ADAPTIVE TIMING OF DISTRIBUTED DEVICE RESPONSE TO MAXIMIZE CHANNEL CAPACITY UTILIZATION

• US 20130124730A1
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ConnectWise, LLC
• Original Assignee: Labtech LLC
• Inventors: Buerk, Gregory Francis, Bucher, Joshua James
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and methods for providing access to a server by remote devices are shown. In some embodiments, the system includes a scheduling module, a connection module, and/or a timer module. The scheduling module may compute a timer period and timer offset for each remote device on the server to facilitate evenly distributing connections by remote devices and avoid exceeding the maximum bandwidth of the communication channel. The connection module may initiate a connection from each remote device to the server to retrieve the timer period and timer offset. The timer module on each remote device may be controlled by the timer period and timer offset, and trigger the initiation of the connection module. A remote device'"'"'s status may be offline if the initiation of the connection falls outside a tolerance window corresponding to the timer period and timer offset.

Claims

1. A system for providing periodic access to a server by one or more remote devices, comprising:

a connection module, executing on at least one of said one or more remote devices, configured to initiate a connection from at least one of said one or more remote devices to said server and receive, responsive to initiation, a timer period and a timer offset; and

a timer module configured to control said connection module to initiate said connection with a period corresponding to said timer period and an offset corresponding to said timer offset.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said timer period and said timer offset facilitate avoiding exceeding the maximum bandwidth of the communication channel between said one or more remote devices and said server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said timer period and said timer offset facilitate evenly distributing the timing of said connections by said one or more remote devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said timer period for one device of said one or more remote devices is based on the identity of said one device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more remote devices is further configured to be assigned an offline status responsive to initiating said connection outside a tolerance window corresponding to said period and said offset.

6. A method for providing periodic access to a server by one or more remote devices, comprising:

connecting, by at least one of said one or more remote devices, to said server;

retrieving, by said at least one remote devices, a timer period and a timer offset; and

initiating a connection to said server responsive to a period and an offset, said period and said offset corresponding to said timer period and said timer offset.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said time period and said timer offset facilitate avoiding exceeding the maximum bandwidth of the communication channel between said one or more remote devices and said server.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said timer period and said timer offset facilitate evenly spreading out the timing of said connections by said one or more remote devices.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said timer period for one device of said one or more remote devices is based on the identity of said one device.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

assigning an offline status to at least one of said one or more remote devices responsive to the failure of said at least one remote devices to initiate said connection within a tolerance of the time indicated by said period and said offset.

11. A system for providing periodic access to a server by one or more remote devices, comprising:

a scheduling module, executing on said server, wherein the server is configured to;

compute a timer period and a timer offset for at least one of said one or more remote devices;

transmit, responsive to receiving a first initiation connection, said timer period and said timer offset to said at least one remote devices;

receive a plurality of initiation connections with a period and offset corresponding to said timer period and said timer offset.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

compute said timer period and said timer offset based, at least in part, on a maximum bandwidth of a communication channel between said one or more remote devices and said server.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

compute said timer period and said timer offset to facilitate evenly distributing the timing of said connections by said one or more remote devices.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

compute said timer period for one device of said one or more remote devices based on the identity of said one device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

assign, to at least one of the one or more remote devices, an offline status responsive to receiving an initiation connection outside a tolerance window corresponding to said period and said offset.

16. A method for providing periodic access to a server by one or more remote devices, comprising:

computing, by said server, a timer period and a timer offset for at least one of said one or more remote devices;

transmitting, responsive to receiving an initiation connection, said timer period and said timer offset; and

receiving, from at least one of said one or more remote devices, a plurality of initiation connections with a period of said timer period and an offset of said timer offset.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

computing said period and said offset based, at least in part, on a maximum bandwidth of a communication channel between said one or more remote devices and said server.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

computing said period and said offset in order to evenly spread out the timing of said connections by said one or more remote devices.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

computing said timer period for one device of said one or more remote devices as a function of the identity of said one device.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a second initiation connection from at least one of the one or more remote devices;

identifying that said second initiation connection was received outside a tolerance window corresponding to said timer period and said timer offset; and

determining, responsive to said identification, that the status of said at least one device is offline.