System and method for transferring code to a data producer

• US 20080098367A1
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Begole, James M. A., Partridge, Kurt E., Chu, Maurice K., Newman, Mark W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/136
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• 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 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that selectively transfers code to a data producer in a networked system. In this system, the data producer generates data and then sends the data to a device. The device receives the data from the data producer, and then uses code on the device to perform a processing operation on the data. Next, the system analyzes characteristics of the data to determine whether performing the processing operation on the data producer can reduce resource usage. If so, the system transfers the code from the device to the data producer, and subsequently executes the code on the data producer. By executing the code on the data producer, the system can optimize resource usage in the networked system.

Claims

1. A method for selectively transferring code to a data producer in a networked system, wherein the data producer generates data and sends the data to a device, comprising:

receiving the data from the data producer on the device, wherein code on the device performs a processing operation on the data;

analyzing characteristics of the data to determine whether performing the processing operation on the data producer can reduce resource usage; and

if so, transferring the code from the device to the data producer; and

executing the code on the data producer;

wherein executing the code on the data producer can optimize resource usage in the networked system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the processing operation involves one or more of the following:

preprocessing the data;

compressing the data;

removing an item from the data;

adding an item to the data;

filtering the data;

transforming the data from a first format to a second format; and

/or

archiving an item from the data at the location where the code executes.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein executing the code on the data producer reduces the amount of data transferred from the data producer to the device;

and

wherein reducing the amount of data transferred saves power and/or consumes less network bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the data producer and the device communicate through a wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the characteristics of the data further involves:

using a distributed framework that manages location and routing information;

wherein the distributed framework monitors the needs and characteristics of a set of distributed applications executing simultaneously; and

wherein the distributed framework determines whether moving the code would improve system performance and/or resource utilization.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein the code is an application binary that can be cached on a device and/or a central repository;

and

wherein transferring the code from the device to the data producer can involve one or more of the following;

determining whether the application binary is already available on the data producer; and

/or

sending to the data producer information that allows the data producer to find and retrieve the application binary.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein transferring the code from the device to the data producer further involves:

receiving an event on the device while transferring the code; and

forwarding information related to the event to the data producer along with the code;

wherein forwarding information related to the event enables the distributed framework to deliver and/or handle events that might otherwise be ignored while the code is transferring.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein forwarding the information related to the event involves one or more of the following:

handling the event on the device and transferring state information to the data producer when the code begins executing on the data producer;

storing the event on the device and then transferring the event to the data producer when the code begins executing on the data producer; and

/or

detecting that the event is a duplicate event which was received on both the data producer and the device, thereby obviating the need to forward the information related to the event to the data producer.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein transferring the code from the device to the data producer further involves:

stopping the execution of the code on the device;

maintaining a copy of the code on the device;

detecting an error in the transfer of the code; and

re-starting the code on the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data producer is a computing device with limited resources that include one or more of the following:

a limited power source;

a network connection with limited bandwidth and/or high latency;

a processor with limited computation capability; and

/or

a small memory.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data producer is a sensor in a sensor network.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for selectively transferring code to a data producer in a networked system, wherein the data producer generates data and sends the data to a device, the method comprising:

receiving the data from the data producer on the device, wherein code on the device performs a processing operation on the data;

analyzing characteristics of the data to determine whether performing the processing operation on the data producer can reduce resource usage; and

if so, transferring the code from the device to the data producer; and

executing the code on the data producer;

wherein executing the code on the data producer can optimize resource usage in the networked system.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein performing the processing operation involves one or more of the following:

preprocessing the data;

compressing the data;

removing an item from the data;

adding an item to the data;

filtering the data;

transforming the data from a first format to a second format; and

/or

archiving an item from the data at the location where the code executes.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13,

wherein executing the code on the data producer reduces the amount of data transferred from the data producer to the device;

and

wherein reducing the amount of data transferred saves power and/or consumes less network bandwidth.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14,

wherein the data producer and the device communicate through a wireless network;

and

wherein the data producer is a computing device with limited resources that include one or more of the following;

a limited power source;

a network connection with limited bandwidth and/or high latency;

a processor with limited computation capability; and

/or

a small memory.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein analyzing the characteristics of the data further involves:

using a distributed framework that manages location and routing information;

wherein the distributed framework monitors the needs and characteristics of a set of distributed applications executing simultaneously; and

wherein the distributed framework determines whether moving the code would improve system performance and/or resource utilization.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16,

wherein the code is an application binary that can be cached on a device and/or a central repository;

and

wherein transferring the code from the device to the data producer can involve one or more of the following;

determining whether the application binary is already available on the data producer; and

/or

sending to the data producer information that allows the data producer to find and retrieve the application binary.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein transferring the code from the device to the data producer further involves:

receiving an event on the device while transferring the code; and

forwarding information related to the event to the data producer along with the code;

wherein forwarding information related to the event enables the distributed framework to deliver and/or handle events that might otherwise be ignored while the code is transferring.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein forwarding the information related to the event involves one or more of the following:

handling the event on the device and transferring state information to the data producer when the code begins executing on the data producer;

storing the event on the device and then transferring the event to the data producer when the code begins executing on the data producer; and

/or

detecting that the event is a duplicate event which was received on both the data producer and the device, thereby obviating the need to forward the information related to the event to the data producer.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein transferring the code from the device to the data producer further involves:

stopping the execution of the code on the device;

maintaining a copy of the code on the device;

detecting an error in the transfer of the code; and

re-starting the code on the device.

21. An apparatus that selectively transfers code to a data producer in a networked system, wherein the data producer generates data and sends the data to a device, comprising:

a receiving mechanism on the device configured to receive the data from the data producer, wherein code on the device performs a processing operation on the data; and

an analysis mechanism configured to analyze characteristics of the data on the device to determine whether performing the processing operation on the data producer can reduce resource usage and, if so, transfer the code from the device to the data producer and then execute the code on the data producer;

wherein executing the code on the data producer can optimize resource usage in the networked system.