Distributed, fault-tolerant message store

• US 20040139148A1
• Filed: 10/17/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloudian Holdings, Inc. (Cloudian, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cloudian, Inc.
• Inventors: Tso, Michael Man-Hak, Stone, David, Schwartz, Jonan, Norton, Joseph Wayne, Ogasawara, Gary Hayato
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers

Abstract

A system and method of managing a network provides for distributed storage and retrieval. In one embodiment, information such as a text message is stored by calculating an actual destination node based on a subscriber identifier and a current addressing function, which corresponds to a current topology of a network. The message is sent to the actual destination node for storage. Messages can be retrieved by calculating a plurality of destination nodes based on a subscriber identifier and a plurality of addressing functions, where each addressing corresponds to a topology of the network at a particular moment in time. In one embodiment, the addressing functions are hash functions.

Claims

1. A method of managing a network, comprising:

calculating a plurality of destination nodes based on a subscriber identifier and a plurality of addressing functions, each addressing function corresponding to a topology of the network at a particular moment in time.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving a message retrieval request at an initial retrieval node of the network, the message retrieval request including the subscriber identifier; and

querying the calculated plurality of destination nodes for a message.

3. The method of claim 2, further including:

receiving the message from one of the calculated plurality of destination nodes; and

forwarding the message toward an originator of the message retrieval request.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the originator of the message retrieval request is a wireless handset, the message being at least one of a short messaging service message and a mail digest.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the originator of the message retrieval request is a wireless handset, the message being a long messaging service message.

6. The method of claim 3, further including:

receiving a plurality of messages from the calculated plurality of destination nodes; and

forwarding the plurality of messages toward the originator of the message retrieval request.

7. The method of claim 2, further including:

receiving the message at an initial storage node, the message including the subscriber identifier;

calculating an actual destination node based on the subscriber identifier and a current addressing function corresponding to a current topology of the network; and

sending the message to the actual destination node for storage, the calculated plurality of destination nodes including the actual destination node and the plurality of addressing functions including the current addressing function.

8. The method of claim 7, further including:

storing the message to an internal queue of the initial storage node; and

removing the message from the internal queue if a confirmation of receipt is received from the actual destination node.

9. The method of claim 7, further including sending a message waiting indicator message toward a device associated with the subscriber identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, further including expiring one or more of the plurality of addressing functions based on a message validity period.

11. The method of claim 1, further including expiring one or more of the plurality of addressing functions for an expired destination node based on a local expiration signal from the expired destination node.

12. The method of claim 1, further including:

applying a time stamp to each of the plurality of addressing functions; and

delivering each of the plurality of addressing functions to the plurality of destination nodes before activation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the addressing functions are hash functions.

14. A method of managing a network, comprising:

receiving a message at an initial storage node, the message including a subscriber identifier;

calculating an actual destination node based on the subscriber identifier and a first addressing function corresponding to a current topology of the network;

sending the message to the actual destination node for storage;

storing the message to an internal queue of the initial storage node;

removing the message from the internal queue if a confirmation of receipt is received from the actual destination node;

sending a message waiting indicator message toward a device associated with the subscriber identifier;

receiving a message retrieval request at an initial retrieval node of the network, the message retrieval request including the subscriber identifier;

calculating a plurality of destination nodes based on the subscriber identifier and a plurality of addressing functions, each addressing function corresponding to a topology of the network at a particular moment in time, the plurality of destination nodes including the actual destination node and the plurality of addressing functions including the first addressing function;

querying the calculated plurality of destination nodes for the message;

receiving the message from the actual destination node; and

forwarding the message toward an originator of the message retrieval request, wherein the addressing functions are hash functions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the originator of the message retrieval request is a wireless handset, the message being at least one of a short messaging service message and a mail digest.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the originator of the message retrieval request is a wireless handset, the message being a long messaging service message.

17. The method of claim 14, further including:

receiving a plurality of messages from the calculated plurality of destination nodes; and

forwarding the plurality of messages toward the originator of the message retrieval request.

18. The method of claim 14, further including expiring one or more of the plurality of addressing functions based on a message validity period.

19. The method of claim 14, further including expiring one or more of the plurality of addressing functions for an expired destination node based on a local expiration signal from the expired destination node.

20. The method of claim 14, further including:

applying a time stamp to each of the plurality of addressing functions; and

delivering each of the plurality of addressing functions to the plurality of destination nodes before activation.

21. A machine readable medium to store a set of instructions capable of being executed by a processor to:

calculate a plurality of destination nodes based on a subscriber identifier and a plurality of addressing functions, each addressing function to correspond to a topology of a network at a particular moment in time.

22. The medium of claim 21, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to:

receive a message retrieval request at an initial retrieval node of the network, the message retrieval request including the subscriber identifier; and

query the calculated plurality of destination nodes for a message.

23. The medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to:

receive the message from one of the calculated plurality of destination nodes; and

forward the message toward an originator of the message retrieval request.

24. The medium of claim 23, wherein the originator of the message retrieval request is to be a wireless handset, the message to be at least one of a short messaging service message and a mail digest.

25. The medium of claim 23, wherein the originator of the message retrieval request is to be a wireless handset, the message to be a long messaging service message.

26. The medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to:

receive a plurality of messages from the calculated plurality of destination nodes; and

forward the plurality of messages toward the originator of the message retrieval request.

27. The medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to:

receive the message at an initial storage node, the message to include the subscriber identifier;

calculate an actual destination node based on the subscriber identifier and a current addressing function corresponding to a current topology of the network; and

send the message to the actual destination node for storage, the calculated plurality of destination nodes to include the actual destination node and the plurality of addressing functions to include the current addressing function.

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to send a message waiting indicator toward a device associated with the subscriber identifier.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to:

store the message to an internal queue of the initial storage node; and

remove the message from the internal queue if a confirmation of receipt is received from the actual destination node.

30. The medium of claim 21, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to expire one or more of the plurality of addressing functions based on a message validity period.

31. The medium of claim 21, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to expire one or more of the plurality of addressing functions for an expired destination node based on a local expiration signal from the expired destination node.

32. The medium of claim 21, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to:

apply a time stamp to each of the plurality of addressing functions; and

deliver each of the plurality of addressing functions to the plurality of destination nodes before activation.

33. The medium of claim 21, wherein the addressing functions are to be hashing functions.