METHOD FOR OPTIMALLY UTIILIZING A PEER TO PEER NETWORK

• US 20110066695A1
• Filed: 10/06/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kroll Information Assurance LLC
• Original Assignee: Tiversa, Inc. (Tiversa Holding Corp.)
• Inventors: HOPKINS, SAMUEL P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,972,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/107 with limitation or expansion of the discovery scope
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1093 Some peer nodes performing special functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for splitting a load of monitoring a peer to peer network. The method has a first node in the peer to peer network receiving information reported by a second node in the peer to peer network, including information concerning which nodes are connected to the second node. The method further has the first node connecting to nodes different from the nodes that are connected to the second node using the received information. The method still further has the first node reporting information, including information concerning which nodes are connected to the first node, such that the second node also has access to the reported information, thereby splitting the load of monitoring the peer to peer network among the first and second nodes.

Claims

1. A method for splitting a load of monitoring a peer to peer network, the method comprising:

at a first node in the peer to peer network,

(a) receiving information reported by a second node in the peer to peer network, including information concerning which nodes are connected to the second node;

(b) connecting to nodes different from the nodes that are connected to the second node using the received information; and

(c) reporting information, including information concerning which nodes are connected to the first node, such that the second node also has access to the reported information, thereby splitting the load of monitoring the peer to peer network among the first and second nodes.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the information reported by the second node includes search requests received by the second node.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the information reported by the second node includes receiving the information from a master node;

and

wherein the second node reports the information directly to the master node.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein connecting to different nodes includes requesting a master node to return connection information for a node to connect to, the master node returning the connection information to the first node using the information reported by the second node.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein reporting the information includes reporting the information to a master node;

and

wherein the second node receives the information reported by the first node from the master node.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing, in a cache, the nodes to connect to, which are different from the nodes that are connected to the second node.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising clearing the cache.

8. A method for utilizing a peer to peer network having a plurality of nodes, the method comprising:

a. defining a maximum concurrent connection value;

b. attempting through a first node, multiple connections to nodes in the peer to peer network up to the maximum concurrent connection value; and

c. adding new connection attempts up to the concurrent connection value as connection attempts succeed or fail.

9. A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the first node attempts more than the maximum concurrent connection value until a defined number of successful connection attempts.

10. A method for utilizing a peer to peer network having at least a first node and a second node, the method comprising:

a. connecting the first node to the second node;

b. recording in the first node the time of the connection;

c. comparing at an interval, the first node connection time to a value; and

d. disconnecting said first node from said second node when the value is reached.

11. A method for utilizing a peer to peer network having a plurality of nodes, said method comprising:

a. at a node in the network, obtaining address information on the plurality of nodes;

b. adding the address information to a cache; and

c. clearing the cache when a specific event occurs.

12. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the event is that the cache has reached a specific size.

13. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the event is that the connection information in the cache has reached a specific age.