System and method for efficient distribution of application services to a plurality of computing appliances organized as subnets

• US 6,782,527 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Network Associates, Inc.
• Inventors: Melchione, Dan, Fallenstedt, Martin, Kouznetsov, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Jack B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prieto, Beatriz
• Application Number:
  US09/650,983
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 717/101, 717/103, 717/120, 717/122, 717/168, 717/170, 717/171, 717/172, 717/173, 717/174, 717/175, 717/176, 717/177, 717/178, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 717/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method of providing a set of desired application functions to a plurality of network-coupled computing appliances. A set of code resident on a network-connected application management server is identified that when executed in a network appliance provide the desired application functions. A first application management agent in a first of the network-coupled computing appliances and a second application management agent in a second of the network-coupled computing appliances are executed. The first application management agent repetitively checks for updates of the identified code. Updates of the identified code are downloaded from the application management server into the first network-coupled computing appliance as the updates become available. Updates of the identified code are downloaded from the first network-coupled computing device into the second network-coupled computing appliance.

Claims

1. A method of providing application services to a plurality of network-coupled computing appliances, the method comprising:

defining a set of desired application functions;

identifying a set of code resident on a network-connected application management server that when executed in a network appliance provide the desired application functions;

executing a first application management agent in a first of the plurality of network-coupled computing appliances;

executing a second application management agent in a second of the plurality of network-coupled computing appliances;

repetitively checking for updates of the identified code using the first application management agent;

downloading updates of the identified set of code from the network-connected application management server into the first of the plurality of network-coupled computing appliances as the updates become available;

downloading the updates of the identified set of code from the first network-coupled computing device into the second of the plurality of network-coupled computing appliances; and

wherein the plurality of network-coupled computing appliances are organized as a subnet and the second of the plurality of network-coupled computing appliances generates a broadcast request within the subnet identifying a desired update and the first of the plurality of network-coupled computing appliances responds to the broadcast request with an indication that the first of the plurality of network-coupled computing appliances is in the process of downloading the identified desired update.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing the identified code in the first and second network-computing appliances.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing the second network-coupled agent to identify the first network-coupled agent before downloading the updates of the identified code from the first network-coupled computing device into the second network-coupled computing appliance.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of causing the second application management agent to identify comprises requesting the application management server to provide a valid network address for the first network-coupled computing appliance.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising causing both the first and second application management agents to repetitively check for availability of updates of the identified code from the application management server.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second application management agent selectively determines whether to download the update from the first network-coupled appliance or from the application management server.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the selection is based upon file size of the update.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the selection is based upon relative quality of service between the first network-coupled computing appliance, the second network coupled computing appliance, and the application management server.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second network-coupled computing appliances belong to a common subnet and downloading the updates of the identified code from the first network-coupled computing appliance into the second network-coupled computing appliance further comprises:

generating a subnet broadcast request for the update by the second network coupled computing appliance; and

causing the first network coupled computing appliance to respond to the broadcast request.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

executing a third application management agent in a third of the network-coupled computing appliances; and

downloading updates of the identified code from the second network-coupled computing appliance into the third network-coupled computing appliance.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

causing the third application management agent to generate a subnet broadcast to both the first and second network-coupled computing appliances to request the update; and

causing the first and second network-coupled computing appliances to delay response to the broadcast request for different amounts of time.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the different amounts of time are determined by a random time delay generator executing in the first and second network-coupled computing appliances.

13. A computer network providing software application code updates comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node comprising a computing device capable of executing application code;

computer executable software devices programmed to cause each node to repetitively check for updates of the application code;

a first node of the plurality of nodes that downloads an identified update from a source outside of the computer network;

a second node of the plurality of nodes that downloads the identified update from the first node; and

wherein the plurality of nodes are organized as a subnet and the second node generates a broadcast request within the subnet identifying a desired update and the first node responds to the broadcast request with an indication that the first node is in the process of downloading the identified update.

14. The computer network of claim 13 further comprising a third node that downloads the identified update from the second node.

15. The computer network of claim 13 wherein the plurality of nodes are organized as a subnet and the second node generates a broadcast request within the subnet identifying a desired update and the first node responds to the broadcast request with an indication that the first node possesses the identified update.

16. The computer network of claim 13 wherein the second node generates an indication on a user interface of the second node indicating progress of the process of downloading occurring on the first node.

17. A method for obtaining digital information from a centralized resource in a network comprising a plurality of network-coupled computing appliances as comprising:

causing a first of the network-coupled computing appliances to issue a first broadcast request to other network-coupled computing appliances, wherein the first broadcast request identifies the digital information and requests a response from any of the other network-coupled computing appliances that possess the identified digital information;

upon failing to receive a response to the first broadcast request, causing the first of the network-coupled computing appliances to generate a second broadcast request to the other network-coupled computing appliances, wherein the second broadcast request identifies the digital information and requests a response from any of the other network-coupled computing appliances that are currently downloading the identified digital information.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising generating a response to the first broadcast message in any one of the other network-coupled computing appliances wherein the response includes state information that indicates that the responding network-coupled computing appliance has completed download of the identified digital information.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first network-coupled appliance responds to the state information by initiating a download of the identified digital information from the responding network-coupled appliance.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising generating a response to the second broadcast message in any one of the other network-coupled computing appliances wherein the response includes state information that indicates status of the ongoing downloading.