Peer-To-Peer Communication of Non-Common Data

• US 20130204936A1
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: El Khayat, Ibtissam, Lepropre, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 9,277,006 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments

Abstract

In individualized data communication of a data entity (200) between peers of a group, the data entity (200) includes at least one common data piece (210) and at least one non-common data piece (220). The at least one common data piece (210) is shared by all peers of the group, whereas the at least one non-common data piece (220) is shared by a subgroup of the group. A non-common data identifier (600) is used to identify the at least one non-common data piece (220). By receiving the non-common data identifier (600), one peer of the group may determine whether another peer of the group is sharing the same non-common data piece (220).

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A method of communicating a data entity in a group of peers, wherein the data entity comprises at least one common data piece shared by all peers of the group and at least one non-common data piece shared only by a subgroup of the group of peers, wherein the peers of the group attempt to obtain the at least one common data piece or have the at least one common data piece available, and wherein only the peers of the subgroup try to obtain the at least one non-common data piece or have the at least one non-common data piece available, wherein the method comprises:

a first peer of the group receiving a descriptive file of the data entity, the descriptive file comprising;

at least one identifier of a direct type having a one-to-one relation to the at least one common data piece; and

at least one identifier of a placeholder type associated with descriptive data of the at least one non-common data piece;

the first peer of the group receiving a non-common data identifier from a second peer of the group, the non-common data identifier identifying the at least one non-common data piece;

the first peer of the group determining, based on the non-common data identifier, whether the second peer belongs to the subgroup sharing the non-common data piece.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising the first peer, in response to determining that the second peer belongs to the subgroup sharing the non-common data piece, requesting the non-common data piece from the second peer.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the non-common data identifier comprises a hash value calculated on the basis of the at least one non-common data piece.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the hash value is a hash value of an individual hash value of the at least one non-common data piece.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the non-common data identifier comprises a position indicator, the position indicator indicating the position of the at least one non-common data piece in a sequence of the at least one common data piece and the at least one non-common data piece.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the non-common data identifier identifies a plurality of consecutive non-common data pieces and the position indicator indicates a range of the consecutive non-common data pieces in the sequence.

24. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

the first peer providing, for each other peer of the group, a corresponding sharing information bitfield;

storing sharing information indicating whether one of the peers belongs to the subgroup sharing the non-common data piece in the sharing information bitfield for the corresponding peer.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the sharing information bitfield comprises a bit corresponding to the at least one non-common data piece, a value of the bit indicating whether the corresponding peer belongs to the subgroup sharing the non-common data piece.

26. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

the first peer providing, for each other peer of the group, a corresponding availability information bitfield;

receiving an availability indicator associated with the at least one of the peers, the availability indicator indicating whether the at least one non-common data piece is available at the corresponding peer;

storing availability information in the availability information bitfield indicating whether the at least one non-common data piece is available at the corresponding peer.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the availability indicator also indicates whether the at least one common data piece is available at the corresponding peer.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the storing availability information comprises storing availability information indicating that the non-common data piece is available at one of the peers in response to:

the received availability indicator associated with the corresponding peer indicating that the non-common data piece is available at this peer; and

the received non-common data identifier associated with the corresponding peer indicating that the peer belongs to the subgroup sharing the non-common data piece.

29. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

the first peer, if the non-common data piece is locally available at the first peer, generating a local availability indicator indicating that the non-common data piece is locally available;

the first peer transmitting the local availability indicator to at least one other peer determined to belong to the subgroup sharing the non-common data piece.

30. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

the first peer receiving the at least one common data piece;

the first peer verifying the at least one common data piece based on the associated identifier of the direct type;

the first peer retrieving the descriptive data of the at least one non-common data piece;

the first peer receiving the at least one non-common data piece;

the first peer verifying the non-common data piece based on the retrieved descriptive data.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising the first peer calculating a local non-common data identifier on the basis of the descriptive data of the at least one non-common data piece.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising the first peer transmitting the local non-common data identifier to at least one other peer of the group.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

the first peer comparing the local non-common data identifier to the received non-common data identifier.

34. A first peer device of a group of peers, the group of peers communicating a data entity, wherein the data entity comprises at least one common data piece shared by all peers of the group and at least one non-common data piece shared only by a subgroup of the group of peers, wherein the peers of the group attempt to obtain the at least one common data piece or have the at least one common data piece available, and wherein only the peers of the subgroup try to obtain the at least one non-common data piece or have the at least one non-common data piece available, the first peer device comprising:

an interface configured to communicate with other devices of the group of peers;

a processor operatively connected to the interface;

wherein the interface is configured to receive a descriptive file of the data entity, the descriptive file comprising;

at least one identifier of a direct type having a one-to-one relation to the at least one common data piece; and

at least one identifier of a placeholder type associated with descriptive data of the at least one non-common data piece;

wherein the interface is further configured to receive a non-common data identifier from a second peer of the group, the non-common data identifier identifying the at least one non-common data piece;

wherein the processor is configured to determine, based on the non-common data identifier, whether the second peer belongs to the subgroup sharing the non-common data piece.

35. The device of claim 34 wherein the processor is further configured to, in response to determining that the second peer belongs to the subgroup sharing the non-common data piece, request the non-common data piece from the second peer via the interface.