Providing management functions in decentralized networks

• US 20030188019A1
• Filed: 03/27/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wesley, Ajamu A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,039,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1051 Group master selection mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products are disclosed for providing management functions in decentralized networks. Persistent identifiers are defined for nodes, allowing nodes to be identified across sessions and invocations, even though they re-enter the network with a different network address. Paths taken by content resources as they traverse the network (e.g. which nodes forwarded the content) are persisted, along with reputation information about nodes (e.g. indicating how successful they are at answering queries from peers). Trust relationships can be derived using the persisted information. A tiered broadcast strategy is defined for reducing the number of messages exchanged. Preferred embodiments leverage a web services implementation model.

Claims

23. A system for providing management functions in a decentralized network, comprising:

means for associating a persistent node identifier with each of the nodes in the network, such that an identity of the nodes can be resolved even though a current network address assigned to the node upon entering the network may vary from one entry to another;

means for associating a reputation with each of the nodes, wherein the reputation of each node is located using the node'"'"'s persistent node identifier;

means for asserting, by a particular node, that it is allowed to perform a management function;

means for locating the reputation of the particular node using its persistent node identifier; and

means for concluding that the particular node is allowed to perform management functions if the particular node has a suitable reputation.

1. A method of providing management functions in a decentralized network, comprising steps of:

associating a persistent node identifier with each of the nodes in the network, such that an identity of the nodes can be resolved even though a current network address assigned to the node upon entering the network may vary from one entry to another;

asserting, by a particular node, that it is allowed to perform a management function; and

using the persistent node identifier of the particular node to verify whether the particular node is allowed to perform the management function.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of associating a reputation with each of the nodes, wherein the reputation of each node is located using the node'"'"'s persistent node identifier, and wherein the step of using the persistent node identifier further comprises steps of:

locating the reputation of the particular node using its persistent node identifier; and

concluding that the particular node is allowed to perform management functions if the particular node has a suitable reputation.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the suitability of the reputation is based on behavior of the particular node over time.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the suitability of the reputation is based on a value stored therein being relatively high as compared to other nodes in the network.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the value is initialized with an externally determined value, and is then dynamically revised based on the particular node'"'"'s interactions with other nodes in the network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to replicate traffic to the particular node.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of replicating, by the receiving node, its traffic if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to replicate one or more categories of its traffic to the particular node.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to replicate, to the particular node, all traffic involving reputations of nodes or which transmits content between nodes.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to respond to the particular node with information pertaining to the receiving node.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the receiving node responds with the requested information only if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the requested information is a reputation stored by the receiving node.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the requested information is content stored by the receiving node.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the requested information is a traversal path of content stored by the receiving node.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the receiving node responds with the requested information only if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function and the particular node successfully responds to a challenge issued by the receiving node.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the receiving node responds with the requested information only if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function and a digital signature of the request verifies that the particular node sent the request.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to change information stored by the receiving node.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the receiving node performs the requested change only if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the requested change is to overwrite reputation information stored at the receiving node.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the requested change is to overwrite content stored at the receiving node.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the requested change is to overwrite a content traversal path stored at the receiving node.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network is a peer-to-peer network.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the suitability of the reputation is based on behavior of the particular node over time.

25. The system according to claim 23, wherein the suitability of the reputation is based on a value stored therein being relatively high as compared to other nodes in the network, and wherein the value is initialized with an externally determined value and is then dynamically revised based on the particular node'"'"'s interactions with other nodes in the network.

26. The system according to claim 23, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to replicate one or more categories of its traffic to the particular node, and further comprising means for replicating, by the receiving node, the categories of traffic if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function.

27. The system according to claim 23, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to respond to the particular node with a reputation stored by the receiving node, and wherein the receiving node responds with the requested reputation only if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function.

28. The system according to claim 23, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to overwrite reputation information stored at the receiving node, and wherein the receiving node performs the requested overwriting only if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function and a digital signature of the request verifies that the particular node sent the request.

29. The system according to claim 23, wherein the requested change is to overwrite content stored at the receiving node, and wherein the receiving node performs the requested overwriting only if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function and the particular node successfully responds to a challenge issued by the receiving node.

27-1. The system according to claim 23, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to respond to the particular node with content stored by the receiving node, and wherein the receiving node responds with the requested content only if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function and the particular node successfully responds to a challenge issued by the receiving node.

30. A computer program product for providing management functions in an ad hoc network, where a collection of nodes making up the network may change over time, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising:

computer-readable program code means for associating a persistent node identifier with each of the nodes in the network, such that an identity of the nodes can be resolved even though a current network address assigned to the node upon entering the network may vary from one entry to another;

computer-readable program code means for associating a reputation with each of the nodes, wherein the reputation of each node is located using the node'"'"'s persistent node identifier;

computer-readable program code means for asserting, by a particular node, that it is allowed to perform a management function;

computer-readable program code means for locating the reputation of the particular node using its persistent node identifier; and

computer-readable program code means for concluding that the particular node is allowed to perform management functions if the particular node has a suitable reputation.

31. The computer program product according to claim 30, wherein the suitability of the reputation is based on behavior of the particular node over time.

32. The computer program product according to claim 30, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to replicate, to the particular node, all traffic involving reputations of nodes or which transmits content between nodes, and further comprising computer-readable program code means for replicating, by the receiving node, that traffic if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function.

33. The computer program product according to claim 30, wherein the management function requests the node receiving the assertion to respond to the particular node with a traversal path of content stored by the receiving node, and wherein the receiving node responds with the requested traversal path only if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function.

34. The computer program product according to claim 30, wherein the requested change is to overwrite a content traversal path stored at the receiving node and wherein the receiving node performs the requested overwriting only if the receiving node concludes that the particular node is allowed to perform the management function.