Grid processing in a trading network

• US 8,032,635 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Moore, Dennis B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng; Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, KAI J
• Application Number:
  US11/264,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,164 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-211, 709220-226
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

Methods and apparatus can enable a trading network can use participant nodes of the trading network as a hub node to distribute tasks within the trading network, instead of a fixed server as a fixed hub. The trading network can allow for distribution of tasks for grid computing. The trading network can also be enabled to switch from using one participant node as the hub to using another participant node as the hub. Additionally, the hub node can be enabled to pass functionality to another node at the request of the hub node instead of at the request of the receiving node.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating a transaction between participant nodes of a trading network including a grid network, including a first participant node receiving via the trading network a hub designation dynamically assigning to the first participant node a hub role specific to the transaction, wherein the assigning the hub role to the first participant node is in response to a determining that the first participant node includes a computing functionality for the transaction, wherein the hub role includes a distributor role for distributing the computing functionality;

wherein, in response to the assigning of the hub role, the first participant node determines whether a second participant node of the trading network needs the computing functionality for the transaction,

wherein, in response to determining that the second node needs the computing functionality, the first participating node sends the computing functionality from the first participant node to the second participant node, wherein the second participant node installs the computing functionality, and wherein the transaction includes;

the first participant node distributing respective tasks of the transaction to multiple participant nodes operating as spoke nodes of the transaction, including the first participant node distributing to the second participant node a first task of the transaction after the sending the computing functionality;

in response to distributing of the first task, the second participant node executing the installed computing functionality to perform an operation on data of the first task; and

each of the multiple participant nodes sending to the first participant node respective results of the distributed tasks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first participant node operates as a spoke node for another transaction, and wherein one of the multiple nodes is assigned a hub role for the other transaction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a participant node has an associated contract defining permissible participation of the participant node in the trading network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the contract defining permissible participation of the participant node further comprises limiting access to the participant node by other participant nodes of the trading network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the contract limiting access to the participant node by other participant nodes of the trading network comprises defining conditions for passing computing functionality to the participant node by other participant nodes.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the contract limiting access to the participant node by other participant nodes of the trading network comprises disallowing the passing of computing functionality related to the distributed tasks to the participant node.

7. A method comprising:

a first node of a trading network receiving via the trading network a hub designation for initiating a transaction, the hub designation dynamically assigning to the first participant node a hub role specific to the transaction, wherein the assigning the hub role to the first participant node is in response to a determining that the first node includes a computing functionality for the transaction, wherein the hub role includes a distributor role for distributing the computing functionality;

in response to the assigning of the hub role, the first node determining whether a second node of the trading network needs the computing functionality for the transaction, the trading network including a grid network of which the first and second nodes are participant nodes, the grid network having an infrastructure to enable distribution between nodes of the trading network of computing functionalities and tasks of the transaction;

in response to determining that the second node needs the computing functionality, distributing the computing functionality system-to-system from the first node to the second node to provide the second node with a capability to execute the distributed computing functionality, the distributing the functionality initiated by the first node; and

wherein the transaction includes;

the first node distributing respective tasks of the transaction to multiple participant nodes of the trading network operating as spoke nodes of the transaction, including the first node sending an indication to the second node after the distributing the computing functionality, the sending the indication to indicate that a first task of the transaction is to be performed by the second node;

the second node responding to the indication by executing the distributed computing functionality to perform an operation on data of the first task; and

each of the multiple nodes sending to the first node respective results of the distributed tasks.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the trading network extends between different departments of an enterprise.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first node belongs to one department and the second node belongs to a different department.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the trading network extends between different enterprises.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first node belongs to one enterprise and the second node belongs to a different enterprise.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the trading network extends between an enterprise and a government agency, and wherein the first node belongs to the government agency and the second node belongs to the enterprise, the first node to pass regulatory information to the second node.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the computing functionality comprises at least one of a software application, a configuration parameter, a security policy, or a process.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein distributing the computing functionality comprises distributing functionality for the second node to perform operations on data already local to the second node, instead of operations on distributed data.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein distributing the computing functionality comprises distributing discrete functionality to provide the second node with capability to perform an operation that is completely executable at the second node.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein distributing the computing functionality comprises distributing distributed functionality to provide the second node with capability to perform an operation that is performed in conjunction with, and dependent upon an operation at another node of the trading network.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having content stored thereon, which when accessed provides instructions to cause a device to perform operations including:

