Cooperative neighboring hardware nodes determination

• US 8,606,857 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stevens, Mark B., Wilson, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HIEN M
• Application Number:
  US12/953,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20120131175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/220, 709/222, 709/223, 455/404.2, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

A hardware node locates one or more neighboring hardware nodes. The hardware node maintains a general list of the neighboring hardware nodes. The hardware node can determine one or more selected neighboring hardware nodes within the general list with which the hardware node is interested in cooperating, such as to create an interest list of the selected neighboring hardware nodes. The hardware node contacts each selected neighboring hardware node, such as each node within the interest list, to determine a corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node. The hardware node generates a cooperating list that includes the corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node, after contacting each selected neighboring hardware node.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

locating, by a hardware node, one or more neighboring hardware nodes;

maintaining, by the hardware node, a general list of the neighboring hardware nodes, including, for each neighboring hardware node, storing an identifier, a location, and a function type of the neighboring hardware node;

determining, by the hardware node, the one or more selected neighboring hardware nodes with which the hardware node is interested in cooperating based on a desired functionality of the selected neighboring hardware nodes, the one or more selected neighboring hardware nodes being within the general list of the neighboring hardware nodes, including filtering the general list of the neighboring hardware nodes to locate the selected neighboring hardware nodes based on one or more of the location and the function type of each neighboring hardware node;

after maintaining the general list, generating an interest list by the hardware node, the interest list including the selected neighboring hardware nodes within the general list with which the hardware node is interested in cooperating, the interest list being a subset of the general list;

contacting, by the hardware node, one or more selected neighboring hardware nodes within the interest list to determine a corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node; and

after generating the interest list, generating a cooperating list by the hardware node after contacting each selected neighboring hardware node, the cooperating list including the corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node, the cooperating list being a subset of the interest list, the cooperating list including one or more particular selected neighboring hardware nodes that have the desired functionality and that are willing to perform the desired functionality for the hardware node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a temporary collaborative ad-hoc network including the hardware node and the particular selected hardware nodes within the cooperating list; and

,

performing a given function by the temporary collaborative ad-hoc network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein locating the neighboring hardware nodes comprises receiving a heartbeat message broadcast from each neighboring hardware node, without the hardware node having first broadcast a request for reply by the neighboring hardware nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the general list of the neighboring hardware nodes is a first general list,

and wherein locating the neighboring hardware nodes comprising receiving a second general list of the neighboring hardware nodes from a given neighboring hardware node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein locating the neighboring hardware nodes comprises consulting an online directory of hardware nodes to determine which of the nodes within the online directory are the neighboring hardware nodes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein locating the neighboring hardware nodes comprises:

broadcasting a request for the neighboring hardware nodes, by the hardware node; and

,

receiving a reply from each neighboring hardware node.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the general list of the neighboring hardware nodes further includes comprises, for each neighboring hardware node, storing additional data regarding the neighboring hardware node, the additional data related to the function type of the neighboring hardware node.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after contacting each selected neighboring hardware node to determine the corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node:

receiving from a given selected neighboring hardware node the corresponding level of cooperation as one or more of;

a list of one or more functions that the given selected neighboring hardware node is willing to perform for or with the hardware node;

a cost in a currency that the given selected neighboring hardware unit is to charge for performing the functions;

an exchange by which the given selected neighboring hardware unit is willing to perform the functions if the hardware node is willing to perform one or more other functions for the hardware node;

that the given selected neighboring hardware node is unwilling to provide any level of cooperation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, after contacting each selected neighboring hardware node to determine the corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node:

where a given selected neighboring hardware node has not responded to the hardware node contacting the given selected neighboring hardware node to determine the corresponding level of cooperation of the given selected neighboring hardware node,

storing within the cooperating list that the corresponding level of cooperation of the given selected neighboring hardware node is that the given selected neighboring hardware node is unresponsive.

