Method and apparatus for restricting a fan-out search in a peer-to-peer network based on accessibility of nodes

• US 20030050980A1
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, French, Steven Michael, Janakiraman, Janani
• Granted Patent: US 7,003,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24524 Access plan code generation and invalidation; Reuse of access plans
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• 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 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/967 Peer-to-peer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer implemented instructions for restricting a fan-out type search of a distributed database. A search request is received indicating that a requesting node originating the search request desires to avoid receiving search results including inaccessible nodes. Responsive to receiving the search results from other nodes, the search results are filtered to remove search results from inaccessible nodes to form filtered search results. The filtered search results are passed to the requesting node.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for restricting a fan-out type search of a distributed database, the method comprising the data processing system implemented steps of:

receiving a search request indicating that a requesting node originating the search request desires to avoid receiving search results including inaccessible nodes;

responsive to receiving the search results from other nodes, filtering the search results to remove search results from inaccessible nodes to form filtered search results;

passing the filtered search results to the requesting node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed database is located in at least one of an Internet, and intranet, a wide area network, and a local area network.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

passing the search request to nodes identified by the data processing system, wherein the nodes exclude inaccessible nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein inaccessible nodes are nodes behind firewalls in which pulling of data is prohibited.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

processing the search request to determine whether data corresponding to the search request is present in the data processing system.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to the data corresponding to the search request being present in the data processing system, including an identification of the data in the search results.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

identifying the other nodes; and

forwarding the search request to the other nodes.

8. A method in a data processing system for processing search requests in a peer-to-peer network, the method comprising:

generating a search request for a fan-out search;

sending the search request to at least one other node; and

receiving search results, wherein the search results include an identification of whether a node containing data corresponding to the search request is an inaccessible node.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the peer-to-peer network is located in at least one of an Internet, an intranet, a wide area network, and a local network.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

selectively pulling the data corresponding to the search from accessible nodes identified in the search results.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

selectively allowing the data corresponding to the search request to be pushed to the data processing system from an inaccessible node identified in the search results.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the inaccessible node is a node behind a firewall.

13. A method in a data processing system for processing search requests in a peer-to-peer network, the method comprising:

receiving a search request from an originating node;

sending the search request to a set of nodes identified by the data processing system; and

receiving results from the set of nodes, wherein the results identify whether a node within the set of nodes is an inaccessible node.

14. A data processing system for restricting a fan-out type search of a distributed database, the data processing system comprising:

receiving means for receiving a search request indicating that a requesting node originating the search request desires to avoid receiving search results including inaccessible nodes;

filtering means, responsive to receiving the search results from other nodes, for filtering the search results to remove search results from inaccessible nodes to form filtered search results;

passing means for passing the filtered search results to the requesting node.

15. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein the distributed database is located in at least one of an Internet, and intranet, a wide area network, and a local area network.

16. The data processing system of claim 14 further comprising:

passing means for passing the search request to nodes identified by the data processing system, wherein the nodes exclude inaccessible nodes.

17. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein inaccessible nodes are nodes behind firewalls in which pulling of data is prohibited.

18. The data processing system of claim 14 further comprising:

processing means for processing the search request to determine whether data corresponding to the search request is present in the data processing system.

19. The data processing system of claim 14 further comprising:

including means, responsive to the data corresponding to the search request being present in the data processing system, for including an identification of the data in the search results.

20. The data processing system of claim 18 further comprising:

identifying means for identifying the other nodes; and

forwarding means for forwarding the search request to the other nodes.

21. A data processing system for processing search requests in a peer-to-peer network, the data processing system comprising:

generating means for generating a search request for a fan-out search;

sending means for sending the search request to at least one other node; and

receiving means for receiving search results, wherein the search results include an identification of whether a node containing data corresponding to the search request is an inaccessible node.

22. The data processing system of claim 21, wherein the peer-to-peer network is located in at least one of an Internet, an intranet, a wide area network, and a local network.

23. The data processing system of claim 21 further comprising:

pulling means for selectively pulling the data corresponding to the search from accessible nodes identified in the search results.

24. The data processing system of claim 21 further comprising:

allowing means for selectively allowing the data corresponding to the search request to be pushed to the data processing system from an inaccessible node identified in the search results.

25. The data processing system of claim 21, wherein the inaccessible node is a node behind a firewall.

26. A data processing system for processing search requests in a peer-to-peer network, the data processing system comprising:

first receiving means for receiving a search request from an originating node;

sending means for sending the search request to a set of nodes identified by the data processing system; and

second receiving means for receiving results from the set of nodes, wherein the results identify whether a node within the set of nodes is an inaccessible node.

27. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for restricting a fan-out type search of a distributed database, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for receiving a search request indicating that a requesting node originating the search request desires to avoid receiving search results including inaccessible nodes;

second instructions, responsive to receiving the search results from other nodes, for filtering the search results to remove search results from inaccessible nodes to form filtered search results;

third instructions for passing the filtered search results to the requesting node.

28. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for processing search requests in a peer-to-peer network, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for generating a search request for a fan-out search;

second instructions for sending the search request to at least one other node; and

third instructions for receiving search results, wherein the search results include an identification of whether a node containing data corresponding to the search request is an inaccessible node.

29. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for processing search requests in a peer-to-peer network, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for receiving a search request from an originating node;

second instructions for sending the search request to a set of nodes identified by the data processing system; and

third instructions for receiving results from the set of nodes, wherein the results identify whether a node within the set of nodes is an inaccessible node.

30. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications unit connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive a search request indicating that a requesting node originating the search request desires to avoid receiving search results including inaccessible nodes;

filter the search results to remove search results from inaccessible nodes to form filtered search results in response to receiving the search results from other nodes,; and

pass the filtered search results to the requesting node.

31. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications unit connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to generate a search request for a fan-out search in a peer-to-peer network;

send the search request to at least one other node; and

receive search results, in which the search results include an identification of whether a node containing data corresponding to the search request is an inaccessible node.

32. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications unit connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive a search request from an originating node;

send the search request to a set of nodes identified by the data processing system; and

receive results from the set of nodes, in which the results identify whether a node within the set of nodes is an inaccessible node.