Hashing algorithm used for multiple files having identical content and fingerprint in a peer-to-peer network

• US 20060149806A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Scott, Adrian C. H., Ardron, S. Mitra
• Granted Patent: US 7,660,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9014 hash tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved technique for accessing information in a peer-to-peer network. According to specific embodiments of the present invention, each file accessible in the peer-to-peer network is assigned a respective hash ID or fingerprint ID which is used to describe the contents of that file. Files in the peer-to-peer network may be identified and/or accessed based upon their associated hash ID values. In this way it is possible to identify identical files stored in the peer-to-peer network which have different file names and/or other metadata descriptors. Since the content of all files having the same hash ID will be identical, an automated process may be used to retrieve the desired content from one or more of the identified files.

Claims

1. A method for accessing information in a peer-to-peer network, the peer-to-peer network including a plurality of peer devices and a database system accessible by at least a portion of the peer devices, each of the peer devices being configured to store information files, and further being configured to share content from selected information files with at least a portion of the other peer devices in the network, wherein each shared file in the network has a respective HASH ID associated therewith relating to its file content, the HASH ID being different from a respective filename associated with each file, the method comprising:

identifying a first network addresses corresponding to a first peer device which has been identified as storing a first information file associated with a first HASH ID;

identifying a second network addresses corresponding to a second peer device which has been identified as storing a second information file associated with the first HASH ID;

transmitting a first message to the first peer device requesting a first portion of file content of the first information file from the first peer device; and

transmitting a second message to the second peer device requesting a second portion of file content of the second information file from the second peer device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second messages each include the first HASH ID.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second messages are initiated at substantially a same time

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the requesting of the first portion of file content from the first peer device occurs concurrently with the requesting of the second portion of file content from the second peer device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the first portion of file content from the first peer device;

receiving the second portion of file content from the second peer device;

generating a third information file which includes the first and second portion of file content, wherein the file content of the third information file is identical to the file content of the first information file.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a failure in a file transfer process associated with the first peer device;

identifying a third network addresses corresponding to a third peer device which has been identified as storing a third information file associated with the first HASH ID;

transmitting a third message to the third peer device, the third message corresponding to a request to retrieve the first portion of file content from the third information file.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first portion of file content corresponds to a first chunk of bytes 1 to N of the first information file;

and

wherein the second portion of file content corresponds to a second chunk of bytes N+1 to 2N of the second information file.

8. A system for accessing information in a peer-to-peer network, the peer-to-peer network including a plurality of peer devices and a database system accessible by at least a portion of the peer devices, each of the peer devices being configured to store information files, and further being configured to share content from selected information files with at least a portion of the other peer devices in the network, wherein each shared file in the network has a respective HASH ID associated therewith relating to its file content, the HASH ID being different from a respective filename associated with each file, the system comprising:

at least one CPU;

memory;

at least one interface for communicating with other devices in the peer-to- peer network;

the at least one CPU adapted to;

identify a first network addresses corresponding to a first peer device which has been identified as storing a first information file associated with a first HASH ID;

identify a second network addresses corresponding to a second peer device which has been identified as storing a second information file associated with the first HASH ID;

transmit a first message to the first peer device request a first portion of file content of the first information file from the first peer device; and

transmit a second message to the second peer device request a second portion of file content of the second information file from the second peer device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the first and second messages each include the first HASH ID.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the first and second messages are initiated at substantially a same time

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the request of the first portion of file content from the first peer device occurs concurrently with the request of the second portion of file content from the second peer device.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the CPU is further adapted to:

receive the first portion of file content from the first peer device;

receive the second portion of file content from the second peer device; and

generate a third information file which includes the first and second portion of file content, wherein the file content of the third information file is identical to the file content of the first information file.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the CPU is further adapted to:

detect a failure in a file transfer process associated with the first peer device;

identify a third network addresses corresponding to a third peer device which has been identified as storing a third information file associated with the first HASH ID; and

transmit a third message to the third peer device, the third message corresponding to a request to retrieve the first portion of file content from the third information file.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the first portion of file content corresponds to a first chunk of bytes 1 to N of the first information file;

and

wherein the second portion of file content corresponds to a second chunk of bytes N+1 to 2N of the second information file.

15. A computer program product for accessing information in a peer-to-peer network, the peer-to-peer network including a plurality of peer devices and a database system accessible by at least a portion of the peer devices, each of the peer devices being configured to store information files, and further being configured to share content from selected information files with at least a portion of the other peer devices in the network, wherein each shared file in the network has a respective HASH ID associated therewith relating to its file content, the HASH ID being different from a respective filename associated with each file, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein, the computer readable code comprising computer code for;

identifying a first network addresses corresponding to a first peer device which has been identified as storing a first information file associated with a first HASH ID;

identifying a second network addresses corresponding to a second peer device which has been identified as storing a second information file associated with the first HASH ID;

transmitting a first message to the first peer device requesting a first portion of file content of the first information file from the first peer device; and

transmitting a second message to the second peer device requesting a second portion of file content of the second information file from the second peer device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the first and second messages each include the first HASH ID.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the first and second messages are initiated at substantially a same time

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the request of the first portion of file content from the first peer device occurs concurrently with the request of the second portion of file content from the second peer device.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising computer code for:

receiving the first portion of file content from the first peer device;

receiving the second portion of file content from the second peer device; and

generating a third information file which includes the first and second portion of file content, wherein the file content of the third information file is identical to the file content of the first information file.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising computer code for:

detecting a failure in a file transfer process associated with the first peer device;

identifying a third network addresses corresponding to a third peer device which has been identified as storing a third information file associated with the first HASH ID;

transmitting a third message to the third peer device, the third message corresponding to a request to retrieve the first portion of file content from the third information file.

21. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the first portion of file content corresponds to a first chunk of bytes 1 to N of the first information file;

and

wherein the second portion of file content corresponds to a second chunk of bytes N+1 to 2N of the second information file.