Method for determining an estimated diameter of a broadcast channel

• US 7,412,537 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PH Madison Funding, LLC
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Bourassa, Virgil E., Holt, Fred B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAZARO, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US10/733,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20040148348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/241, 709/230, 709/236, 709/242, 709/226, 709/228, 370/351, 370/406
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1854 with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1074 for supporting data block transmission mechanisms file transfer H04L67/06

Abstract

A method for a node in a network to determine an estimated diameter of a broadcast channel is disclosed. In particular embodiments, when a node receives a message from a neighbor computer, it can determine the received message'"'"'s distance traveled and set that distance as an estimated diameter. It can then increment the distance traveled and forward the message to a neighbor computer. The node may be configured to set a new estimated diameter only if the new estimate is greater than the prior estimate. It may also be configured to send out a message broadcasting the new diameter estimate to its neighbors.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for determining a diameter of a broadcast channel, the broadcast channel having computers, each computer connected to at least three neighbor computers, the method comprising:

receiving a message from a neighbor computer;

identifying a distance traveled from the received message;

setting an estimated diameter based on the identified distance traveled amount, wherein setting the estimated diameter sets the estimated diameter to the distance traveled whenever the identified distance traveled is greater than the current estimated diameter;

incrementing the distance traveled in the message; and

sending the message with the incremented distance traveled to a neighbor computer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the computers of the broadcast channel form an m-regular and m-connected graph.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein m is 4.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each computer is connected to its neighbor computers via point-to-point connections.

5. The method of claim 1 including when the estimated diameter is set, broadcasting a message indicating a new estimated diameter.

6. The method of claim 1 including:

receiving a message indicating a new estimated diameter; and

when the new estimated diameter is greater than the currently estimated diameter, setting the estimated diameter to the new estimated diameter.

7. The method of claim 1 including:

receiving a message indicated to reset the estimated diameter to a new estimated diameter; and

setting the estimated diameter to the new estimated diameter.