Peer communication channel partitioning

• US 20030225895A1
• Filed: 05/30/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zinda, Eric K., Olson, Lance E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses

Abstract

Communication channels are partitioned among active nodes in an unbounded computing space. A node may register with a discovery system to obtain an address window (that may correspond to a range of IP addresses). The node communicates only with nodes in accordance with the address window. Even though a partition corresponds to a subset of the nodes in the unbounded computing space, the partition overlaps with partitions of other nodes so that all nodes may interact with each other, either directly or indirectly. Because a node may be cognizant of a small subset of active nodes in the unbounded computing space, both security and scalability are supported.

Claims

1. A first node module in which agent programs can execute, comprising:

(a) a peer discovery module that receives a window in order to detect a second node module within a distributed computing architecture, wherein the window comprises a list of other node modules within the distributed computing architecture and wherein the list comprises the second node module; and

(b) a peer interaction module through which the first node module communicates with the second node module in accordance with the window, wherein the window comprises an identifying attribute of the second node module, and wherein the first node module is capable of introducing an agent program that can be sent to the second node module, through the peer interaction module, and that can execute in the second node module.

2. The first node module of claim 1, wherein the identifying attribute of the second node module corresponds to an IP address that is assigned to the second node module.

3. The first node module of claim 1, wherein the peer discovery module receives the window from a discovery system.

4. A discovery system that is associated with an unbounded computing space, comprising:

(a) a system interaction module through which the discovery system communicates with a first node module and determines a first identifying attribute of the first node module; and

(b) a system discovery module that determines a window of the first node module in response to a message received from the first node module through the system interaction module, wherein the window comprises a list of other node modules within the distributed computing space, and wherein the list comprises a second node module that is associated with a second identifying attribute.

5. The discovery system of claim 4, wherein the first identifying attribute corresponds to a first IP address of the first node module and the second identifying attribute corresponds to a second IP address of the second node module.

6. A distributed computing architecture, comprising:

(a) a plurality of node modules in which agent programs can execute, wherein the plurality of node modules comprises a first node module and a second node module, each node module comprising;

(i) a peer discovery module that receives an address window of the first node module in order to detect the second node module within the distributed computing architecture; and

(ii) a peer interaction module through which the first node module communicates with the second node module in accordance with the address window, wherein the address window comprises a second address of the second node module, and wherein the first node module is capable of introducing an agent program that can be sent to the second node module, through the peer interaction module, and execute on the second node module; and

(b) at least one discovery system, each discovery system comprising;

(i) a system interaction module through which the discovery system communicates with the first node module and determines an address of the first node module; and

(ii) a system discovery module that determines the address window of the first node module in response to a message received from the first node module through the system interaction module, wherein the address window comprises the second address of a second node module.

7. A method for partitioning an unbounded computing space, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a first notification from a first node in order to register the first node;

(b) determining a first address that is associated with the first node;

(c) entering the first address into a list of addresses;

(d) selecting a subset of the list of addresses, the subset comprising addresses of other nodes that are associated with the unbounded computing space; and

(e) providing a first address window to the first node, wherein the first address window comprises the subset of addresses.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the list of addresses is associated with IP addresses.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

(f) sorting the list of addresses.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

(f) receiving a second notification from the first node in order to provide an updated first address window;

(g) selecting an updated subset of the list of addresses, wherein the updated subset is derived from the subset; and

(h) providing the updated first address window to the first node, wherein the updated first address window comprises the updated subset of addresses.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

(f) receiving a second notification from the first node in order to remove the first node from the unbounded computing space; and

(g) removing the first address from the list of addresses.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

(h) sorting the list of addresses.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein a second address corresponding to a second node is contained in the address window, further comprising the steps of:

(f) receiving a second notification from the first node that the second node is non-responsive; and

(g) removing the second address from the list of addresses.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

(h) sorting the list of addresses.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

(i) providing an updated first address window to the first node.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the first address window is configured by a first parameter that is associated with a window size and a second parameter that is associated with an overlap with a second address window, wherein the second address window is associated with a second node, and wherein the second node is associated with a closest address to the first address, the first address being associated with the first node.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

(f) updating the first parameter in accordance with a degree of activity that is associated with the unbounded computing space.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

(f) updating the second parameter in accordance with a degree of activity that is associated with the unbounded computing space.

19. A method for executing a program on a distributed computer system, the method comprising the steps of

(a) sending, by a first node, a first notification in order to register the first node on the distributed computer system;

(b) receiving, by the first node, a first address window; and

(c) sending, by a first node, a first message to a second node only if an address of the second node is contained in the first address window.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first message is associated with a first agent program.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

(d) receiving, by the second node, a second address window; and

(e) sending, by the second node, the first agent program to a third node only if an address of the third node is contained in the second address window.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

(d) accepting, by the first node, a second message from the second node only if the address of the second node is contained in the first address window.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the second message is associated with a second agent program.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

(d) sending, by the first node, a second notification in order to obtain an updated first address window, in response to detecting an expiration of a preset time interval;

(e) receiving, by the first node, the updated first address window; and

(e) sending, by the first node, the first message to the second node only if the address of the second node is contained in the updated first address window.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

(d) determining, by the first node, that the second node is non-responsive;

(e) sending, by the first node, a second notification that the second node is non-responsive; and

(f) receiving, by the first node, an updated first address window.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

(d) sending, by the first node, a second notification to request that the first node be removed from the distributed computer system.