BACKGROUND FILE SHARING IN A SEGMENTED PEER-TO-PEER FILE SHARING NETWORK

• US 20080133538A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chavez, Timothy R, Seacat, Lisa A., Lauridsen, Christina K., Peterson, Robert R., Patel, Sushma B., Salem, Loulwa F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,131,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• 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 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments

Abstract

A peer-to-peer file sharing client with background file sharing is provided in a segmented peer-to-peer file sharing network. Each file sharing participant may designate an amount of bandwidth and/or storage space for background file sharing. Peer-to-peer file sharing clients then share file data and content in the background automatically. The client may participate in additional swarms, in the background, to generally increase the number of peers in file sharing networks, thus increasing the speed of downloading desired files for other users.

Claims

1. A method in a peer-to-peer file sharing client for background file sharing in a peer-to-peer file sharing network, the method comprising:

requesting at least one file fragment from a background swarm for background file sharing;

receiving the at least one file fragment from the background swarm; and

uploading the at least one file fragment to peers in the background swarm,

wherein the at least one file fragment is part of a file that is not being downloaded in the foreground.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing background resources for background file sharing comprising a specified amount of bandwidth and a specified amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the at least one file fragment and uploading the at least one file fragment are performed using the specified amount of bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the at least one file fragment comprises storing the at least one file fragment in the amount of storage space.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

deleting a given file fragment of the at least one file fragment from the amount of storage space based on an expiration parameter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the expiration parameter is specified in a preferences data structure.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the amount of bandwidth and the amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing are specified in a preferences data structure.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the amount of storage space is partitioned to a defined storage space from which files cannot be executed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting at least one file fragment from a background swarm comprises:

identifying a given peer in a foreground swarm;

determining whether the given peer is participating in another swarm; and

requesting the at least one file fragment from the another swarm.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a user of the peer-to-peer file sharing client is a member of a community and wherein the background swarm is selected based on swarm peers being members of the community.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one file fragment is selected based on a rarity value of the file fragment.

12. A peer-to-peer file sharing client for background file sharing in a peer-to-peer file sharing network, the peer-to-peer file sharing client comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory contains instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

request at least one file fragment from a background swarm for background file sharing;

receive the at least one file fragment from the background swarm; and

upload the at least one file fragment to peers in the background swarm,

wherein the at least one file fragment is part of a file that is not being downloaded in the foreground.

13. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 12, wherein the memory contains instructions which, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

provide background resources for background file sharing comprising a specified amount of bandwidth and a specified amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing.

14. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 13, wherein receiving the at least one file fragment and uploading the at least one file fragment are performed using the specified amount of bandwidth.

15. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 13, wherein receiving the at least one file fragment comprises storing the at least one file fragment in the amount of storage space.

16. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 15, wherein the memory contains instructions which, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

deleting a given file fragment of the at least one file fragment from the amount of storage space based on an expiration parameter.

17. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 16, wherein the expiration parameter is specified in a preferences data structure.

18. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 13, wherein the amount of bandwidth and the amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing are specified in a preferences data structure.

19. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 13, wherein the amount of storage space is partitioned to a defined storage space from which files cannot be executed.

20. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 12, wherein requesting at least one file fragment from a background swarm comprises:

identifying a given peer in a foreground swarm;

determining whether the given peer is participating in another swarm; and

requesting the at least one file fragment from the another swarm.

21. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 12, wherein a user of the peer-to-peer file sharing client is a member of a community and wherein the background swarm is selected based on swarm peers being members of the community.

22. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 12, wherein the at least one file fragment is selected based on a rarity value of the file fragment.

23. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

request at least one file fragment from a background swarm for background file sharing;

receive the at least one file fragment from the background swarm; and

upload the at least one file fragment to peers in the background swarm,

wherein the at least one file fragment is part of a file that is not being downloaded in the foreground.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, further causes the computing device to:

provide background resources for background file sharing comprising a specified amount of bandwidth and a specified amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein receiving the at least one file fragment and uploading the at least one file fragment are performed using the specified amount of bandwidth.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein receiving the at least one file fragment comprises storing the at least one file fragment in the amount of storage space.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, further causes the computing device to:

delete a given file fragment of the at least one file fragment from the amount of storage space based on an expiration parameter.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the expiration parameter is specified in a preferences data structure.

29. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the amount of bandwidth and the amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing are specified in a preferences data structure.

30. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the amount of storage space is partitioned to a defined storage space from which files cannot be executed.

31. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein requesting at least one file fragment from a background swarm comprises:

identifying a given peer in a foreground swarm;

determining whether the given peer is participating in another swarm; and

requesting the at least one file fragment from the another swarm.

32. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the at least one file fragment is selected based on a rarity value of the file fragment.

33. A communications system, comprising:

a memory configured to store a computer readable program; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when received by and executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to;

request at least one file fragment from a background swarm for background file sharing;

receive the at least one file fragment from the background swarm; and

upload the at least one file fragment to peers in the background swarm,

wherein the at least one file fragment is part of a file that is not being downloaded in the foreground.