Method and apparatus for optimally utilizing a peer to peer network node by enforcing connection time limits

• US 8,769,115 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kroll Information Assurance LLC
• Original Assignee: Tiversa Ip, Inc.
• Inventors: Hopkins, Samuel P.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHANG, SHIRLEY X
• Application Number:
  US13/429,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/223, 709227-229
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• 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 67/107 with limitation or expansion of the discovery scope
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1093 Some peer nodes performing special functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for splitting a load of monitoring a peer to peer network. The method has a first node in the peer to peer network receiving information reported by a second node in the peer to peer network, including information concerning which nodes are connected to the second node. The method further has the first node connecting to nodes different from the nodes that are connected to the second node using the received information. The method still further has the first node reporting information, including information concerning which nodes are connected to the first node, such that the second node also has access to the reported information, thereby splitting the load of monitoring the peer to peer network among the first and second nodes.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing a peer to peer computing network having at least a first data processor node and a second data processor node, the method comprising:

a. connecting the first data processor node to the second data processor node over a communication medium using a peer to peer protocol, wherein the first data processor node and the second data processor node are configured to transmit messages over the communication medium in the peer to peer computing network;

b. recording in the first data processor node a last transmission time at which a last message was transmitted between the first data processor node and the second data processor node over the communication medium in the peer to peer computing network;

c. comparing, at an interval, the last transmission time to a value;

d. disconnecting the connection between said first processor node from said second processor node when the value is reached and adding a new connection between the first processor node and a different node in place of the connection between said first processor node and said second processor node that was disconnected; and

e. maintaining the connection between the first data processor node and the second data processor node when the value is not reached.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, said method further comprising:

e. at a node in the network, obtaining address information for the plurality of nodes;

f. adding the address information to a cache memory; and

g. clearing the cache memory when a specific event occurs.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the event is that the cache memory has stored a specific number of addresses designated as a limit.

4. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the event is a determination at an interval that selected address information in the cache has become invalid.

5. A node comprising:

one or more hardware interfaces adapted to communicate data, over a peer-to-peer computer network;

processing logic coupled to the hardware interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes, the process when executed operable to;

maintain a plurality of connections between the node and a plurality of other nodes in the peer-to-peer network,

monitor each of the plurality of connections between the node and the plurality of other nodes in the peer-to-peer network;

determine if a communication message was received on each of the plurality of connections within a particular amount of time;

in response to determining that the communication message was received on the connection within the particular amount of time, maintain the connection; and

in response to determining the communication message was not received on the connection within the particular amount of time, determine that the connection is not optimal and drop the connection, and add a new connection from the node to a different node in the peer-to-peer computer network.

6. The node of claim 5, wherein address information associated with the different node is maintained in a cache memory.

7. The node of claim 6, wherein the cache memory is cleared based on an event, wherein the event is the cache memory has stored a specific number of addresses designated as a limit.

8. The node of claim 6, wherein the cache memory is cleared based on an event, wherein the event is a determination at an interval that selected address information in the cache has become invalid.

9. The node of claim 5, wherein the monitoring of each of the plurality of connections occurs at different time intervals.

10. The node of claim 5, wherein the determining is based on a comparison of a last transmission time of the communication message and a value generated by a mathematical calculation and associated with the particular amount.