Method and system for identifying available resources in a peer-to-peer network

• US 20080263208A1
• Filed: 06/20/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: White, Payton R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,814,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1089 Hierarchical topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method for a peer of a peer-to-peer network to search for an available resource is provided. The method initiates with representing a request for the available resource as a request bit string. The method includes transmitting the request to a parent of the peer. Then, an aggregate availability bit string associated with the parent is accessed. The aggregate availability bit string represents an aggregate resource availability for all children of the parent. Next, a logical operation is performed with the bits of the aggregate availability bit string and the bits of the request bit string. Then, it is determined whether any of the children of the parent are able to provide the available resource based upon a result of the logical operation. A peer-to-peer grid and a system for publishing and identifying an available resource in a peer-to-peer distributed network are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for a peer of a peer-to-peer network to search for an available resource, comprising method operations of:

representing a request for the available resource as a request bit string;

transmitting the request to a parent of the peer;

accessing an aggregate availability bit string associated with the parent, the aggregate availability bit string representing an aggregate resource availability for all children of the parent

performing a logical operation with bits of the aggregate availability bit string and bits of the request bit string; and

determining whether any of the children of the parent are able to provide the available resource based upon a result of the logical operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

organizing peers of the peer-to-peer network in a hierarchical structure prior to transmitting the bit string.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein organizing peers of the peer-to-peer network in a structured tree prior to transmitting the bit string includes,

organizing the peers in the hierarchical structure based upon locality of the peers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method operation of representing a request for the available resource as a request bit string includes,

establishing a first portion of the request bit string to be read as a binary number;

and

establishing a second portion of the bit string to read as a power law value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method operation of accessing an availability bit string associated with the parent includes,

communicating individual availability strings to the parent from each child;

and

combining the individual availability strings with an availability string of the parent to define the aggregate resource availability.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method operation of performing a logical operation with bits of the aggregate availability bit string and bits of the request bit string includes,

combining each bit of the request bit string with a corresponding bit of the aggregate availability bit string through a logical AND operation;

and

determining if the individual availability strings can fulfill the request based on results of the logical AND operation.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if any of the children are able to provide the available resource, the method includes,

transmitting an address of the any of the children to the peer.

8. A computer readable medium having program instructions for a peer of a peer-to-peer network to search for an available resource, comprising:

program instructions for representing a request for the available resource as a request bit string;

program instructions for transmitting the request to a parent of the peer;

program instructions for accessing an aggregate availability bit string associated with the parent, the aggregate availability bit string representing an aggregate resource availability for all children of the parent;

program instructions for performing a logical operation with bits of the aggregate availability bit string and bits of the request bit string; and

program instructions for determining whether any of the children of the parent are able to provide the available resource based upon a result of the logical operation.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions for organizing peers of the peer-to-peer network in a hierarchical structure prior to transmitting the bit string.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the program instructions for organizing peers of the peer-to-peer network in a structured tree prior to transmitting the bit string includes,

program instructions for organizing the peers in the hierarchical structure based upon locality of the peers.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the program instructions for representing a request for the available resource as a request bit string includes,

program instructions for establishing a first portion of the request bit string to be read as a binary number;

and

program instructions for establishing a second portion of the bit string to read as a power law value.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the program instructions for accessing an availability bit string associated with the parent includes,

program instructions for communicating individual availability strings to the parent from each child;

and

program instructions for combining the individual availability strings with an availability string of the parent to define the aggregate resource availability.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program instructions for performing a logical operation with bits of the aggregate availability bit string and bits of the request bit string includes,

program instructions for combining each bit of the request bit string with a corresponding bit of the aggregate availability bit string through a logical AND operation;

and

program instructions for determining if the individual availability strings can fulfill the request based on results of the logical AND operation.

14. A peer-to-peer network capable of being searched for an available resource, comprising:

means for representing a request for the available resource as a request bit string;

means for transmitting the request to a parent of the peer;

means for accessing an aggregate availability bit string associated with the parent, the aggregate availability bit string representing an aggregate resource availability for all children of the parent;

means for performing a logical operation with bits of the aggregate availability bit string and bits of the request bit string; and

means for determining whether any of the children of the parent are able to provide the available resource based upon a result of the logical operation.

15. The peer-to-peer network of claim 14, further comprising:

means for organizing peers of the peer-to-peer network in a hierarchical structure prior to transmitting the bit string.

16. The peer-to-peer network of claim 15, wherein the means for organizing peers of the peer-to-peer network in a structured tree prior to transmitting the bit string includes,

means for organizing the peers in the hierarchical structure based upon locality of the peers.

17. The peer-to-peer network of claim 14, wherein the means for representing a request for the available resource as a request bit string includes,

means for establishing a first portion of the request bit string to be read as a binary number;

and

means for establishing a second portion of the bit string to read as a power law value.

18. The peer-to-peer network of claim 14, wherein the means for accessing an availability bit string associated with the parent includes,

means for communicating individual availability strings to the parent from each child;

and

means for combining the individual availability strings with an availability string of the parent to define the aggregate resource availability.

19. The peer-to-peer network of claim 14, wherein the means for performing a logical operation with bits of the aggregate availability bit string and bits of the request bit string includes,

means for combining each bit of the request bit string with a corresponding bit of the aggregate availability bit string through a logical AND operation;

and

means for determining if the individual availability strings can fulfill the request based on results of the logical AND operation.