Distributed indexing of identity information in a peer-to-peer network

• US 20040064693A1
• Filed: 09/26/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Pabla, Kuldipsingh A., Arora, Akhil K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,206,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1065 Discovery involving distributed pre-established resource-based relationships among peers, e.g. based on distributed hash tables [DHT] pre-configuration of logical or physical connections H04L67/1053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1076 Resource dissemination mechanisms or network resource keeping policies for optimal resource availability in the overlay network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Embodiments of a distributed index mechanism for indexing and searching for identity information in peer-to-peer networks. In one embodiment, a distributed index may be used to store identity information in a decentralized manner on a plurality of peer nodes. The identity information may be used, for example, to authenticate users. Distributed indexes may allow identity information to be spread across multiple peer nodes so that the load is spread among the various peer nodes. In one embodiment, the distributed index may be a distributed hash table. One embodiment of a distributed index of identity information may be implemented in peer-to-peer networks implemented according to a peer-to-peer platform including one or more peer-to-peer platform protocols for enabling peer nodes to discover each other, communicate with each other, and cooperate with each other to form peer groups and share network resources.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a network; and

a plurality of peer nodes coupled to the network and configured to;

store identity information for authenticating user identifiers in a distributed index, wherein each peer node stores a zone of the distributed index configured to store identity information for a subset of the user identifiers at locations in the zone indicated by hashes of the subset of user identifiers;

receive from a node on the network a request for authentication, wherein the request for authentication comprises a user identifier;

generate a hash of the user identifier;

determine if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier; and

if identity information is stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, send a request for additional identity information to the node.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to determine if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, the plurality of peer nodes is further configured to:

determine a zone of the distributed index corresponding to a subset of the user identifiers indicated by the hash of the user identifier; and

determine if the identity information is stored at a location in the zone indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of peer nodes is further configured to, if identity information is not stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, add identity information corresponding to the user identifier at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of peer nodes is further configured to, if identity information is stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier:

receive the additional identity information from the node;

compare the additional identity information to the identity information stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier; and

if the additional identity information matches the identity information stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, notify the node that the user identifier is authenticated.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the plurality of peer nodes is further configured to, if the additional identity information does not match the identity information stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, notify the node that the user identifier is not authenticated.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to determine if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, one of the plurality of peer nodes is configured to:

determine a zone of the distributed index corresponding to a subset of the user identifiers indicated by the hash of the user identifier; and

route the request for authentication to a different one of the plurality of peer nodes configured to store the zone of the distributed index corresponding to the subset of the user identifiers indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein, to determine if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, the different one of the plurality of peer nodes is configured to determine if the identity information is stored at a location in the zone indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the distributed index is a distributed hash table.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of peer nodes is further configured to participate in a peer-to-peer environment on the network in accordance with one or more peer-to-peer platform protocols for enabling the plurality of peer nodes to discover each other, communicate with each other, and cooperate with each other to form peer groups and share network resources in the peer-to-peer environment.

10. A method, comprising:

a plurality of peer nodes coupled to a network storing identity information for authenticating user identifiers in a distributed index, wherein each of the plurality of peer nodes stores a zone of the distributed index configured to store identity information for a subset of the user identifiers at locations in the zone indicated by hashes of the subset of user identifiers;

receiving from a node on the network a request for authentication, wherein the request for authentication comprises a user identifier;

generating a hash of the user identifier;

determining if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier; and

if identity information is stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, sending a request for additional identity information to the node.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said determining if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier comprises:

determining a zone of the distributed index corresponding to a subset of the user identifiers indicated by the hash of the user identifier; and

determining if the identity information is stored at a location in the zone indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising, if identity information is not stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, adding identity information corresponding to the user identifier at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

receiving the additional identity information;

comparing the additional identity information to the identity information stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier;

if the additional identity information matches the identity information stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, notifying the node that the user identifier is authenticated.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising, if the additional identity information does not match the identity information stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, notifying the node that the user identifier is not authenticated.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said determining if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier comprises:

one of the plurality of peer nodes determining a zone of the distributed index corresponding to a subset of the user identifiers indicated by the hash of the user identifier; and

the one of the plurality of peer nodes routing the request for authentication to a different one of the plurality of peer nodes storing the zone of the distributed index corresponding to the subset of the user identifiers indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said determining if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier further comprises the different one of the plurality of peer nodes determining if the identity information is stored at a location in the zone indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

17. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the distributed index is a distributed hash table.

18. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the plurality of peer nodes is configured to participate in a peer-to-peer networking environment implemented in accordance with one or more peer-to-peer platform protocol for enabling peer nodes to discover each other, communicate with each other, and cooperate with each other to form peer groups and share network resources in the peer-to-peer environment.

19. A computer-accessible medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are configured to implement:

a plurality of peer nodes storing identity information for authenticating user identifiers in a distributed index, wherein each of the plurality of peer nodes stores a zone of the distributed index configured to store identity information for a subset of the user identifiers at locations in the zone indicated by hashes of the subset of user identifiers;

receiving from a node on the network a request for authentication, wherein the request for authentication comprises a user identifier;

generating a hash of the user identifier;

determining if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier; and

if identity information is stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, sending a request for additional identity information to the node.

20. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 19, wherein, in said determining if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, the program instructions are further configured to implement:

determining a zone of the distributed index corresponding to a subset of the user identifiers indicated by the hash of the user identifier; and

determining if the identity information is stored at a location in the zone indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

21. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the program instructions are further configured to implement, if identity information is not stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, adding identity information corresponding to the user identifier at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

22. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the program instructions are further configured to implement:

receiving the additional identity information;

comparing the additional identity information to the identity information stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier;

if the additional identity information matches the identity information stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, notifying the node that the user identifier is authenticated.

23. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the program instructions are further configured to implement, if the additional identity information does not match the identity information stored at the location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, notifying the node that the user identifier is not authenticated.

24. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 19, wherein, in said determining if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, the program instructions are further configured to implement:

one of the plurality of peer nodes determining a zone of the distributed index corresponding to a subset of the user identifiers indicated by the hash of the user identifier; and

the one of the plurality of peer nodes routing the request for authentication to a different one of the plurality of peer nodes storing the zone of the distributed index corresponding to the subset of the user identifiers indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

25. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 24, wherein, in said determining if identity information is stored at a location in the distributed index indicated by the hash of the user identifier, the program instructions are further configured to implement the different one of the plurality of peer nodes determining if the identity information is stored at a location in the zone indicated by the hash of the user identifier.

26. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the distributed index is a distributed hash table.

27. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the plurality of peer nodes is configured to participate in a peer-to-peer networking environment implemented in accordance with one or more peer-to-peer platform protocol for enabling peer nodes to discover each other, communicate with each other, and cooperate with each other to form peer groups and share network resources in the peer-to-peer environment.