OPTIMIZATION PROCESS AND SYSTEM FOR A HETEROGENEOUS AD HOC NETWORK

• US 20130301462A1
• Filed: 07/19/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globalfoundries US Incorporated (GlobalFoundries, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DAWSON, Christopher J., FINN, Peter G., HAMILTON, Rick A. II, LI, Jenny S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,241,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Method and system for optimizing selection of a network. The method includes identifying available lenders and existing networks within a vicinity of a borrower, selecting an optimization technique for completing a task of the borrower, calculating, for a plurality of network options, a value for completing the borrower'"'"'s task according to the optimization technique, and selecting an optimum network option to complete the borrower'"'"'s task. The plurality of network options includes forming a heterogeneous network composed of both a peer-to-peer network and a multiplexed network.

Claims

1. A system for finding an optimum network for a requester of bandwidth, comprising:

a device to identify available bandwidth lenders and existing networks within a vicinity of the requester;

a selector unit to select an optimization technique for completing a task of the requester;

a calculator to calculate, for a plurality of network options, a value for completing the requester'"'"'s task according to the optimization technique; and

a selection device to select the optimum network from the calculated values,

wherein the network options include a heterogeneous ad hoc network composed of a peer-to-peer ad hoc network and a multiplexed ad hoc network in which the requester communicates directly with the bandwidth lenders via a local wireless communication protocol.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein optimization technique comprises at least one of fastest time for completion of task, least expensive completion of task, minimizing risk of drop-offs, and maximizing lender capabilities.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network options further includes joining an existing multiplexed network, joining an existing peer-to-peer network, forming a new multiplexed network, and forming a new peer-to-peer network.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an identifying unit to determine whether the requester is currently in an existing network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the requester'"'"'s task comprises one of an upload and a download of at least one file.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising an allocating device to divide the at least one file into parts and to distribute the parts among at least one of the lenders and the networks of the selected optimum network option for the one of uploading or downloading.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a reassembling unit to reassemble the parts of the at least one file after the one of the upload and the download.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the values calculated by the calculator for the plurality of network options are compared to each other to identify the optimum network.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring device to monitor performance of the selected optimum network.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the monitoring device includes a performance device to determine whether a diminution in performance related to the optimization technique has occurred in the requester'"'"'s selection of the optimum network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the performance device includes a threshold composed of a predefined percentage value related to an acceptable diminution in performance of the selected optimum network from that expected when the optimum network was selected.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a task manager to monitor how much of the task remains to be completed,

wherein, when the diminution in performance exceeds the threshold, the task manager determines how much of the task remains, the calculator determines, for the plurality of network options, values for completing the remaining task according to the optimization technique, and the selection device selects a new optimum network to complete the remaining task.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the device comprises a server having a database containing data associated with one or more instructions for implementing peer-to-peer, multiplexed, and heterogeneous ad-hoc networks; and

the optimum network is an ad hoc network in which multiple disparate wireless connections in conjunction with multiple devices are used to create a virtual fat pipe for transmission of data to perform a file upload or download for the borrower.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the optimization technique comprises fastest time for completion of task determined according to one of:

T_eMUXAHN=W_eMUX+T_eMUX+T_eMUXnlenders;

T_nMUXAHN=T_nMUX+T_nMUXnlenders;

T_eP2PAHN=W_eP2Pnlenders+T_eP2Pnlenders;

T_nP2PAHN=T_nP2Pnlenders;

and

T_HetAHN=(T_nMUX+T_nMUXklenders)=T_{nP2P(n-k)lenders}.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the optimization technique comprises least expensive completion of task determined according to one of:

C_eMUXAHN=(T_eMUX+T_eMUXnlenders)(Σ

C_j);

C_nMUXAHN=(T_nMUX+T_nMUXnlenders)(Σ

C_j);

C_P2PAHN=T_P2P(Σ

C_j);

and

C_HetAHN=T_HetAHN(Σ

C_j).

16. A method for optimizing selection of a network in an ad hoc network architecture, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure operable to;

select an optimization technique for completing a task of a bandwidth borrower;

calculate, for a plurality of network options, a value for completing the task according to the optimization technique, wherein the plurality of network options includes forming a heterogeneous network composed of both a peer-to-peer network and a multiplexed network;

select an optimum network to complete the task; and

join or form the optimum network,

wherein the optimum network is an ad hoc network that is configured such that the bandwidth borrower and at least one bandwidth lender are in communication with a central location via wireless telephony communication protocol, the at least one bandwidth lender is in communication with the bandwidth borrower via local wireless communication protocol, and the at least one bandwidth lender selectively lends bandwidth to the bandwidth borrower for downloading data from or uploading data to the central location.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to monitor performance of a current network.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having readable program code embodied in the medium, wherein the medium is an apparatus that stores the program code, and including at least one component to:

identify available lenders and existing networks within a vicinity of a borrower, wherein the borrower is a bandwidth borrower and the lenders are bandwidth lenders;

select an optimization technique for completing a task of the borrower;

calculate, for a plurality of network options, a value for completing the borrower'"'"'s task according to the optimization technique; and

select an optimum network option to complete the borrower'"'"'s task,

wherein the plurality of network options includes forming a heterogeneous ad hoc network composed of both a peer-to-peer ad hoc network and a multiplexed ad hoc network in which the borrower communicates with the lenders via local wireless communication protocol and the lenders communicate with a remote location on behalf of the borrower to create a virtual fat pipe for the borrower.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein optimization technique comprises at least one of fastest time for completion of task, least expensive completion of task, minimizing risk of drop-offs, and maximizing lender capabilities.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the plurality of network options further includes joining an existing multiplexed network, joining an existing peer-to-peer network, forming a new multiplexed network, and forming a new peer-to-peer network.