File fragment trading based on rarity values in a segmented file sharing system

• US 7,814,146 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seacat, Lisa A., Lauridsen, Christina K., Peterson, Robert R., Patel, Sushma B., Chavez, Timothy R., Salem, Loulwa F.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAZARO, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US11/848,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 709/228, 709/231, 709/203, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments

Abstract

Peer-to-peer file sharing clients share file fragments in the background based on rarity values. When a first peer offers a fragment to a second peer to be shared in the background, the second peer checks the rarity of the fragment and identifies one or more fragments from its swarm that is approximately as rare as the fragment being offered. The second peer then offers the one or more fragments in exchange for the originally offered fragment. The first peer may then offer the one or more fragments to other peers in its swarm to be shared in the background.

Claims

1. A method in a peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system for background file sharing in a peer-to-peer file sharing network, the method comprising:

allocating background resources in the peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system for background file sharing comprising a specified amount of bandwidth and a specified amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing, wherein the amount of bandwidth and the amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing are specified in a preferences data structure;

receiving, by the peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system, one or more background file fragments from a first swarm for background file sharing of a file using at least a portion of the specified amount of bandwidth;

storing, by the peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system, the at least one file fragment in at least a portion of the specified amount of storage space;

obtaining, by the peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system, a rarity value for the one or more background file fragments;

identifying, by the peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system, one or more foreground file fragments that are approximately as rare as the one or more background file fragments, wherein the foreground file fragments are shared in a second swarm; and

sharing, by the peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system, the one or more foreground file fragments with at least one peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system in the first swarm.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sharing the one or more background file fragments with at least one peer-to-peer file sharing client in the second swarm.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining a rarity value for the one or more background file fragments comprises querying a first tracker associated with the first swarm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more foreground file fragments comprises querying a second tracker associated with the second swarm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more foreground file fragments that are approximately as rare as the one or more background file fragments comprises:

determining a collective rarity of the one or more background file fragments; and

identifying one or more foreground file fragments that have a collective rarity that is approximately equal to the collective rarity of the one or more background file fragments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more background file fragments from a first swarm for background file sharing of a file comprises:

selecting the one or more background file fragments from a list of fragments received from a given peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system in the background swarm; and

requesting the selected one or more background file fragments from the given peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system.

7. A peer-to-peer file sharing client for background file sharing in a peer-to-peer file sharing network, the peer-to-peer file sharing client comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory contains instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

allocate background resources in the peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system for background file sharing comprising a specified amount of bandwidth and a specified amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing, wherein the amount of bandwidth and the amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing are specified in preferences data structure;

receive one or more background file fragments from a first swarm for background file sharing of a file using at least a portion of the specified amount of bandwidth;

store the at least one file fragment in at least a portion of the specified amount of storage space;

obtain a rarity value for the one or more background file fragments;

identify one or more foreground file fragments that are approximately as rare as the one or more background file fragments, wherein the foreground file fragments are shared in a second swarm; and

share the one or more foreground file fragments with at least one peer-to-peer file sharing client in the first swarm.

8. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 7, wherein the memory contains instructions which, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

share the one or more background file fragments with at least one peer-to-peer file sharing client in the second swarm.

9. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 7, wherein obtaining a rarity value for the one or more background file fragments comprises querying a first tracker associated with the first swarm.

10. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 7, wherein identifying one or more foreground file fragments comprises querying a second tracker associated with the second swarm.

11. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 7, wherein identifying one or more foreground file fragments that are approximately as rare as the one or more background file fragments comprises:

determining a collective rarity of the one or more background file fragments; and

identifying one or more foreground file fragments that have a collective rarity that is approximately equal to the collective rarity of the one or more background file fragments.

12. The peer-to-peer file sharing client of claim 7, wherein receiving one or more background file fragments from a first swarm for background file sharing of a file comprises:

selecting the one or more background file fragments from a list of fragments received from a given peer-to-peer file sharing client in the background swarm; and

requesting the selected one or more background file fragments from the given peer-to-peer file sharing client.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

allocate background resources in the peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system for background file sharing comprising a specified amount of bandwidth and a specified amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing, wherein the amount of bandwidth and the amount of storage space to be used for background file sharing are specified in a preferences data structure;

receive one or more background file fragments from a first swarm for background file sharing of a file using at least a portion of the specified amount of bandwidth;

store the at least one file fragment in at least a portion of the specified amount of storage space;

obtain a rarity value for the one or more background file fragments;

identify one or more foreground file fragments that are approximately as rare as the one or more background file fragments, wherein the foreground file fragments are shared in a second swarm; and

share the one or more foreground file fragments with at least one peer-to-peer file sharing client in the first swarm.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein obtaining a rarity value for the one or more background file fragments comprises querying a first tracker associated with the first swarm.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein identifying one or more foreground file fragments comprises querying a second tracker associated with the second swarm.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein identifying one or more foreground file fragments that are approximately as rare as the one or more background file fragments comprises:

determining a collective rarity of the one or more background file fragments; and

identifying one or more foreground file fragments that have a collective rarity that is approximately equal to the collective rarity of the one or more background file fragments.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein receiving one or more background file fragments from a first swarm for background file sharing of a file comprises:

selecting the one or more background file fragments from a list of fragments received from a given peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system in the background swarm; and

requesting the selected one or more background file fragments from the given peer-to-peer file sharing client data processing system.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

share the one or more background file fragments with at least one peer-to-peer file sharing client in the second swarm.