Method and apparatus for peer-to-peer services

• US 20030009587A1
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Harrow, Ivan P., Curley, Martin G., Fleming, David O., Daly, Frank X., Honan, Dermot E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities

Abstract

A method and apparatus for peer-to-peer services have been described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring transmissions between routers;

analyzing network traffic; and

maintaining a prioritized list of best paths to a data source.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating a best path to a requesting device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said prioritized list takes into account factors selected from the group consisting of physicality to requesting client, network to which requesting client is attached, bandwidth of a network, available bandwidth of a network, time expiration of data at the data source, size of data at the data source, and time to transfer data from the data source.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the prioritized list is maintained by a server connected to the routers.

5. A processing system comprising a processor, which when executing a set of instructions performs the method of claim 1.

6. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed performs the method of claim 1.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a receiving block having a first input, a second input, a third input, a first output, and a second output, the first input coupled to receive router communications, the second input coupled to receive network communications, and the third input coupled to receive device queries;

an analysis block having an input and an output, the input coupled to receive the receiving block first output;

a maintained list engine having a first input, a second input, and an output, the first input coupled to receive the analysis block output, the second input coupled to receive the receiving block second output, and the list engine output coupled to communicate results of a device query.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first input, the second input, and the third input are a single connection to a network.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the list engine output coupled to communicate results of a device query is coupled to the network.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a database having a communications port, the communications port coupled to receive the maintained list engine output.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a server having a first communications port, and a second communications port, the first communications port coupled to receive router communications, and the second communications port coupled to the database communications port.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising means for communicating a best path to a requesting device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said means for creating a prioritized list takes into account factors selected from the group consisting of physicality to requesting device, network to which requesting device is attached, bandwidth of a network, available bandwidth of a network, time expiration of data at the data source, size of data at the data source, and time to transfer data from the data source.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising means for maintaining the prioritized list on a server connected to routers.

16. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon information which represents the apparatus of claim 12.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising communicating to a client query the best source for the specific data.

12. An apparatus comprising:

means for monitoring routing transmissions;

means for analyzing network traffic;

means for creating a prioritized list of best paths to a data source.

17. A method for optimizing peer-to-peer network transfers, the method comprising:

receiving from routers on a network broadcasts on routing information and the network congestion;

analyzing the network traffic; and

generating a list of best sources for specific data.

18. The method of 17 wherein the generating the list of best sources for specific data takes into account factors selected from the group consisting of network bandwidth, network congestion, time of day, expiration date for the specific data, size of the specific data, a destination for the specific data, and time to transfer the specific data to the destination.

20. A system comprising a processor, which when executing a set of instructions, performs the following:

monitors router transmissions;

analyzes network traffic;

creates a prioritized list of best paths to a data source.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising transferring a payment and/or a credit.

22. The system of claim 20 further comprising communicating to a requesting client the best path to the data source.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said prioritized list takes into account factors selected from the group consisting of physicality to requesting client, network to which requesting client is attached, bandwidth of a network, available bandwidth of a network, time expiration of data at the data source, size of data at the data source, and time to transfer data from the data source to the client.