a first node of a trading network receiving via the trading network a hub designation for initiating a transaction, the hub designation dynamically assigning to the first participant node a hub role specific to the transaction, wherein the assigning the hub role to the first participant node is in response to a determining that the first node includes a computing functionality for the transaction, wherein the hub role includes a distributor role for distributing the computing functionality;

in response to the assigning of the hub role, the first node determining whether a second node of the trading network needs the computing functionality for the transaction, the trading network including a grid network of which the first and second nodes are participant nodes, the grid network having an infrastructure to enable distribution between nodes of the trading network of computing functionalities and tasks of the transaction;

in response to determining that the second node needs the computing functionality, distributing the computing functionality system-to-system from the first node to the second node to provide the second node with a capability to execute the distributed computing functionality, the distributing the functionality initiated by the first node; and

wherein the transaction includes;

the first node distributing respective tasks of the transaction to multiple participant nodes of the trading network operating as spoke nodes of the transaction, including the first node sending an indication to the second node after the distributing the computing functionality, the sending the indication to indicate that a first task of the transaction is to be performed by the second node;

the second node responding to the indication by executing the distributed computing functionality to perform an operation on data of the first task; and

each of the multiple nodes sending to the first node respective results of the distributed tasks.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, the content to provide instructions for determining whether the second node includes the computing functionality further comprising content to provide instructions for performing operations including:

accessing enterprise-level data to determine whether the second node includes the computing functionality.

19. A system comprising:

a network infrastructure including interfaces and interconnections to enable system-to-system interaction among nodes of a grid trading network; and

a first participant node of the grid trading network coupled to the network infrastructure to receive via the network infrastructure a hub designation for initiating a transaction on the grid trading network, the hub designation dynamically assigning to the first participant node a hub role specific to the transaction, wherein the assigning the hub role to the first participant node is in response to a determining that the first node includes a computing functionality for the transaction, wherein the hub role includes a distributor role for distributing the computing functionality, the first participant node further to determine, in response to the assigning of the hub role, whether a second participant node of the trading network needs the computing functionality for the transaction, the first participating node further to send the computing functionality from the first participant node to the second participant node in response to determining that the second node needs the computing functionality, and wherein the transaction includes;

the first node distributing respective tasks of the transaction to multiple participant nodes of the trading network operating as spoke nodes of the transaction, including the first participant node distributing to the second participant node a first task of the transaction after the sending the computing functionality;

in response to distributing of the first task, the second participant node executing the computing functionality to perform an operation on data of the first task; and

each of the multiple nodes sending to the first node respective results of the distributed tasks,

the first participant node further to act as a spoke with respect to a different transaction on the grid trading network, wherein one of the multiple participant nodes is assigned a hub role for the other transaction.

20. The system of claim 19, the first participant node to further:

authenticate with the second participant node prior to passing the computing functionality to the second participant node.

21. The system of claim 19, the first participant node to further:

access enterprise data coupled to the network infrastructure to obtain a contract of the second participant node, the contract to indicate permissible participation of the second participant node in the grid trading network.

22. The system of claim 21, the first participant node to further:

determine based at least in part on the contract whether to pass tasks to the second participant node.

23. The system of claim 21, the first participant node to further:

determine whether the contract permits passing functionality related to performing the task of the transaction to the second participant node; and

if passing the functionality is permitted by the contract, pass functionality to the second participant node over the network infrastructure to enable the second participant node to perform the task related to the transaction.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the first participant node is one of multiple hubs on the grid trading network, each hub a participant node acting as the hub for separate transactions on the grid trading network.