Path optimizer for peer to peer networks

• US 7,571,251 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PNI Canada Acquireco Corp. (Francisco Partners Management LLC)
• Original Assignee: Sandvine Incorporated ULC (Sandvine Corp.)
• Inventors: Bowman, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Thong H
• Application Number:
  US10/138,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20030208621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,647 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709/205, 709/223, 709/225, 709/242, 709/200, 709/238, 709/246, 370/238, 370/395, 370/244, 370/351, 707/10, 707/3, 711/122, 455/466
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/12 Shortest path evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1072 Discovery involving ranked list compilation of candidate peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention disclosed is a path optimizer for Peer to Peer (P2P) networks. Large amounts of P2P file exchanges increase the costs to maintain a network. Network service providers typically pay for the amount of data they exchange with other network service providers. The present invention examines P2P messages between and within networks and provides a cost efficient path to handle each P2P message.

Claims

1. A peer to peer optimizer system comprising;

a path cost module configured to receive information about path cost between nodes in a network;

a configuration module storing the IP addresses of the nodes said optimizer system is aware of;

an index fetch module configured to receive information about locations of content available for access from at least one of said nodes;

a query routing module configured to examine peer to peer messages received by the optimizer system to determine information about content contained in said messages received by the optimizer system; and

a fetch redirection module configured to redirect said messages to a lower cost source of content based on the information about said content contained in said messages, the information about locations of content and the path cost between nodes, and configured to monitor all peer to peer messages between nodes connected by said optimizer system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein a peer to peer message may be modified in addition to the rewriting of routing information.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein a peer to peer message may be forwarded.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein a peer to peer message may not be forwarded.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein new peer to peer messages may be created.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is a query message, forwarding said query message to an optimized set of nodes.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising a content index.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said content index comprises a mapping of content to nodes.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said content index is used to limit the number of nodes a query message is forwarded to.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said content index is used to determine said optimized set of nodes.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said optimized set of nodes is selected based upon path cost.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein if no nodes are found in said content index to satisfy said query message, forwarding said query message to a set of nodes determined by a weighted probabilistic function.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is a queryhit message, said optimizer modifying quality of service parameters of said queryhit message.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is a ping message from a first node, said optimizer creating one or more pong messages to nodes in the same cost class as said first node.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein cost class information for a plurality of nodes is stored in a host cache.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said path cost information is set by an administrator of said optimizer.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein said path cost information is set by said optimizer.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is a connect, and if said connect is better than an existing connection, dropping said existing connection for said connect.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein said optimizer in determining said path cost combines a cost class for each of two nodes to create said path cost.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said cost class is set by an administrator of said optimizer.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein said cost class is set by said optimizer.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is not from a node in a first network and is a query message, forwarding said query message to one or more nodes not in said first network.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is from a node in a first network and is a query message and if said query message is unsuccessful, forwarding said query message to a weighted list of nodes in said first network.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is not from a node in a first network and is a query message, ignoring said query message.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is a queryhit message, determining if a matching query message has been observed and if so forwarding said queryhit message to the originator of said matching query message.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is a query message said optimizer determining;

a) if said query is from a node in a first network, determining if said query may be serviced by one or more nodes in said first network, if so, forwarding said query to said one or more nodes in said first network;

or

b) if said query is from a node not in said first network, dropping said query.

27. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is a queryhit message, forwarding said queryhit message to the originator of a matching query message.

28. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is a ping message from a node in a first network dropping said ping message so that it does not propagate from said first network.

29. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is a pong and a matching ping message has not been seen, dropping said pong.

30. The system of claim 1 wherein if a peer to peer message is a ping, said optimizer optionally dropping said ping.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein if said optimizer has not dropped said ping, said optimizer providing a forged pong message.

32. The system of claim 1 wherein each peer to peer message is examined to obtain information about the originator of said message.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein said information is stored by said optimizer in a host cache.