10. A storage device storing computer-executable code executable by a hardware node to perform a method comprising:

locating one or more neighboring hardware nodes;

maintaining a general list of the neighboring hardware nodes;

determining one or more selected neighboring hardware nodes within the general list with which the hardware node is interested in cooperating based on a desired functionality of the selected neighboring hardware nodes;

after maintaining the general list, generating an interest list by the hardware node, the interest list including the selected neighboring hardware nodes within the general list with which the hardware node is interested in cooperating, the interest list being a subset of the general list;

contacting each selected neighboring hardware node within the interest list to determine a corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node; and

after generating the interest list, generating a cooperating list after contacting each selected neighboring hardware node, the cooperating list including the corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node, the cooperating list being a subset of the interest list, the cooperating list including one or more particular selected neighboring hardware nodes that have the desired functionality and that are willing to perform the desired functionality for the hardware node,

wherein maintaining the general list of the neighboring hardware nodes comprises, for each neighboring hardware node;

storing an identifier of the neighboring hardware node;

storing a location of the neighboring hardware node;

storing a function type of the neighboring hardware node; and

storing additional data regarding the neighboring hardware node, the additional data related to the function type of the neighboring hardware node,

and wherein determining the selected neighboring hardware nodes within the general list with which the hardware node is interested in cooperating comprises;

filtering the general list of the neighboring hardware nodes to locate the selected neighboring hardware nodes based on one or more of the location and the function type of each neighboring hardware node.

11. The storage device of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises, after contacting each selected neighboring hardware node to determine the corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node:

receiving from a given selected neighboring hardware node the corresponding level of cooperation as one or more of;

a list of one or more functions that the given selected neighboring hardware node is willing to perform for or with the hardware node;

a cost in a currency that the given selected neighboring hardware unit is to charge for performing the functions;

an exchange by which the given selected neighboring hardware unit is willing to perform the functions if the hardware node is willing to perform one or more other functions for the hardware node;

that the given selected neighboring hardware node is unwilling to provide any level of cooperation.

12. The storage device of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises, after contacting each selected neighboring hardware node to determine the corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node:

where a given selected neighboring hardware node has not responded to the hardware node contacting the given selected neighboring hardware node to determine the corresponding level of cooperation of the given selected neighboring hardware node,

storing within the cooperating list that the corresponding level of cooperation of the given selected neighboring hardware node is that the given selected neighboring hardware node is unresponsive.

13. A hardware node comprising:

a hardware communication mechanism to communicate with one or more neighboring hardware nodes;

a computer-readable data storage medium to store a general list of the neighboring hardware nodes, to store an interest list of one or more selected neighboring nodes with which the hardware node is interested in cooperating based on a desired functionality of the selected neighboring nodes, and to store a cooperating list of one or more particular selected neighboring hardware nodes that have the desired functionality and that are willing to perform the desired functionality for the hardware node, the interest list being a subset of the general list, the cooperating list being a subset of the interest list;

first logic to locate the neighboring hardware nodes using the hardware communication mechanism and to responsively create the general list including, for each neighboring hardware node, by storing an identifier, a location, and a function type of the neighboring hardware node;

second logic to, after the general list has been created, create the interest list based on the desired functionality of the selected neighboring nodes, including filtering the general list of the neighboring hardware nodes to locate the selected neighboring hardware nodes based on one or more of the location and the function type of each neighboring hardware node;

third logic to, after the interest list has been created, determine the particular selected neighboring hardware nodes from the interest list, to contact each selected neighboring hardware node using the hardware communication mechanism to determine a corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node, and to responsively generate the cooperating list such that the corresponding level of cooperation of each selected neighboring hardware node is stored within the cooperating list.

14. The hardware node of claim 13, wherein the corresponding level of cooperation of a given selected neighboring hardware node comprises one or more of:

a list of one or more functions that the given selected neighboring hardware node is willing to perform for or with the hardware node;

a cost in a currency that the given selected neighboring hardware unit is to charge for performing the functions;

an exchange by which the given selected neighboring hardware unit is willing to perform the functions if the hardware node is willing to perform one or more other functions for the hardware node;

that the given selected neighboring hardware node is unwilling to provide any level of cooperation.