Node device, recording medium where storage control program is recorded, and information storing method

• US 20090052349A1
• Filed: 10/10/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Matsuo, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 8,654,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2869 Operational details of access network equipments admission control or resource allocation in access networks H04L12/5692
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1048 Departure or maintenance mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1053 with pre-configuration of logical or physical connections with a determined number of other peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1065 Discovery involving distributed pre-established resource-based relationships among peers, e.g. based on distributed hash tables [DHT] pre-configuration of logical or physical connections H04L67/1053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

In a node device included in an information communication system which has a plurality of node devices capable of performing communication with each other via a network, common information shared by the plurality of node devices is stored so as to be spread to the plurality of node devices.

The node device includes:

first storing means for storing link information used at the time of performing communication with the node devices, the link information including node information indicative of one or more specific node devices;

means for storing the link information stored in the first storing means into second storing means while participating in the system;

means, when withdrawing from the system, and after that, participating in the system again, for storing the link information obtained from the node device of the node information included in the link information stored in the second storing means into the first storing means.

Claims

1. A node device included in an information communication system which has a plurality of node devices capable of performing communication with each other via a network, and in which a plurality of pieces of common information shared by the plurality of node devices are stored so as to be spread to the plurality of node devices,

the node device comprising:

first storing means, which is volatile, for storing link information used at the time of performing communication with the node devices, the link information including node information indicative of one or more specific node devices;

first storage control means for storing the link information stored in the first storing means into second storing means which is nonvolatile at a predetermined timing, while the node device itself is participating in the information communication system; and

link information obtaining means, when the node device itself withdraws from the information communication system, and after that, participates in the information communication system again, for obtaining the link information to be stored in the first storing means using the node information included in the link information stored in the second storing means,

the link information obtaining means comprising;

node information reading means for reading the node information included in the link information stored in the second storing means,

participation notifying means for transmitting participation notification for notifying the node device of the node information of participation in the information communication system on the basis of the read node information, and

participation notification transmission result determining means for determining whether transmission of the participation notification has succeeded or not,

wherein when the participation notification transmission result determining means determines that transmission of the participation notification has succeeded, the link information obtaining means obtains the link information stored in the node device as the destination of the participation notification from the node device as the destination of the participation notification; and

wherein the node device comprises second storage control means for storing link information obtained by the link information obtaining means in the first storing means.

2. The node device according to claim 1, further comprising:

node information presence/absence determining means, when the participation notification transmission result determining means determines that transmission of the participation notification fails, for determining whether the another node information is still included in the link information stored in the second storing means or not,

wherein when the node information presence/absence determining means determines that there is no other node information in the link information,

the participation notifying means transmits the participation notification to a participation management node device for managing participation to the information communication system, which is another node device included in the information communication system,

the link information receiving means receives, from the participation management node device, the link information including the node information of at least one or more node devices included in the information communication system,

the second storage control means stores link information received from the participation management node device into the first storing means, and

wherein in the case where the node information presence/absence determining means determines that another node information is still included in the link information,

the participation notifying means transmits the participation notification to the node device corresponding to another node information included in the link information.

3. The node device according to claim 1, further comprising:

third storage control means for storing the link information stored in the second storing means into the first storing means, when the node device itself withdraws from the information communication system, and after that, participates in the information communication system again; and

node information selecting means for selecting any of the node information from the node information included in the link information re-stored from the second storing means to the first storing means by the third storage control means,

wherein the participation notifying means transmits the participation notification to the node device of the node information on the basis of the selected node information.

4. The node device according to claim 3, further comprising:

deleting means, when the participation notification transmission result determining means determines that transmission of the participation notification fails, for deleting the node information selected by the node information selecting means from the link information stored in the first storing means,

wherein the node information presence/absence determining means determines whether or not the node information still exists in the link information stored in the first storing means,

wherein in the case where the node information presence/absence determining means determines that there is no node information in the link information,

the participation notifying means transmits the participation notification to the participation management node device,

the link information receiving means receives the link information made by the node information of at least one node device included in the information communication system from the participation management node device,

the second storage control means stores, in place of the link information stored in the first storing means, the link information received from the participation management node device into the first storing means, and

wherein in the case where the node information presence/absence determining means determines that node information still exists in the link information,

the node information selecting means selects any of node information from the node information included in the link information again.

5. The node device according to claim 1, further comprising:

common information storing means for storing the common information; and

disclosure notifying means for transmitting a notification of disclosing the common information to any of the node devices of the node information stored in the first storing means by the second storage control means so that the common information stored in the common information storing means can be shared by the other node devices included in the information communication system.

