System and method for distributing and indexing computerized documents using independent agents
First Claim
1. A system for managing an index comprising index files distributed over the nodes of a computer network, the system comprising:
- an agent interface on each node of the network, each agent interface including an interface package to provide access to resources on the node;
a data store on each network node capable of storing one or more index blocks; and
a plurality of autonomous index agents, each index agent being capable of moving among the network nodes to transfer index blocks among the data stores of the network nodes according to a transfer criterion selected to aggregate index blocks of a type on one or more nodes of the network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system is provided in which autonomous agents manage the distribution of data and index information among the nodes of a computer network. The system comprises a network of computer nodes, each of which includes a data store and an agent interface for execution of the autonomous agents. The autonomous agents move independently among the network nodes, using the agent interface at each node they visit to execute their functions. Various types of agents are employed to implement different functions in the system. Index agents transfer index fields to and from the data stores of the network nodes according to a transfer criterion that is biased to aggregate index blocks into index files on one or more network nodes. Replication agents replicate index files on different nodes to make the system robust against node loss. Balance agents break large index files into smaller subfiles, to prevent overloading any nodes of the network, and query agents locate and retrieve index file entries that match a query criterion. The different agent types manage index and data information on the network nodes without need for a central organizing computer.
173 Citations
39 Claims
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1. A system for managing an index comprising index files distributed over the nodes of a computer network, the system comprising:
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an agent interface on each node of the network, each agent interface including an interface package to provide access to resources on the node; a data store on each network node capable of storing one or more index blocks; and a plurality of autonomous index agents, each index agent being capable of moving among the network nodes to transfer index blocks among the data stores of the network nodes according to a transfer criterion selected to aggregate index blocks of a type on one or more nodes of the network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 21, 22, 23)
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6. A method implemented by each of a plurality of autonomous agents to distribute data among a plurality of networked nodes, the method comprising:
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identifying an index block at a first node of the network; retrieving the index block, when a retrieve criterion is met; moving to a second node of the network; and adding the index block to an index field at the second node, when a deposit criterion is met, wherein the retrieve and deposit criteria are selected to aggregate index blocks of a given type on a network node, when the criteria are applied at each network node visited by the autonomous agents. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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7. A method for managing an index that is distributed over a network of nodes, each of which includes a data store and an agent interface for executing agents received through the network, the method comprising:
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detecting an agent at the agent interface of a network node; and executing the agent to; evaluate an index block transfer criterion; and transfer an index block between the agent and the data store with a probability related to a number of index blocks already in the data store. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 27)
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12. A method for managing an index that is distributed over a network of nodes, each of which includes a data store and an agent interface, the method comprising:
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detecting an agent at the agent interface of a network node; and executing the agent to evaluate an index block transfer criterion and transfer an index block between the agent and the data store when the index block transfer criterion is met; and providing a hint to direct the agent to a next node indicated by the transferred index block. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method implemented by an independent agent to distribute index data over a plurality of network nodes, the method comprising:
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determining a number of index blocks of a given type at a first node; retrieving one or more of the index blocks when the number of index blocks is less than a threshold value; and moving to a second node of the network. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A method for managing an index that is distributed over a plurality of network nodes, the method comprising:
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identifying an index block at a first node of the network; transferring the index block to an agent, when a number of similar index blocks at the first node meets a retrieve criterion; transmitting the agent to a second node of the network; and adding the index block to an index field at the second node, when a number of similar index blocks at the second node meets a deposit criterion. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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28. A distributed index system comprising:
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a network of nodes, each node having a data store capable of storing one or more blocks of index data; and a plurality of independent agents, each agent being programmed to sample the nodes of the network and, at each network node it visits, to transfer a block of index data to or from the data store with a probability determined by a number of similar index blocks in the data store. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A system comprising:
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a plurality of network nodes, each node having a data store capable of storing index data; and a plurality of independent agents, each agent being capable of moving among the network nodes to sample the stored index data and redistribute selected blocks of the sampled index data according to a statistical criterion. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39)
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Specification