Multi-server file download

• US 20020087654A1
• Filed: 01/02/2002
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SPEEDbit Ltd. (SPEEDbit, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SPEEDbit Ltd. (SPEEDbit, Inc.)
• Inventors: Feigenbaum, Idan
• Application Number:
  US10/032,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087654A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/214
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90 Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for downloading a file to a client, the method including determining the presence of the file on each of a plurality of secondary servers, retrieving a plurality of portions of the file from any of the servers, where at least a first of the portions is retrieved from a first of any of the servers and at least a second of the portions is retrieved from a second of any of the servers, and assembling the file at the client from the plurality of portions.

Claims

1. A system for downloading a file from a computer, the system comprising:

means for retrieving a plurality of portions of a file from a plurality of computers, wherein at least a first of said portions is retrieved from a first one of said computers and at least a second of said portions is retrieved from a second one of said computers; and

means for assembling said file from said plurality of portions.

2. A system according to claim 1 and further comprising:

means for determining the presence of said file on each of said computers.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said means for determining is operative to:

determine the presence of said file on a primary computer; and

determine whether said file on each of said plurality of computers is a duplicate of said file on said primary computer.

4. A system according to claim 2 wherein said means for determining is operative to determine that said files on each of said computers have at least one file characteristic in common.

5. A system according to claim 1 and further comprising:

means for receiving a list of the addresses of said computers from a query-capable computer.

6. A system according to claim 1 and further comprising:

means for determining the performance of said computers;

means for ranking said computers from best performing to worst performing,

and wherein said means for retrieving is operative to retrieve from a selected plurality of said computers selected in order of their ranking from best performing to worst performing.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein said means for determining is operative to determine the response time of said computers.

8. A system according to claim 6 wherein said means for determining is operative to determine the throughput of said computers.

9. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means for retrieving is operative to:

discontinue retrieving any of said portions from any of said computers that provides its portion at a performance level that falls below a predefined performance level; and

continue retrieval of said retrieval-discontinued portion from any other of said computers.

10. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means for retrieving is operative to:

discontinue retrieving any of said portions from any of said computers that provides its portion at a performance level that falls below a predefined performance level; and

continue retrieval of said retrieval-discontinued portion from a computer other than any of said computers.

11. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means for retrieving is operative to retrieve using File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

12. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means for retrieving is operative to retrieve using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

14. A method according to claim 13 and further comprising:

determining the presence of said file on each of said plurality of said computers.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein determining the presence of said file comprises:

determining the presence of said file on a primary computer, and

determining whether said file on each of said plurality of computers is a duplicate of said file on said primary computer.

16. A method according to claim 14 wherein said determining the presence of said file comprises determining that said files on each of said plurality of said computers have at least one file characteristic in common.

17. A method according to claim 13 and further comprising receiving a list of the addresses of said computers from a query-capable computer.

18. A method according to claim 13 and further comprising:

determining the performance of said computers,

ranking said computers from best performing to worst performing,

and wherein retrieving said plurality of portions comprises retrieving from a selected plurality of said computers selected in order of their ranking from best performing to worst performing.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein determining the performance of said computers comprises determining the response time of said computers.

20. A method according to claim 18 wherein determining the performance of said computers comprises determining the throughput of said computers.

21. A method according to claim 13 wherein retrieving said plurality of portions comprises:

discontinuing retrieving any of said portions from any of said computers that provides its portion at a performance level that falls below a predefined performance level; and

continuing retrieval of said retrieval-discontinued portion from any other of said computers.

22. A method according to claim 13 wherein retrieving said plurality of portions comprises;

discontinuing retrieving any of said portions from any of said computers that provides its portion at a performance level that falls below a predefined performance level; and

continuing retrieval of said retrieval-discontinued portion from a computer other than any of said computers.

23. A method according to claim 13 wherein retrieving said plurality of portions comprises retrieving using File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

24. A method according to claim 13 wherein retrieving said plurality of portions comprises retrieving using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

13. A method for downloading a file from a computer, the method comprising:

retrieving a plurality of portions of said file from a plurality of computers, wherein at least a first of said portions is retrieved from a first of any of said computers and at least a second of said portions is retrieved from a second of any of said computers; and

assembling said file from said plurality of portions.

25. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for downloading a file from a computer and comprising:

a file retrieval code segment operative to retrieve a plurality of portions of said file from a plurality of computers, wherein said file retrieval code segment is operative to retrieve at least a first of said portions from a first of any of said computers and at least a second of said portions from a second of any of said computers; and

a file assembly code segment operative to assemble said file from said plurality of portions.