Background task execution over a network

• US 8,683,037 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wyld, Jeremy, Ganatra, Nitin, Williamson, Richard John
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US13/220,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20110314151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-228, 726/1
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability

Abstract

Network activity of a client device that is coupled to a data network is monitored, to detect network activity idle time. Based upon detecting the idle time, an application running in the client device is automatically signaled that its background task be executed over the data network. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method comprising:

monitoring network activity at a device'"'"'s network interface, the network activity being monitored by a daemon process to determine idle time at the device'"'"'s network interface, wherein the network interface includes a plurality of physical network interfaces;

executing a first software component as a foreground process;

registering a second software component with the daemon process including specifying at least one of the physical network interfaces, the second software component to be called back by the daemon process based on a level of network activity at the specified physical network interface, the daemon process being configured, after the registering, to monitor each of the plurality of physical network interfaces to determine idle time and to notify the second software component in response to a level of idle time of network activity at the device'"'"'s network interface;

notifying the second software component, in response to the level of idle time associated with the specified physical network interface, to cause the second software component to perform a background task using the specified physical network interface of the device'"'"'s network interface, wherein notifying the second software component includes notifying the second software component when the specified physical network interface is idle.

2. The method as in claim 1, the method further comprising:

maintaining, in storage, a list of software components that have registered with the daemon process to receive a notification to perform a background task through the device'"'"'s network interface, and wherein the second software component performs the background task while the first software component executes as a foreground process.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the monitoring network activity comprises counting a number of upstream or downstream data units passing through the network interface of the device to a data network during a predetermined time interval.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the monitoring network activity comprises determining a type of the network interface.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the monitoring network activity comprises:

determining a task that is about to be performed by the device; and

classifying the task as a network task or a non-network task.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the monitoring network activity comprises monitoring input from a user to determine the likelihood the foreground process will be performing a network task during a predetermined time interval.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the second software component passes the background task to the daemon process for execution.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the second software component returns a notification to the daemon process to inform the daemon process that the second software component does not have a background task to perform.

9. An article of manufacture comprising:

a non-transitory computer storage medium that stores instructions for an operating system program which configure a client device that is coupled to a data network to;

monitor network activity at the client device'"'"'s network interface, the network activity being monitored by a daemon process to determine idle time at the client device'"'"'s network interface, wherein the network interface includes a plurality of physical network interfaces;

execute a first software component as a foreground process in the client device;

register a second software component with the daemon process including specifying at least one of the physical network interfaces, the second software component to be called back by the daemon process based on a level of network activity at the specified physical network interface, the daemon process being configured, after the registering, to monitor each of the plurality of physical network interfaces to determine idle time and to notify the second software component in response to a determination of idle time of network activity at the device'"'"'s network interface;

notify the second software component, in response to the determination of idle time associated with the specified physical network interface, to cause the second software component to perform a background task using the specified physical network interface of the device'"'"'s network interface, wherein notifying the second software component includes notifying the second software component when the specified physical network interface is idle.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9 wherein the medium stores further instructions which cause the client device to:

maintain, in storage, a list of software components that have registered with the daemon process to receive a notification to perform a background task through the client device'"'"'s network interface, and wherein the second software component performs the background task while the first software component executes as a foreground process.

11. The article of manufacture as in claim 9, wherein the monitoring network activity comprises counting a number of upstream or downstream data units passing through the network interface of the device to a data network during a predetermined time interval and comparing the counted number of units to a predetermined value.

12. The article of manufacture as in claim 9, wherein the monitoring network activity comprises determining a type of the network interface.

13. The article of manufacture as in claim 9, wherein the monitoring network activity comprises:

determining a task that is about to be performed by the device; and

classifying the task as a network task or a non-network task.

14. The article of manufacture as in claim 9, wherein the monitoring network activity comprises monitoring input from a user to determine the likelihood the foreground process will be performing a network task during a predetermined time interval.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a hardware processor, wherein the hardware processor is running a foreground process and one or more background processes;

a network interface coupled to a data network, the network interface including a plurality of physical network interfaces; and

a daemon process unit that registers the one or more background processes running on the hardware processor including specifying one or more physical network interfaces, a second software component to be called back by the daemon process based on a level of network activity at the specified physical network interface, wherein the daemon process unit monitors network activity at the network interface to determine idle time at the network interface, including monitoring how much time the foreground process is performing a task that utilizes the data network through the network interface, wherein the daemon process unit monitors each of the plurality of physical network interfaces to determine idle time and notifies one of the one or more background processes to perform a background network task upon detecting an idle time of the corresponding physical network interface, wherein notifying the second software component includes notifying the second software component when the specified physical network interface is idle.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15, further comprising:

a storage unit to store a list of the one or more background processes that have registered with the daemon process to receive a notification to perform a background network task through the network interface, wherein the background network task is performed while the foreground process is executing in the foreground.

17. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the daemon process unit monitors network activity by counting a number of upstream or downstream data units passing through the network interface to the data network during a predetermined time interval.

18. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the daemon process unit monitors network activity by:

determining a task that is about to be performed by the foreground process; and

classifying the task as a network task or a non-network task.