34. A process for managing peer to peer messages between nodes, said process comprising:

receiving peer to peer messages between said nodes;

determining a path cost for said received peer to peer messages;

examining said received peer to peer messages for a location of content requested and redirecting said messages to a lower cost source of said content based upon said path cost and the location of said content to direct said messages to a cost efficient path;

monitoring all peer to peer messages between said nodes connected to an optimizer system; and

storing the IP addresses of the nodes.

35. The process of claim 34 further comprising the step of utilizing a message to obtain information about the originator of said message.

36. The process of claim 34 further comprising the step of matching a requested filename to filenames stored in a content index.

37. The process of claim 36 further comprising the step of utilizing said content index in determining said cost efficient path.

38. The process of claim 34 further comprising the step of utilizing cost class information to determine said cost efficient path.

39. The process of claim 34 further comprising the step of modifying a peer to peer message in addition to the rewriting of routing information.

40. The process of claim 34 further comprising the step of forwarding a peer to peer message.

41. The process of claim 34 further comprising the step of not forwarding a peer to peer message.

42. The process of claim 34 further comprising the step of creating a new peer to peer message.

43. The process of claim 34 further comprising the step that if said peer to peer message is a query message, forwarding said query message to an optimized set of nodes.

44. A computer readable medium containing instructions, which, when executed on a processing device cause the processing device to execute the process of claim 34.

45. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions for modifying a peer to peer message.

46. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions for forwarding a peer to peer message.

47. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions for not forwarding a peer to peer message.

48. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions for creating a new peer to peer message.

49. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions to determine if a peer to peer message is a query message, and if so, forwarding said query message to an optimized set of nodes.

50. The medium of claim 49 further comprising instructions to implement a content index.

51. The medium of claim 50 further comprising instructions to map content to nodes.

52. The medium of claim 50 further comprising instructions to utilize said content index to limit the number of nodes a query message is forwarded to.

53. The medium of claim 52 further comprising instructions to utilize said content index to determine said optimized set of nodes.

54. The medium of claim 53 further comprising instructions to select said optimized set of nodes based upon path cost.

55. The medium of claim 53 further comprising instructions to determine that if no nodes are found in said content index to satisfy said query message, forwarding said query message to a set of nodes determined by a weighted probabilistic function.

56. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions to determine if a peer to peer message is a queryhit message, if so, modifying quality of service parameters of said query hit message.

57. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions to determine if a peer to peer message is a ping message from a first node, if so, creating one or more pong messages to nodes in the same cost class as said first node.

58. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions for storing cost class information in a host cache.

59. The medium of claim 58 further comprising instructions to permit an administrator to set said cost class information.

60. The medium of claim 58 further comprising instructions to set said cost class information without human intervention.

61. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions to determine if a peer to peer message is a connect, if so, and if said connect is better than an existing connection, dropping said existing connection for said connect.

62. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions for determining if a message is from a node in a first network, and instructions for preventing said message from reaching a node in a second network.

63. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions for utilizing a message to obtain information about the node from which said message originated.

64. The medium of claim 63 further comprising instructions to populate a host cache with said information.

65. The medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions to determine if a peer to peer message is not initially directed to a cost efficient path, redirecting said peer to peer message to said cost efficient path.

66. A method of managing peer to peer message routing, said method comprising:

receiving information about path cost between nodes in a network;

receiving information about the location of content available from said nodes;

receiving peer to peer messages;

examining said peer to peer messages to determine information about content contained in said messages;

redirecting said peer to peer messages, to a lower cost source of content based upon the information about content contained in said messages, the information about the location of content and the path cost between nodes;

monitoring all peer to peer messages that are redirected; and

storing the IP addresses of the nodes.

67. The method of claim 66 wherein the network comprises a plurality of networks.

68. The method of claim 66 further comprising modifying the information about content contained in said messages.

69. The method of claim 66 further comprising modifying timing information contained in said messages.