PROPAGATING CHANGES IN TOPIC SUBSCRIPTION STATUS OF PROCESSES IN AN OVERLAY NETWORK

• US 20120016979A1
• Filed: 07/15/2010
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bortnikov, Vita, Chockler, Gregory, Roytman, Alexey, Spreitzer, Mike Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,661,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method of updating statuses of processes in a network is provided. The method may include the following steps: connecting N processes on a K-connected overlay network of nodes which is in operative association with a computer network; determining an update of subscription and un-subscription statuses of at least some of the processes; generating update messages reflecting the subscriptions and the un-subscriptions, the update messages being differences between previous update and current update; and propagating the update messages through the K-connected graph, such that at least some of the processes transfer the update to its respective K neighboring nodes, wherein at least one of the connecting, the subscribing, the unsubscribing, the generating, and the propagating is executed by at least one processor.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

connecting N processes on a K-connected overlay network of nodes which is in operative association with a computer network;

monitoring subscription and un-subscription of at least some of the processes into or from topics;

determining an update of subscription and un-subscription statuses of at least some of the processes;

generating update messages reflecting the subscriptions and the un-subscriptions, the update messages being differences between previous update and current update; and

propagating the update messages through the K-connected graph, such that at least some of the processes transfer the update to its respective K neighboring nodes,

wherein at least one of the connecting, the monitoring, the generating, and the propagating is executed by at least one processor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the propagation each process is configured to send update messages to K connected neighboring processes in response to receiving of an update from at least one neighboring process.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the propagating the update is initiated whenever the subscriptions and the un-subscriptions exceed a specified threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying at least one hash function to actual names of the topics such that names of subscribed and unsubscribed topics are stored as hashed values to reduce size of statuses update messages.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein each un-subscription invokes a setting of an unsubscribe counter indicating a leave of a topic, such that a propagated update message indicates a need to retrieve data for the unsubscribed topic in case of a re-subscription.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending the updated statuses by at least some of the processes to any newly detected neighboring process.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the subscription or the un-subscription is performed in response to at least one of:

user request, overlay network services, and services external to the overlay network.

8. A system comprising:

N processes connected over a K-connected overlay network of nodes which is in operative association with a computer network,

wherein at least some of the N processes are configured to;

determine an update of subscription and un-subscription into or from topics of at least some of the processes;

generate update messages reflecting the subscriptions and the un-subscriptions, the update messages being differences between previous update and current update; and

propagate the update messages through the K-connected graph, such that at least some of the update messages are transferred to the process'"'"'s respective K neighboring nodes.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein each process is configured to send updates to K connected neighboring processes in response to receiving of an update from at least one neighboring process.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processes are configured to initiate propagation of the update whenever the subscription and un-subscription exceeds a specified threshold.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processes are further configured to apply at least one hash function to actual names of the topics such that names of subscribed and unsubscribed topics are stored as hashed values to reduce size of statuses updates.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processes are further configured to invoke a setting of an unsubscribe counter whenever a topic is unsubscribed indicating a leave of a topic, such that a propagated update indicates a need to retrieve data for the unsubscribed topic in case of a re-subscription.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein at least some of the processes are configured to send the updated statuses to any newly detected neighboring process.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processes are further configured to subscribe or unsubscribe in response to at least one of:

user request, overlay network services, and services external to the overlay network.

15. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program embodied therewith, the computer readable program comprising;

computer readable program configured to connect N processes on a K-connected overlay network of nodes which is in operative association with a computer network;

computer readable program configured to determine an update of subscription and un-subscription of at least some of the processes into and from topics;

computer readable program configured to generate update messages reflecting the subscriptions and the un-subscriptions, the update messages being differences between previous update and current update; and

computer readable program configured to propagate the update messages through the K-connected graph, such that at least some of the processes transfer the update to its respective K neighboring nodes.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable program configured to send updates to K connected neighboring processes in response to receiving of an update from at least one neighboring process.

17. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable program configured to initiate propagation of the update whenever the subscribing and unsubscribing exceeds a specified threshold.

18. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable program configured to a apply at least one hash function to actual names of the topics such that names of subscribed and unsubscribed topics are stored as hashed values to reduce size of the update messages.

19. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable program configured to invoke a setting of an unsubscribe counter whenever a topic is unsubscribed indicating a leave of a topic, such that a propagated update indicates a need to retrieve data for the unsubscribed topic in case of a re-subscription.

20. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable program configured to send the updated statuses to any newly detected neighboring process.