SCALABLE RESOURCE DISCOVERY AND RECONFIGURATION FOR DISTRIBUTED COMPUTER NETWORKS

• US 20070014302A1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Vincent, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method is provided for discovering resources in a network of user nodes. According to the method, a resource request to be published is received at a first user node of the network, and it is determined (e.g., randomly) whether or not to send the resource request to a server node. When it is determined not to send the resource request to the server node, the resource request is forwarded to a second user node of the network through a direct connection. When it is determined to send the resource request to the server node, the resource request is sent to the server node for publication. Also provided is a user node for use in a computer network of the type that includes user nodes and at least one server node, with each user node being connected to at least one other user node through a direct connection.

Claims

1. A method for broadcasting information in a network of user nodes, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a publish-subscribe server node, a join announcement from a new user node; and

sending, via publication from the publish-subscribe server node, the join announcement to a first plurality of the user nodes of the network to solicit connections from those user nodes,

wherein a second plurality of the user nodes are each connected to one or more other of the user nodes through direct peer-to-peer connections so as to form a viral-type network.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first plurality of the user nodes includes all of the user nodes of the network.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first plurality of the user nodes consists of all of the user nodes that are subscribed to one or more node discovery channels.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, further comprising the step of receiving, from the new user node at the publish-subscribe server node, a request to subscribe the new user node to at least one resource request channel.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving, from the new user node at the publish-subscribe server node, a resource request from the new user node.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, further comprising the step of sending, via publication from the publish-subscribe server node, the resource request to all of the user nodes of the network that are subscribed to one or more resource request channels.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, further comprising the step of sending through direct peer-to-peer connections an identical resource request from the new user node to all of the user nodes to which the new user node is connected through direct peer-to-peer connections.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of initiating a direct peer-to-peer connection between the new user node and at least one of the user nodes of the network.

9. A machine-readable medium encoded with a program for broadcasting information in a network of user nodes, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a publish-subscribe server node, a join announcement from a new user node; and

sending, via publication from the publish-subscribe server node, the join announcement to a first plurality of the user nodes of the network to solicit connections from those user nodes,

wherein a second plurality of the user nodes are each connected to one or more other of the user nodes through direct peer-to-peer connections so as to form a viral-type network.

10. The machine-readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the first plurality of the user nodes includes all of the user nodes of the network.

11. The machine-readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the first plurality of the user nodes consists of all of the user nodes that are subscribed to one or more node discovery channels.

12. The machine-readable medium as defied in claim 11, wherein said program further contains instructions for performing the step of receiving, from the new user node at the publish-subscribe server node, a request to subscribe the new user node to at least one resource request channel.

13. The machine-readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein said program further contains instructions for performing the step of receiving, from the new user node at the publish-subscribe server node, a resource request from the new user node.

14. The machine-readable medium as defined in claim 13, wherein said program further contains instructions for performing the step of sending, via publication from the publish-subscribe server node, the resource request to all of the user nodes of the network that are subscribed to one or more resource request channels.

15. A publish-subscribe server node for use in a computer network of the type that includes user nodes, said publish-subscribe server node comprising:

a receiving interface for receiving a join announcement from a new user node; and

a transmitting interface for sending, via publication from the publish-subscribe server node, the join announcement to a first plurality of the user nodes of the network to solicit connections from those user nodes,

wherein a second plurality of the user nodes are each connected to one or more other of the user nodes through direct peer-to-peer connections so as to form a viral-type network.

16. The publish-subscribe server node as defined in claim 15, wherein the first plurality of the user nodes includes all of the user nodes of the network.

17. The publish-subscribe server node as defined in claim 15, wherein the first plurality of the user nodes consists of all of the user nodes that are subscribed to one or more node discovery channels.

18. The publish-subscribe server node as defined in claim 17, wherein the receiving interface also receives, from the new user node, a request to subscribe the new user node to at least one resource request channel.

19. The publish-subscribe server node as defined in claim 15, wherein the receiving interface also receives, from the new user node, a resource request from the new user node.

20. The publish-subscribe server node as defined in claim 19, wherein the transmitting interface sends, via publication from the publish-subscribe server node, the resource request to all of the user nodes of the network that are subscribed to one or more resource request channels.