SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING PEER-TO-PEER INFORMATION EXCHANGES

• US 20140215039A1
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ali, Raziuddin, Cox, Claude Lano, Seibert, Philip M., Shepherd, Jason A., Lo, Yuan-Chang, Gatson, Michael S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,574,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes, on a peer-to-peer (P2P) network entity, acquiring dynamic context information for a proposed P2P information exchange. The method further includes performing, by the P2P network entity, a rules-engine check to determine an allowability of the proposed P2P information exchange given the dynamic context information. The rules-engine check yields at least one specified action relative to the proposed P2P information exchange. The method also includes taking, by the P2P network entity, the at least one specified action.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

on a peer-to-peer (P2P) network entity, acquiring dynamic context information for a proposed P2P information exchange;

performing, by the P2P network entity, a rules-engine check to determine an allowability of the proposed P2P information exchange given the dynamic context information;

wherein the rules-engine check yields at least one specified action relative to the proposed P2P information exchange; and

taking, by the P2P network entity, the at least one specified action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one specified action comprises at least one of allowance and denial of the proposed P2P information exchange.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one specified action comprises a request for user permission prior to performing the proposed P2P information exchange.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the proposed P2P information exchange comprises broadcasting a discovery request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the proposed P2P information exchange comprises connecting to a responding P2P network entity relative to a broadcast discovery request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one specified action comprises at least one of including and excluding the responding P2P network entity from an approved P2P connection list.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein performing a rules-engine check comprises identifying a priority of the responding P2P network entity.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

wherein the approved P2P connection list comprises a priority for each of a plurality of responding P2P network entities; and

sorting the approved P2P connection list based on the priority.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein performing a rules-engine check comprises determining whether at least one rule of a plurality of rules evaluates to true.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each rule comprises a Boolean expression specifying a plurality of contextual variables.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of contextual variables relate to at least one selected from the group consisting of:

location information, proximity information, scheduling information, user information, security-capability information, service-type information, and content-classification information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the dynamic context information comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

location information, proximity information, scheduling information, user information, security-capability information, service-type information, and content-classification information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the proposed P2P information exchange comprises connection to another P2P network entity.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the proposed P2P information exchange comprises a response to a discovery request.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the proposed P2P information exchange comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a file transfer, a print operation, and a screen share.

16. An information handling system comprising:

a network interface operable to perform peer-to-peer (P2P) information exchanges;

a processing unit communicably coupled to the network interface, wherein the processing unit is operable to;

acquire dynamic context information for a proposed P2P information exchange;

perform a rules-engine check to determine an allowability of the proposed P2P information exchange given the dynamic context information;

wherein the rules-engine check yields at least one specified action relative to the proposed P2P information exchange; and

take the at least one specified action.

17. The information handling system of claim 16, wherein the at least one specified action comprises at least one of allowance and denial of the proposed P2P information exchange.

18. The information handling system of claim 16, comprising:

wherein the proposed P2P information exchange comprises connection to a responding P2P network entity relative to a broadcast discovery request; and

wherein the at least one specified action comprises at least one of inclusion and exclusion of the responding P2P network entity from an approved P2P connection list.

19. The information handling system of claim 16, comprising:

wherein each rule comprises a Boolean expression specifying a plurality of contextual variables.

wherein at least a portion of the plurality of contextual variables relate to at least one selected from the group consisting of;

location information, proximity information, scheduling information, user information, security-capability information, service-type information, and content-classification information; and

wherein the dynamic context information comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of;

location information, proximity information, scheduling information, user information, security-capability information, service-type information, and content-classification information.

20. A computer-program product comprising a computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method comprising:

acquiring dynamic context information for a proposed P2P information exchange;

performing a rules-engine check to determine an allowability of the proposed P2P information exchange given the dynamic context information;

wherein the rules-engine check yields at least one specified action relative to the proposed P2P information exchange; and

taking the at least one specified action.