Implementing a parallel file transfer protocol

• US 6,085,251 A
• Filed: 04/02/1998
• Issued: 07/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Air Force (Government of the United States of America), The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Inventors: Fabozzi, Donald Joseph II
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomson, William D.
• Application Number:
  US09/054,159
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/202, 709/206, 709/237, 709/230, 714/15, 714/18, 714/748, 714/820, 710/1
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Apparatus and method to improve the speed of electronic file transfer between remote computers by parallel processing. The most common transfer protocol is the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Though the Internet is the most popular means by which users electronically transport data, the Internet'"'"'s Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ("TCP/IP") model, upon which FTP operates, does not adequately support the transfer of large data sets over long distances. Typical transfers between distant sites linked via the Internet have throughputs of about 20 Kilobytes per second ("Kb/sec") or less, and they are prone to dropping packets or losing connections. Making FTP parallel makes transfers up to five times faster, that is, it offers transfer rates of up to 100 Kb/sec. FTP is operated in parallel by segmenting a file into discrete packets, simultaneously transmitting these packets to the receiving computer, and reassembling the packets into the original file. A log file that is independent of the packets and separately transmitted can aid reassembly.

Claims

1. A method using a file transfer protocol to transfer, without regard to a user'"'"'s privilege, files between remote computers, comprising:

segmenting a file within a server system into a plurality of data packets to be transmitted to a remote receiving computer;

recording in a log (1) information identifying each of said plurality of data packets and its order in said file, (2) server identification, and (3) at least one method of segmenting and recombining said file;

invoking at said remote receiving computer a shell written around an operating system that enables simultaneous transfers via said file transfer protocol;

transmitting said log to said remote receiving computer prior to transmitting said data packets from said server system;

analyzing said log at said remote receiving computer;

transmitting in parallel said plurality of data packets to said remote receiving computer using said file transfer protocol; and

recombining said data packets according to said information and converting said data packets into said file'"'"'s original form by means of said at least one method of segmenting and recombining.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of recording includes recording to said log a hostname and an internet address of said server system from which said file is sent.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of combining automated sessions using a file transfer protocol and processing in the background.

4. A system using a file transfer protocol to transfer, without regard to a user'"'"'s privilege, files between remote computers, comprising:

means for segmenting a file within a server system into a plurality of data packets to be transmitted to a remote receiving computer;

means for recording in a log (1) information identifying each of said plurality of data packets and its order in said file, (2) server identification, and (3) at least one utility effective for segmenting and recombining said file;

means for invoking at said remote receiving computer a shell written around an operating system to enable simultaneous transfers via said file transfer protocol;

means for transmitting said log to said remote receiving computer prior to transmitting said data packets from said server system;

means for analyzing said log at said remote receiving computer;

means for transmitting in parallel said plurality of data packets to said remote receiving computer using said file transfer protocol; and

means for recombining said data packets according to said information and converting said data packets into said file'"'"'s original form by means of said at least one method of segmenting and recombining.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said means for recording includes means for recording to said log a hostname and an internet address of said server system from which said file is sent.

6. The:

system of claim 4 further comprising means for combining automated sessions using a file transfer protocol and processing in the background.