Universal naming scheme for peer-to-peer resources

• US 20050265367A1
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• 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 7,536,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• 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 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities

Abstract

Peer devices register with a resource locator service so that the peer devices can be uniquely identified in a networking environment. An addressing scheme addresses a peer resource in the networking environment based on the unique identifier of a peer device that is a master publisher of the resource. Based on the addressing scheme, the resource locator service can track the location of the master publisher of the resource as well as additional locations of peer devices that have cached the resource and made it available. In various embodiments, the resource locator service can service requests for peer resources by providing a list of locations where the resource is expected to be available or, in the case of non-compatible requester, provide access to the resource itself.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a registration request at a peer registrar, said registration request being received from a peer device through a networking environment;

determining a unique identifier for the peer device, said unique identifier being unique within a realm of the peer registrar, said realm comprising the peer registrar, a plurality of RNS servers, and a plurality of additional peer devices, said unique identifier to be used to identify peer resources within the realm that are under the control of the peer device;

determining a home RNS server for the peer device within the realm, said home RNS server to serve the peer device with locations of peer resources within the realm to enable the peer device to access the peer resources from respective ones of the plurality of additional peer devices; and

returning the unique identifier and a network location for the home RNS server to the peer device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the registration request comprises a series of interactions between the peer device and the peer registrar, said series of interactions to convey at least one of a peer device user identity, encryption keys for secure communications among elements within the realm, billing information for accessing the peer resources within the realm, software for compatible interaction with the home RNS server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the home RNS comprises:

determining a list of RNS servers compatible with the peer device; and

selecting from among the list of RNS servers.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the list of RNS servers have software compatible with peer platform software of the peer device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein prior to the selecting, the method further comprises:

providing the list of RNS servers to the peer device, said peer device to suggest one of the RNS servers as a preferred RNS server

6. The method of claim 5 wherein to suggest the preferred RNS server, the peer device is to test a network path to each listed RNS server and select the one having a best response time.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein selecting comprises:

ranking relative network traffic loads among the listed RNS servers;

selecting the preferred RNS server if the preferred RNS server'"'"'s network traffic load is below a particular level; and

selecting an RNS server having a lowest network traffic load if the preferred RNS server'"'"'s network traffic load is not below the particular level.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the network location of the peer device is dynamically allocated.

9. A machine readable medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions that, when executed by a machine, implement the method of claim 1.

10. A method comprising:

sending a registration request to a realm registrar from a peer device through a networking environment, said realm registrar to determine a unique identifier for the peer device, said unique identifier being unique within a realm of the realm registrar, said realm comprising the realm registrar, a plurality of RNS servers, and a plurality of additional peer devices, said unique identifier to be used to identify peer resources within the realm that are under the control of the peer device, said realm registrar also to determine a home RNS server for the peer device within the realm, said home RNS server to serve the peer device with locations of peer resources within the realm to enable the peer device to access the peer resources from respective ones of the plurality of additional peer devices; and

receiving the unique identifier and a network location for the home RNS server at the peer device.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving a list of RNS servers at the peer device;

evaluating the list of RNS servers; and

returning to the realm registrar one of the RNS servers as a preferred RNS server.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

sending a peer notification to the home RNS server through the networking environment, said home RNS server to update a record based on the peer notification, said record to enable the RNS server to service requests for peer resources stored at a plurality of peer devices with network locations of respective peer devices in the networking environment.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the RNS server stores an indication when the peer device is not currently available.

15. A machine readable medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions that, when executed by a machine, implement the method of claim 10.

12. The method of claim 111 wherein evaluating the list of RNS servers comprises:

testing a network path to each listed RNS server; and

selecting an RNS server having a best response time.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a peer device to send a registration request to a realm registrar through a networking environment, said realm registrar to determine a unique identifier for the peer device, said unique identifier being unique within a realm of the realm registrar, said realm comprising the realm registrar, a plurality of RNS servers, and a plurality of additional peer devices, said unique identifier to be used to identify peer resources within the realm that are under the control of the peer device, said realm registrar also to determine a home RNS server for the peer device within the realm, said home RNS server to serve the peer device with locations of peer resources within the realm to enable the peer device to access the peer resources from respective ones of the plurality of additional peer devices; and

said peer device to receive the unique identifier and a network location for the home RNS server.