6. The node device according to claim 1,

further comprising first storage time determining means for determining whether or not a lapse time elapsed since the time when the first storage control means stored the link information stored in the first storing means into the second storing means until the present time is longer than a first predetermined storage time,

wherein in the case where the first storage time determining means determines that the lapse time is longer than the first predetermined storage time, the participation notifying means transmits the participation notification to the participation management node device.

7. The node device according to claim 1,

further comprising second storage time determining means for determining whether or not a lapse time elapsed since the time when the first storage control means stored the link information stored in the first storing means into the second storing means until the present time is longer than a second predetermined storage time,

wherein in the case where the second storage time determining means determines that the lapse time is within the second predetermined storage time, the link information obtaining means obtains the link information stored in the second storing means, and

the second storage control means stores the link information obtained from the second storing means by the link information obtaining means into the first storing means.

8. The node device according to claim 7, further comprising:

common information storing means for storing the common information;

disclosure notifying means for transmitting a notification of disclosing the common information to any of the node devices of the node information stored in the first storing means by the second storage control means so that the common information stored in the common information storing means can be shared by the other node devices included in the information communication system; and

disclosure notification transmission result determining means for determining whether transmission of the disclosure notification has succeeded or not.

9. The node device according to claim 8,

wherein the link information obtaining means comprises:

participation notifying means, in the case where the disclosure notification transmission result determining means determines that transmission of the disclosure notification has failed, for transmitting a participation notification of notifying of participation in the information communication system, to another node device included in the information communication system, which is a participation management node device for managing participation in the information communication system; and

link information receiving means for receiving the link information including the node information of at least one node device included in the information communication system from the participation management node device, and

wherein the second storage control means stores the link information received from the participation management node device into the first storing means.

10. The node device according to claim 1,

wherein the first storing means stores location information indicative of location of the node device that stores the common information to be managed by the node device itself in the plurality of pieces of common information, and common information related information which is related to the plurality of pieces of common information shared by the plurality of node devices,

the first storage control means stores the location information and the common information related information stored in the first storing means into the second storing means at the predetermined timing, and

when the node device itself withdraws from the information communication system, and after that, participates in the information communication system again, the second storage control means stores the location information and the common information related information stored in the second storing means again into the first storing means.

11. The node device according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined timing is at least any of:

each time a predetermined time elapses;

each time the link information, the location information, or the common information related information stored in the first storing means is updated in association with transmission/reception of information to/from the other node devices included in the information communication system; and

the time when the power source of the node device itself is turned off.

12. The node device according to claim 1,

wherein the node devices are connected via an overlay network in the information communication system, and

the node information included in the link information includes a node ID for uniquely identifying a node device of the node information in an identification information space of the overlay network, and destination information of the node device.

13. The node device according to claim 1,

wherein the first storing means is a RAM provided in the node device, and

the second storing means is a hard disk, a flash memory, an EEPROM, or a semiconductor memory with a backup power source.

14. A computer-readable recording medium where a storage control program for making a computer function as a node device according to claim 1 is recorded.

15. An information storing method in an information communication system which has a plurality of node devices capable of performing communication with each other via a network, and in which a plurality of pieces of common information shared by the plurality of node devices are stored so as to be spread to a plurality of node devices,

the information storing method comprising:

a process of storing, in first storing means which is volatile, link information used at the time of performing communication with the node devices, the link information including node information indicative of one or more specific node devices;

a first storage control process of storing the link information stored in the first storing means into second storing means which is nonvolatile at a predetermined timing, while the node device itself is participating in the information communication system; and

a link information obtaining process, when the node device itself withdraws from the information communication system, and after that, participates in the information communication system again, of obtaining the link information to be stored in the first storing means using the node information included in the link information stored in the second storing means,

the link information obtaining process comprising;

a process of reading the node information included in the link information stored in the second storing means,

a process of transmitting a participation notification for notifying the node device of the node information of participation in the information communication system on the basis of the read node information, and

a participation notification transmission result determining process of determining whether transmission of the participation notification has succeeded or not,

wherein when it is determined that transmission of the participation notification has succeeded in the participation notification transmission result determining process, the link information obtaining process obtains the link information stored in the node device as the destination of the participation notification from the node device as the destination of the participation notification; and

wherein the information storing method comprises a second storage control process of storing the link information obtained into the first storing means.