions for causing the method of claim 1 to be carried out when run on a general purpose computer.
9. A computer network for providing, as part of a web portal session, access for a user to a web application running on a server, in which the network comprises: first and second traffic managers connected via an intermediate web server; in which the first traffic manager comprises interface means for receiving from the user, as part of the portal session, a request for access to the web application and for passing the request to the intermediate web server; for forwarding to the second traffic manger; in which the second traffic manager comprises interface means for receiving the request from the first traffic manager via the intermediate web server and for passing the received request to the web application.
10. A computer network as claimed in claim 9, comprising an authorisation manger for receiving the request from the intermediate web server, and returning a response to the intermediate web server for forwarding to the first traffic manager; in which the response comprises an indication of the authorisation status of the user for access to the web application.
11. A computer network as claimed in claim 10 in which the response comprises additional parameters required by the requested web application.
12. A computer network as claimed in claim 10 in which the response comprises a mapping between address information relating to the web application and address information relating to a server on which the application is running
13. A computer network as claimed in claim 9 in which the first traffic manager is arranged in use to check the request to determine whether it is a first receipt of a first request received during the current web portal session from the user for the web application (a first request); in which, the first traffic manager is arranged in use to pass the request, when the request is determined to be the first receipt of a first request, to the intermediate web server for validation of the request and authorisation of the user for access to the web application, and is arranged in use to receive a response from the intermediate web server indicating the status of the request and of the user; and in which the first traffic manager is arranged in use to generate, when the request is indicated in the response as being valid and the user is indicated in the response as authorised, one or more cookies indicating the valid and authorised status, to add the one or more cookies to the response and to forward the response to the user, in which the forwarded response comprises an indication requiring the user to re-submit the first request with the one or more cookies generated by the first traffic manager; in which whether the request is the first receipt of the first request is determined by checking for the presence in the request of the one or more cookies generated by the first traffic manager.
14. A reverse proxy for providing, as part of a web portal session, access for a user to a web application running on a server, in which the reverse proxy comprises first and second traffic managers connected via an intermediate web server.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A harvester for selectively harvesting biomass from a body of water, the apparatus comprising:
a frame having a drive-drum end and an idler-drum end;
a drive-drum located adjacent the drive-drum end;
an idler-drum located adjacent the idler-drum end;
a drive for driving the drive-drum in rotation; and
at least one transport member comprising at least one length of line to which biomass sufficiently adheres having opposing ends, wherein the opposing ends join each other to form a continuous loop around and frictionally engaging the drive-drum and the idler-drum, and wherein the at least one transport member comprises extraction portions separated from each other.
2. The harvester of claim 1, further comprising a scraping member positioned to urge against the at least one transport member, such that, when in motion, at least a portion of the transport member slides past the scraping member for removing biomass sufficiently adhered to the transport member.
3. The harvester of claim 2, wherein the frame is configured to be pivotably mounted to a platform such that when the frame is pivotably mounted to the platform, the idler-drum is at least partially submersible in the body of water by pivoting the frame.
4. The harvester of claim 1, wherein the drive-drum defines at least one exterior, circumferentially-extending groove for aligning the at least one transport member.
5. The harvester of claim 1, wherein the at least one continuous loop comprises a single winding.
6. A harvester for selectively harvesting biomass from a body of water, the apparatus comprising:
a frame having a drive-drum end and an idler-drum end;
a drive-drum located adjacent the drive-drum end;
an idler-drum located adjacent the idler-drum end;
a drive for driving the drive-drum in rotation; and
at least one transport member comprising at least one length of line to which biomass sufficiently adheres having opposing ends, wherein the opposing ends join each other to form a continuous loop around and frictionally engaging the drive-drum and the idler-drum, and wherein the drive-drum defines at least one exterior, circumferentially-extending groove for aligning the at least one transport member.