Locator and tracking service for peer-to-peer resources

• US 20050147044A1
• Filed: 02/14/2005
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bjorner, Nikolaj S., Teodosiu, Dan, Breunig, Markus M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,624,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1072 Discovery involving ranked list compilation of candidate peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1093 Some peer nodes performing special functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A resource naming service (RNS) server receives peer resource requests from peer platforms through a networking environment. The RNS server, possibly in cooperation with other RNS servers and peer registrars generates a response to the request to enable the peer platforms to access the requested peer resources. In one embodiment, a response includes a list of locations of peer devices in the networking environment where a resource is expected to be available. A requesting device can then choose to access the resource from one or more of the listed peer locations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a resource request at a peer platform;

determining if the resource request corresponds to a peer resource or a non-peer resource;

forwarding the resource request into a networking environment if the resource request corresponds to a non-peer resource; and

accessing a locator service indicated by the resource request if the resource request corresponds to a peer resource, said locator service to provide a list of network locations in the networking environment where the peer resource is expected to be available, and accessing the peer resource at one or more of the listed network locations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said resource request is received from one of a web browser running on the peer platform, a web-enabled application running on the peer platform, and a peer-to-peer application using an application programming interface (API) of the peer platform.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining comprises:

recognizing that the resource request corresponds to a peer resource based on a predetermined syntax of the resource request.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the predetermined syntax comprises a text string beginning with one of ppp, p2p, and rns.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining comprises:

comparing a realm name from the resource request to a list of previously cached realm names for peer-to-peer realms, said resource request corresponding to a peer resource if the realm names match.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining comprises:

forwarding the resource request into the networking environment to dynamically determine if the resource request corresponds to a peer resource or a non-peer resource; and

waiting for a response from a server device to which the resource request is routed, wherein if the response comprises access to a network resource, the resource request is determined to correspond to a non-peer resource, if the response comprises an indication that the server device is a resource locator service, the resource request is determined to correspond to a peer resource.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

caching a realm name from the resource request at the peer platform if the resource request is determined to correspond to a peer resource.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein if the resource request is determined to correspond to a peer resource, the method further comprises:

exchanging a series of messages with the resource locator service to determine if the peer platform is compatible with a realm of the resource locator service;

if the peer platform is determined to be incompatible, treating the resource request as if it corresponds to a non-peer resource, said resource locator service to supply a peer source corresponding to the resource request as a proxy; and

if the peer platform is determined to be compatible, treating the resource request as if it corresponds to a peer resource.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the peer resource comprises one of:

serially selecting one network location at a time from said list of network locations to which to issue a request, waiting for access to the peer resource for a particular period of time, and repeating until the peer resource is accessed; and

issuing a plurality of requests to multiple locations among said list of network locations, taking access to the peer resource from a set of one or more network locations to first respond, and ignoring subsequent responses.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the locator service comprises one of hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) messaging and binary code messaging based on binary codes cached within the peer platform to enable compressed communicates among devices within a given peer-to-peer realm.

11. A machine readable medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions to implement a method comprising:

receiving a resource request at a peer platform;

determining if the resource request corresponds to a peer resource or a non-peer resource;

forwarding the resource request into a networking environment if the resource request corresponds to a non-peer resource; and

accessing a locator service indicated by the resource request if the resource request corresponds to a peer resource, said locator service to provide a list of network locations in the networking environment where the peer resource is expected to be available, and accessing the peer resource at one or more of the listed network locations.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 11 wherein said resource request is received from one of a web browser running on the peer platform, a web-enabled application running on the peer platform, and a peer-to-peer application using an application programming interface (API) of the peer platform.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 11 wherein determining comprises:

recognizing that the resource request corresponds to a peer resource based on a predetermined syntax of the resource request.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 13 wherein the predetermined syntax comprises a text string beginning with one of ppp, p2p, and rns.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 11 wherein determining comprises:

comparing a realm name from the resource request to a list of previously cached realm names for peer-to-peer realms, said resource request corresponding to a peer resource if the realm names match.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 11 wherein determining comprises:

forwarding the resource request into the networking environment to dynamically determine if the resource request corresponds to a peer resource or a non-peer resource; and

waiting for a response from a server device to which the resource request is routed, wherein if the response comprises access to a network resource, the resource request is determined to correspond to a non-peer resource, if the response comprises an indication that the server device is a resource locator service, the resource request is determined to correspond to a peer resource.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 16, the method further comprising:

caching a realm name from the resource request at the peer platform if the resource request is determined to correspond to a peer resource.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 16 wherein if the resource request is determined to correspond to a peer resource, the method further comprises:

exchanging a series of messages with the resource locator service to determine if the peer platform is compatible with a realm of the resource locator service;

if the peer platform is determined to be incompatible, treating the resource request as if it corresponds to a non-peer resource, said resource locator service to supply a peer source corresponding to the resource request as a proxy; and

if the peer platform is determined to be compatible, treating the resource request as if it corresponds to a peer resource.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 11 wherein accessing the peer resource comprises one of:

serially selecting one network location at a time from said list of network locations to which to issue a request, waiting for access to the peer resource for a particular period of time, and repeating until the peer resource is accessed; and

issuing a plurality of requests to multiple locations among said list of network locations, taking access to the peer resource from a set of one or more network locations to first respond, and ignoring subsequent responses.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 11 wherein accessing the locator service comprises one of hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) messaging and binary code messaging based on binary codes cached within the peer platform to enable compressed communicates among devices within a given peer-to-peer realm.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a peer platform to receive a resource request;

said peer platform to determine if the resource request corresponds to a peer resource or a non-peer resource;

said peer platform to forward the resource request into a networking environment if the resource request corresponds to a non-peer resource; and

said peer platform to access a locator service indicated by the resource request if the resource request corresponds to a peer resource, said locator service to provide a list of network locations in the networking environment where the peer resource is expected to be available, and said peer platform to access the peer resource at one or more of the listed network locations.