DATA FLOW IN PEER-TO-PEER NETWORKS

• US 20120102151A1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Souza, Victor, Hellkvist, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 9,083,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols

Abstract

There is described a client node for use in a network. The client node comprises a transmitter for requesting data from the network. A processor is operatively connected to the transmitter, and has installed thereon an operating system and an application. A receiver for receiving data from the network is operatively connected to the processor. The application is arranged to request content data from the network by opening a transport socket to the operating system. The operating system is arranged to establish contact with a master peer server in the network, receive a list of sources of the content data from the master peer server through such transport socket signalling, and establish contact with at least one source from the list of sources. The application is arranged to receive the content data from the at least one source without being aware that the content is delivered by at least one source from a list of sources. The list of sources may include nodes in a P2P network.

Claims

1. A client node for use in a network, comprising:

a transmitter for requesting data from the network;

a processor operatively connected to the transmitter and having installed thereon an operating system and an application; and

a receiver operatively connected to the processor for receiving data from the network;

wherein;

the application is arranged to request content data from the network by opening a transport socket to the operating system;

the operating system is arranged to establish contact with a master peer server in the network, receive a list of sources of the content data from the master peer server through transport socket signalling, and establish contact with at least one source from the list of sources; and

,

the application is arranged to receive the content data from the at least one source without being aware that the content is delivered by at least one source from a list of sources.

2. The client node of claim 1, wherein the list of sources includes nodes in a peer-to-peer network.

3. The client node of claim 1, wherein the list of sources includes the master peer server.

4. The client node of claim 1, wherein the operating system is further arranged to perform one or more of the following functions:

control opening and/or closing of sockets towards the at least one source from which the content data is received;

control data flow between the at least one source and the application;

ensure content availability to the application; and

determine what content to retrieve from each source.

5. A server for use in a network, comprising:

a receiver for receiving a request for content data from a client node in the network;

a transmitter for transmitting data into the network; and

,

a processor operatively connected to the receiver and transmitter, the processor arranged to;

establish a connection via a three-way handshake with the client node;

identify whether there are sources for the content data available in the network; and

,

if sources are available, send a list of said sources to the client node.

6. The server of claim 5, arranged so that the list of sources is sent to the client node using transport socket primitives.

7. The server of claim 5, wherein the list of sources includes nodes in a peer-to-peer network.

8. The server of claim 5, wherein the list of sources includes nodes that belong to a cluster the server is part of.

9. The server of claim 5, wherein the list of sources includes the server so that content data can be delivered to the application directly when demand is low.

10. A method of delivering content data to an application installed on a client node in a network, the method comprising:

opening a transport socket from the application to an operating system installed on the client node;

establishing contact between the operating system and a master peer server in the network;

obtaining a list of sources of the content data at the master peer server;

sending the list of sources from the master peer server to the operating system;

opening a connection from the client node to at least one source from the list of sources; and

,

receiving the content data at the application from the at least one source, the use of multiple sources being transparent to the application.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the master peer server obtains the list of sources of the content data by querying nodes in the network.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the sources of content data are nodes in a peer-to-peer network.

13. An application program adapted to be executed on a client node in a network, the application program arranged to:

request content data from the network by opening a transport socket to an operating system installed on the client node, the transport socket causing the operating system to establish contact with a master peer server in the network, receive a list of sources of the content data from the master peer server, and establish contact with at least one source from the list of sources, so that the application can receive the content data from the at least one source.

16. The program of claim 13, carried on a carrier medium.

17. A client node having installed thereon the program of claim 13.

14. An operating system program adapted to be executed on a client node in a network, the operating system program arranged to:

receive a request from an application installed on the client node to receive content data from the network;

establish a connection with a master peer server in the network;

receive a list of sources of the content data from the master peer server;

establish a connection with at least one source from the list of sources; and

,

enable the application to receive the content data from the at least one source.

15. The operating system program of claim 14, further arranged to perform one or more of the following functions:

control opening and/or closing of sockets towards the at least one source from which the content data is received;

control data flow between the at least one source and the application;

ensure content availability at the sources; and

determine what content to retrieve from each source.

18. A network stack adapted to operate on a client node in a network, the network stack arranged to:

establish a connection with a master peer server in the network;

receive a list of sources of the content data from the master peer server;

establish a connection with at least one source from the list of sources; and

enable an application installed on the client node to receive the content data from the at least one source.