METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PEER-TO-PEER APP-LEVEL PERFORMANCE ENHANCING PROTOCOL (PEP)

• US 20090327412A1
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Inventors: Lepeska, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods, apparatus, and systems for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration. The system includes content servers and clients. Each of the clients is capable of functioning as a proxy server. A client generates a request for content, and the requesting client determines which of the content servers contains the requested content. The requesting client then determines that one of the clients is in a position to retrieve the requested content on the content server at lower latency than the requesting client. The client then functions as a proxy server for the requesting client, and the requesting client receives the requested content from the client acting as a proxy server.

Claims

1. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration, the system comprising:

a plurality of content servers;

a plurality of clients in communication together and in communication with the plurality of content servers, wherein each of the plurality of clients is capable of functioning as a proxy server;

wherein at least one of the plurality of clients generates a request for content;

wherein the requesting client determines which of the plurality of content servers contains the requested content;

wherein the requesting client determines that at least one of the plurality of clients is in a position to retrieve the requested content on the content server at lower latency than the requesting client;

wherein the one of the plurality of clients functions as a proxy server for the requesting client; and

wherein the requesting client is configured to receive, from the content server via the at least one of the plurality of clients functioning as a proxy server for the requesting client, the requested content.

2. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of clients each include a proxy client running locally on the client machine.

3. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 1, wherein the proxy server comprises an acceleration module.

4. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 3, wherein the acceleration module is configured to decrease network latency and round trips.

5. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of clients and the plurality of content servers are in communication via a satellite network.

6. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of content servers comprise at least one or more of the following:

a mail server, a web server, and a file server.

7. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 1, wherein the requesting client is at a first location.

8. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 7, wherein the one of the plurality of clients functioning as the proxy server for the requesting client and the content server with the lower latency are at a second location.

9. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 8, wherein the first location and the second location are remotely located from each other.

10. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 8, wherein either the first location or the second location is a data center.

11. A method of providing peer-to-peer network acceleration, the method comprising:

generating, at a client system, a request for content, wherein the client system is one of a plurality of client systems and each of the plurality of client systems is capable of functioning as a proxy server;

determining which of a plurality of content servers contains the requested content;

determining that at least one of the plurality of clients is in a position to retrieve the requested content on the content server at lower latency than the requesting client;

selecting at least one of the plurality of client systems to function as a proxy server for the requesting client; and

receiving, from the content server via the at least one of the plurality of clients functioning as a proxy server for the requesting client, the requested content.

12. A method of providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 11, wherein the plurality of clients each include a proxy client running locally on the client machine.

13. A method of providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 11, wherein the proxy server comprises an acceleration module.

14. A method of providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 13, wherein the acceleration module is configured to decrease network latency and round trips.

15. A method of providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 11, wherein the plurality of clients and the plurality of content servers are in communication via a satellite network.

16. A method of providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 11, wherein the plurality of content servers comprise at least one or more of the following:

a mail server, a web server, and a file server.

17. A system for implementing distributed byte caching, the method comprising:

a requesting client configured to generate a request for content;

a peer client coupled with the requesting client, wherein the peer client stores at least a portion of the requested content, wherein the portion of the requested content is a sequence of bytes included within the requested content;

a proxy client server coupled with the peer client, wherein the proxy server client is a client functioning as a proxy server, and wherein the proxy client server is configured to generate a token representing the sequence of bytes within the requested content;

a content server coupled with the proxy client server configured to transmit portions of the requested content not stored on the peer client; and

wherein the proxy client server is further configured to transmit the token to the requesting client, and the requesting client is further configured to utilize the token to retrieve the at least a portion of the requested content corresponding to the token from the peer client.

18. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 17, wherein the requesting client is at a first location.

19. A system for providing peer-to-peer network acceleration as in claim 18, wherein the proxy client server and the content server are at a second location, and wherein the first location and the second location are remotely located from each other.

20. A machine-readable medium having sets of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

generate, at a client system, a request for content, wherein the client system is one of a plurality of client systems and each of the plurality of client systems is capable of functioning as a proxy server;

determine which of a plurality of content servers contains the requested content;

determine that at least one of the plurality of clients is in a position to retrieve the requested content on the content server at lower latency than the requesting client;

select at least one of the plurality of client systems to function as a proxy server for the requesting client; and

receive, from the content server via the at least one of the plurality of clients functioning as a proxy server for the requesting client, the requested content.