Method and apparatus for wide-spread distribution of electronic content in a peer to peer fashion

• US 20020198930A1
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Jeffrey Allen, Rothert, Douglas Scott
• Application Number:
  US09/888,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20020198930A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1048 Departure or maintenance mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• 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, program and system for distributing information in a computer network are provided. The invention comprises dividing an electronic file into a plurality of pieces and then downloading a file piece to the first client machine to request that file piece. If a second client machine requests the same file piece, the request is redirected to the first client. The first client then functions as a peer-to-peer server and downloads the requested file piece to the second client.

Claims

1. A method for distributing information in a computer network, the method comprising:

dividing an electronic file into a plurality of pieces;

receiving a request for a file piece from a first client machine;

downloading the requested file piece to the first client machine;

receiving a request for said file piece from a second client machine; and

redirecting the request of the second client machine to the first client machine.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

downloading all file pieces to a plurality of client machines, wherein the client machines function as peer-to-peer servers for other client machines requesting said file pieces.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein each peer-to-peer server stores a unique file piece.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a request for a file piece stored in a first peer-to-peer server which is no longer connected to the computer network;

redirecting said request to a second peer-to-peer server containing a copy of said file piece; and

removing the first peer-to-peer server from a list of available peer-to-peer servers.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

sending a digest for a file piece to each client machine which has received that file piece.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a message from a client, wherein the message indicates that a peer-to-peer server has corrupted a file piece;

disconnecting the peer-to-peer server responsible for corrupting said file piece; and

retransmitting said file piece to said client, wherein the retransmitted file piece is free of any corrupting content.

7. A method for distributing information in a computer network, the method comprising:

requesting one of a plurality of pieces of an electronic file, wherein the electronic file is stored in a server;

receiving the requested file piece from the server;

receiving a request for said file piece from a client machine, wherein the request is redirected from the server; and

sending said file piece to said client machine.

8. A method for obtaining distributed information in a computer network, the method comprising:

requesting one of a plurality of pieces of an electronic file, wherein the electronic file is stored in a server;

receiving the requested file piece from a client machine containing a copy of said file piece.

9. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system, for distributing information in a computer network, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for dividing an electronic file into a plurality of pieces;

instructions for receiving a request for a file piece from a first client machine;

instructions for downloading the requested file piece to the first client machine;

instructions for receiving a request for said file piece from a second client machine; and

instructions for redirecting the request of the second client machine to the first client machine.

10. The computer program product according to claim 9, further comprising:

instructions for downloading all file pieces to a plurality of client machines, wherein the client machines function as peer-to-peer servers for other client machines requesting said file pieces.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein each peer-to-peer server stores a unique file piece.

12. The computer program product according to claim 10, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a request for a file piece stored in a first peer-to-peer server which is no longer connected to the computer network;

instructions for redirecting said request to a second peer-to-peer server containing a copy of said file piece; and

instructions for removing the first peer-to-peer server from a list of available peer-to-peer servers.

13. The computer program product according to claim 10, further comprising:

instructions for sending a digest for a file piece to each client machine which has received that file piece.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a message from a client, wherein the message indicates that a peer-to-peer server has corrupted a file piece;

instructions for disconnecting the peer-to-peer server responsible for corrupting said file piece; and

instructions for retransmitting said file piece to said client, wherein the retransmitted file piece is free of any corrupting content.

15. A computer program product for distributing information in a computer network, the method comprising:

instructions for requesting one of a plurality of pieces of an electronic file, wherein the electronic file is stored in a server;

instructions for receiving the requested file piece from the server;

instructions for receiving a request for said file piece from a client machine, wherein the request is redirected from the server; and

instructions for sending said file piece to said client machine.

16. A computer program product for obtaining distributed information in a computer network, the method comprising:

instructions for requesting one of a plurality of pieces of an electronic file, wherein the electronic file is stored in a server;

instructions for receiving the requested file piece from a client machine containing a copy of said file piece.

17. A system for distributing information in a computer network, the system comprising:

a dividing component which divides an electronic file into a plurality of pieces;

a first receiver which receives a request for a file piece from a first client machine;

a communications component which downloads the requested file piece to the first client machine;

a second receiver which receives a request for said file piece from a second client machine; and

a redirecting component which redirects the request of the second client machine to the first client machine.

18. A system for distributing information in a computer network, the system comprising:

a first communications component which requests one of a plurality of pieces of an electronic file, wherein the electronic file is stored in a server;

a first receiver which receives the requested file piece from the server;

a second receiver which receives a request for said file piece from a client machine, wherein the request is redirected from the server; and

a second communications component which sends said file piece to said client machine.

19. A system for obtaining distributed information in a computer network, the system comprising:

a communications component requesting one of a plurality of pieces of an electronic file, wherein the electronic file is stored in a server;

a receiver which receives the requested file piece from a client machine containing a copy of said file piece.