Method and system for peer to peer communication in a network environment

• US 7,117,264 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Becker, Craig H., Conner, Michael H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Khanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Dhairya A.
• Application Number:
  US10/044,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20030131129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/107 with limitation or expansion of the discovery scope
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1072 Discovery involving ranked list compilation of candidate peers

Abstract

A method for communicating among a plurality of peer nodes in a network environment is provided. A discovery command is communicated from a current peer node to at least one neighbor peer node, the neighbor peer node in communication with the current peer node. An aggregated list of peer nodes is received at the current peer node, the aggregated list of peer nodes comprising information about at least one peer node in communication with the at least one neighbor node. Programs and systems of using the method are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for communicating among a plurality of peer nodes in a network environment, comprising:

communicating a discovery command from a current peer node to at least one neighbor peer node, the neighbor peer node in communication with the current peer node, the discovery command including time to live value indicative of the number of times that the discovery command is forwarded prior to communication expiration; and

receiving, at the current peer node, an aggregated list of peer nodes, the aggregated list of peer nodes comprising information concerning at least one peer node in communication with the at least one neighbor node, the information including an IP address and a port number on which each peer node can accept incoming connections, and wherein each node waits for a predetermined ping time out delay between communicating a subsequent discovery command; and

receiving, at the current peer node, a second discovery command from an originating peer node; and

communicating, from the current peer node directly to the originating peer node, the peer table in response to the second discovery command.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the discovery command to a predetermined number of neighbor peer nodes.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining the number of neighbor peer nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a peer table at the current peer node; and

updating the peer table with the aggregated list of peer nodes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a data message at the current peer node, the data message having a unique descriptor.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

comparing the descriptor of the received data message to a descriptor table, the descriptor table comprising a plurality of data messages and associated descriptors.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

updating the descriptor table with the received data message and the descriptor of the received data message.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

forwarding a query command from the current peer node to a predetermined number of neighbor peer nodes.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the current peer node, response data directly from at least one other peer node, the at least one other peer node in communication with the at least one neighbor node.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the current peer node, a query command from an originating peer node; and

communicating, from the current peer node directly to the originating peer node, response data in response to the query command.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

forwarding the query command from the current peer node to a predetermined number of neighbor peer nodes.

12. A computer program product in a recordable type computer usable medium for communicating among a plurality of peer nodes in a network environment, comprising:

means for communicating a discovery command from a current peer node to at least one neighbor peer node, the neighbor peer node in communication with the current peer node, the discovery command including time to live value indicative of the number of times that the discovery command is forwarded prior to communication expiration; and

means for receiving, at the current peer node, an aggregated list of peer nodes, the aggregated list of peer nodes comprising information concerning at least one peer node in communication with the at least one neighbor node, the information including an IP address and a port number on which each peer node can accept incoming connections, and wherein each node waits for a predetermined ping time out delay between communicating a subsequent discovery command; and

means for receiving, at the current peer node, a second discovery command from an originating peer node; and

means for communicating, from the current peer node directly to the originating peer node, the peer table in response to the second discovery command.

13. The product of claim 12, further comprising:

means for communicating the discovery command to a predetermined number of neighbor peer nodes; and

means for determining the number of neighbor peer nodes.

14. The product of claim 12, further comprising:

means for creating a peer table at the current peer node; and

means for updating the peer table with the aggregated list of peer nodes.

15. The product of claim 12, further comprising:

means for receiving a data message at the current pea node, the data message having a unique descriptor; and

means for comparing the descriptor of the received data message to a descriptor table, the descriptor table comprising a plurality of data messages and associated descriptors.

16. The product of claim 15, further comprising:

means for updating the descriptor table with the received data message and the descriptor of the received data message.

17. The product of claim 12, further comprising:

means for forwarding a query command for the current peer node to a predetermined number of neighbor peer nodes.

18. The product of claim 12, further comprising:

means for receiving, at the current peer node, response data directly from at least one other peer node, the at least one other peer node in communication with the at least one neighbor node.

19. The product of claim 12, further comprising:

means for receiving, at the current peer node, a query command from an originating peer node; and

means for communicating, from the current peer node directly to the originating peer node, response data in response to the query command.

20. The product of claim 19, further comprising:

means for forwarding the query command from the current peer node to a predetermined number of neighbor peer nodes.

21. A system for communicating among a plurality of peer nodes in a network environment, comprising:

means for communicating a discovery command from a current peer node to at least one neighbor peer node, the neighbor peer node in communication with the current peer node, the discovery command including time to live value indicative of the number of times that the discovery command is forwarded prior to communication expiration; and

means for receiving, at the current peer node, an aggregated list of peer nodes, the aggregated list of peer nodes comprising information concerning at least one peer node in communication with the at least one neighbor node, the information including an IP address and a port number on which each peer node can accept incoming connections, and wherein each node waits for a predetermined ping time out delay between communicating a subsequent discovery command; and

means for receiving, at the current peer node, a second discovery command from an originating peer node; and

means for communicating, from the current peer node directly to the originating peer node, the peer table in response to the second discovery command.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for communicating the discovery command to a predetermined number of neighbor peer nodes; and

means for determining the number of neighbor peer nodes.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for creating a peer table at the current peer node; and

means for updating the peer table with the aggregated list of peer nodes.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving a data message at the current peer node, the data message having a unique descriptor; and

means for comparing the descriptor of the received data message to a descriptor table, the descriptor table comprising a plurality of data messages and associated descriptors.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

means for updating the descriptor table with the received data message and the descriptor of the received data message.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for forwarding a query command from the current peer node to a predetermined number of neighbor peer nodes.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving, at the current peer node, response data directly front at least one other peer node, the at least one other peer node in communication with the at least one neighbor node.

28. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving, at the current peer node, a query command from an originating peer node; and

means for communicating, from the current peer node directly to the originating peer node, response data in response to the query command.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

means for forwarding the query command from the current peer node to a predetermined number of neighbor peer nodes.