Peer to peer software distribution system

• US 7,162,538 B1
• Filed: 10/04/2000
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Cordova, Rois O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOROBOV, VITALI A
• Application Number:
  US09/678,549
• Time in Patent Office: 2,288 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709221-223, 709/206, 709/207, 709/201, 709/238, 709/245, 717/178, 717/170, 717/177, 717/168, 717/174, 717/172, 713/100, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Software packages may be distributed to a plurality of clients in a network by initially distributing the software from a server to one or more clients. Those clients may then be enabled to forward the software package on to other clients contained in a list of addressee clients. Each client that receives the software package may then be called upon, in turn, to forward the software package to additional clients on the list. In this way, the load on the network management server, related to the distribution of software to a large number of clients in a network, may be reduced.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

forwarding a software package including instructions to install said software package and a list of addressees to a first processor-based system; and

enabling said first processor-based system to automatically install said package, automatically forward said software package together with at least part of said list of addressees to a second processor-based system, said second processor-based system being on said list of addressees, and said first processor-based system enabled to automatically delete its address from the list of addresses before forwarding said first processor-based system automatically forwards said at least part of said list of addresses to said second processor-based system.

2. The method of claim 1 including enabling said first processor-based system to install said software package on said first processor-based system, make a copy of said software package, and transmit said software package to said second processor-based system.

3. The method of claim 2 including causing said first processor-based system to automatically authenticate said software package.

4. The method of claim 3 including causing said second processor-based system to automatically authenticate said software package by sending a message to said first processor-based system.

5. The method of claim 4 including forwarding said software package together with a checksum to enable the second processor-based system to confirm with the first processor-based system that the software package was received correctly.

6. The method of claim 1 including causing said first processor-based system to forward said software package to said second and a third processor-based system.

7. The method of claim 1 including encrypting the software package for transmission between said first and second processor-based systems.

8. The method of claim 7 including changing the encryption in a known fashion with each successive transfer from one to the next processor-based system.

9. The method of claim 1 including transferring said software package together with software that enables said second processor-based system to transfer said software package to a third processor-based system.

10. The method of claim 1 including enabling said first processor-based system to forward said software package to said second processor-based system during a low activity time on said first processor-based system.

11. An article comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to:

forward a software package, including instructions to install said software package, and a list of addressees to a first processor-based system; and

enable said first processor-based system to automatically install said package, automatically forward said software package together with at least part of said list of addressees to a second processor-based system, said second processor-based system being on said list of addressees, and enable said first processor-based system to automatically delete its address from the list of addresses before forwarding said first processor-based system automatically forwards said at least part of said list of addresses to said second processor-based system.

12. The article of claim 11 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to install said software package, make a copy of said software package, and transmit said package to a first processor-based system.

13. The article of claim 12 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to cause said first processor-based system to automatically authenticate said software package.

14. The article of claim 13 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to cause said second processor-based system to automatically authenticate said software package by sending a message to said first processor-based system.

15. The article of claim 14 further storing instructions that enable said processor-based system to forward said software package together with a checksum to enable the first processor-based system to confirm that the software package was received correctly.

16. The article of claim 11 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to enable said first processor-based system to forward said software package to a second and third processor-based system.

17. The article of claim 11 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to encrypt the software package for transmission.

18. The article of claim 17 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to enable said second processor-based system to change the encryption in a known fashion.

19. The article of claim 11 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to transfer said software package together with software that enables said first processor-based system to transfer said software package to said second processor-based system.

20. The article of claim 11 further storing instructions that enable the processor-based system to enable said first processor-based system to forward said software package to a second processor-based system during a low activity time on the first processor-based system.

21. A system comprising:

a processor-based device;

a storage coupled to said processor-based device storing instructions that enable the processor-based device to forward a software package, including instructions to install said software package, and a list of addressees to a first processor-based system and enable the first processor-based system to automatically install said package, automatically forward said software package together with at least part of said list of addressees to a second processor-based system, the second processor-based system being on the list of addressees, and enable said first processor-based system to automatically delete its address from the list of addresses before forwarding said first processor-based system automatically forwards said at least part of said list of addresses to said second processor-based system.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said device is a server.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said server is a network management server.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein said device is a client.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein said storage stores instructions to automatically transfer the software package, the list of addressees, and software to enable further distribution of the software package to additional processor-based systems.