System and method for the location of caches

• US 20080040482A1
• Filed: 11/08/2006
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Velocix Ltd. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Twiss, Adam Dominic, Ferguson, David Sinclair, Minter, Jim
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• 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 67/1072 Discovery involving ranked list compilation of candidate peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data

Abstract

A method for selecting a preferred cache (312a) for the download of digital data from a plurality of caches (312; 312a-312d) is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of requesting an address of the preferred cache (312a) and selecting the preferred cache (312a) from the plurality of caches (312a). The selection of the preferred cache (312a) is derived from a location identifier of a client (102) requesting the download of the digital data.

Claims

1. Method for selecting a preferred cache for the download of digital data from a plurality of caches, the method comprising the steps of:

requesting an address of the preferred cache; and

selecting the preferred cache from the plurality of caches, the selection being derived from a location identifier of a client requesting the download of the digital data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network address of the client is the IP address of the client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the preferred cache is further based upon availability of the plurality of caches, network costs, location of data and/or network tasks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the address of the preferred cache comprises the steps of sending a request from the client to a location server (CLS) and a step of returning a handle comprising the address of the preferred cache to the client.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the address of the preferred cache comprises the step of sending a request from the client to a tracker.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the address of the preferred cache comprises the step of sending a request which is intercepted by a proxy and the proxy modifying the response from the tracker to insert the address of the preferred cache.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring the address of the preferred cache to the client.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the address of the preferred cache is transferred by a name server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the name server is a DNS server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the preferred address is a two stage process, wherein a first stage comprises returning a handle, and a second stage comprises requesting the address of the preferred cache passing the handle and other information obtained from the meta-information relating to the digital data to a name server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a location string.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the other information obtained from the meta-information relating to the digital data comprises a publisher string.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the other information obtained from the meta-information relating to the digital data comprises a protocol string.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting the preferred cache is based on at least parts of the handle and the other information obtained from the meta-information relating to the digital data.

16. The server of claim 14, wherein the network address is of the client is the IP address of the client.

15. A server for selecting a preferred cache for the download of digital data from a plurality of caches, the selection being derived from a network address of a client requesting a download of the digital data.

17. The server of claim 15, wherein the server is connected to a database.

18. The server of claim 15, wherein the server further comprises a name server (Central DNS) for transferring an address of the preferred cache to the client.

19. The server of claim 18, wherein the name server is a DNS server (Central DNS).

20. The server of claim 18, wherein the name server is connected to the database.

21. The server of claim 20, wherein the server is integrated in a tracker for tracking peer-to peer information.

22. The server of claim 20, wherein the server is integrated in a proxy for tracker communications.