Adaptive distributed information network

• US 6,327,591 B1
• Filed: 08/13/1998
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Pengelly, Alan D, Osborn, Beatrice M, Edwards, Derek J, Oates, Martin J
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLACK, LINH
• Application Number:
  US09/117,094
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/224-225, 709/226, 709/229, 709/223, 709/234, 709/219, 709/240, 707/70, 707/509, 707/511, 707/104, 703/13, 703/21, 703/22, 703/17, 703/19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0826 for reduction of network costs H04L41/0833 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

An adaptive distributed network includes a plurality of information centers connected over a network. Each information center holds any number of information units. The plurality of information applications are connected over the network to the information centers. The information applications retrieve information units from and/or update units at one or more of the information centers. Information applications retrieve and/or update information units at specified information centers. The passage of information over the network is monitored and the distribution of information units across the information centers is controlled adaptively, together with knowledge of the required connectivity between information application and information units. Also the specified information centers are determined in response to the monitored passage of information to improve the system performance.

Claims

1. Apparatus for identifying optimum configuration parameters of a model of a distributed information network, said network comprising a plurality of interconnected information centers, each information center holding any number of information units, a plurality of information application means connected over the network to the information centers, each of said information application means being arranged to change the distribution of information units by retrieving information units from and/or updating information units at one or more specified information centers, and wherein the distribution of the information units across the information centers is controlled in accordance with a predetermined set of configuration parameters, said apparatus comprising:

(i) a plurality of sets of one or more predetermined configuration parameters;

(ii) modelling means for modelling the distributed information network;

(iii) means operable to run the modelling means in accordance with each set of predetermined configuration parameters;

(iv) evaluating means for evaluating the performance of the modelling means when run in accordance with each set of predetermined configuration parameters; and

(v) selecting means for selecting one of the sets of predetermined configuration parameters for which performance of the modelling means is closest to a predetermined performance measure,

which selected set is for controlling the distribution of the information units in the network.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising distribution control means operable to change the distribution of information units across the plurality of information centers in accordance with the selected set of configuration parameters.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 further comprising:

monitoring means for monitoring distribution of information units over the network, and

wherein the distribution control means is further arranged to receive an input representative of the performance of the network from the monitoring means, and compare the input performance with a predetermined threshold,

such that if the input performance falls below the predetermined threshold, the distribution control means effects the said change in distribution of information units.

4. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said distribution control means is operable to copy, move and/or delete information units at information centers to change the distribution of the information units across the information centers.

5. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said distribution control means is operable to change the distribution of the information units and/or update the specified information centers continuously.

6. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said distribution control means is operable to change the distribution of the information units and/or update the specified information centers when network traffic volume is low.

7. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said distribution controls means is adapted to change the distribution of the information units and/or update the specified information centers at predetermined times.

8. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein a measure of performance of the modelling means includes the time taken for one or more information application means to retrieve and/or update information units at one or more information centers.

9. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the modelling means is operable to receive one or more configuration constraints, which constraints include a constraint of updating the specified information centers in preference to changing the distribution of information units in order to improve the performance of the modelling means.

10. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said monitoring means is operable to monitor the usage of information units by said information application means.

11. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said distribution control means is operable in response to a trigger criterion.

12. Apparatus as in claim 10 wherein said distribution control means is operable to change the distribution in response to at least one of failure of an information center, a network link failure or change, and when the time taken by one or more information application means to retrieve and/or update information units at one or more information centers exceeds a threshold.

13. Apparatus as in claim 10 wherein said monitoring means includes performance monitoring means for monitoring the retrieval and/or update performance by at least one information application means, and trigger means for causing said distribution control means to operate by determining when the monitored performance falls below a threshold.

14. Apparatus as in claim 10 further including trigger means, and wherein said monitoring means includes communication monitoring means for monitoring communication over the network links, the trigger means being responsive to said communication monitoring means, and thereby causing said distribution control means to operate.

15. Apparatus as in claim 3 further including performance estimating means for estimating the performance of the network if it were to be configured using the selected sets of configuration parameters;

and trigger means for causing said distribution control means to change the distribution of information units in response to the monitored network performance and the estimated network performance.

16. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said distribution control means includes table means specifying the information centers containing specific information and specifying which of the information centers from and/or to which information units can be retrieved and/or updated respectively by which of the information application means.

17. Apparatus as in claim 16 wherein said table means identifies at which information centers specific information units are held, and which information applications means have access to which information units.

18. Apparatus as in claim 17 further including means for searching for, in said table means, the information center for the retrieval or updating of information units by an information application means.

19. Apparatus as in claim 1 the apparatus being arranged to control a distributed database network wherein said information units comprise tables, classes, information records or objects.

20. Apparatus as in claim 17, the apparatus being arranged to control a switch network, wherein the information units of said information centers comprise call routing information.

21. A method of identifying optimum configuration parameters of a model of a distributed information network, said network comprising a plurality of interconnected information centers, each information center holding any number of information units, a plurality of information application means connected over the network to the information centers, each of said information application means being arranged to change the distribution of information units by retrieving information units from and/or updating information units at one or more specified information centers, and wherein the distribution of the information units across the information centers is controlled in accordance with a predetermined set of configuration parameters, said method comprising the steps of:

modelling the distributed information network using modelling means;

running the modelling means in accordance with each of a plurality of sets of predetermined configuration parameters;

evaluating the performance of the modelling means when run in accordance with each set of predetermined configuration parameters; and

selecting one of the sets of predetermined configuration parameters for which performance of the modelling means is closest to a predetermined performance measure;

which selected set is for controlling the distribution of the information units in the network.

22. A method as in claim 21 further including the step of changing the distribution of the information units across the information centers in accordance with the selected set of configuration parameters.

23. A method as in claim 22 further including the steps of

monitoring the distribution of information units over the network in order to measure the performance of the network,

comparing the measured network performance with a predetermined threshold, and

if the measured network performance falls below the predetermined threshold, effecting the said change to the distribution of information units.

24. A method as in claim 22 including the step of copying, moving and/or deleting information units at information centers to change the distribution of the information units across the information centers.

25. A method as in claim 22 in which the distribution of information units is changed continuously and/or the specified information centers are updated continuously.

26. A method as in claim 22 in which the distribution of the information units is changed and/or the specified information centers are updated when the network traffic is low.

27. A method as in claim 22 in which the distribution of the information units is changed and/or the specified information centers are updated at predetermined times.

28. A method as in claim 27 wherein a measure of the performance of the modelling means includes the time taken for one or more information application means to retrieve and/or update information units at one or more information centers.

29. A method as in claim 21 in which the step of modelling the network includes incorporating configuration constraints, which constraints include updating specified information centers for the information application means in preference to changing the distribution of information units in order to improve the performance of the modelling means.

30. A method as in claim 23 in which the monitoring step comprises monitoring the usage of information units by the information application means.

31. A method as in claim 27 wherein the step of changing the distribution of information units occurs in response to a trigger criterion.

32. A method as in claim 30 in which the step of changing the distribution of information units occurs in response to at least one of failure of an information center, a network link failure or change, and when the time taken by one or more information application means to retrieve and/or update information units at one or more information centers exceeds a threshold.

33. A method as in claim 30 in which the monitoring step includes monitoring the retrieval and/or updating performance by at least one information application means, and the step of changing the distribution of information units occurs in response to the monitored performance falling below a threshold.

34. A method as in claim 30 wherein the monitoring step includes monitoring communications over the network links, and step of changing the distribution of information units is responsive to the monitored communications.

35. A method as in claim 23 including the steps of estimating the performance of the network if it were to be configured using the selected set of configuration parameters, and changing the distribution of information units and/or updating the specified information centers in dependence upon a predetermined relationship between the monitored network performance and the estimated network performance.

36. A method as in claim 21 including the step of storing a table specifying the information centers containing specific information and specifying which of the information centers from and/or to which information units can be retrieved and/or updated respectively by which of the information application means.

37. A method as in claim 35 in which the table identifies at which information centers specific information units are held, and which information application means have access to which information units.

38. A method as in claim 36 including the step of using the table to look-up the information center for the retrieval or updating of information units by an information application means.

39. A method as in claim 21 wherein the network comprises a network of distributed database and wherein the information units comprise tables, classes, information records, or objects.

40. A method as in claim 21 wherein the network comprises a switch network wherein the information units of the information units of the information centers comprise call routing information.

41. A computer program, or a suite of computer programs, comprising a set of instructions to cause a computer, or a suite of computers, to perform the method according to claim 21.