Mediation server, terminals and distributed processing method

• US 8,935,372 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Morisada, Hidehiko, Maegawa, Hirotoshi, Kageyama, Koji, Sakamoto, Takayuki, Kohno, Michinari, Yamane, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Baturay, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US12/525,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20100115521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,902 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

A highly convenient data processing technique is provided.

A mediation server includes: a project information acquiring unit which acquires information on a project from a project server and stores the acquired information in a project database, the project server managing the project in which a computational processing is divided into a plurality of tasks so as to have the plurality of tasks processed by a plurality of terminals; a project information transmitter which presents the information on the project to a terminal and which transmits, to the terminal, information necessary for the terminal to access a project server of a project that the terminal desires to participate in; and an execution status management unit which receives a notification indicating that the terminal having accessed the project server using the information has executed a task assigned from the project server and which stores an execution status in a terminal database.

Claims

1. A mediation server, comprising:

a project information acquiring unit which acquires information on a project from a project server and stores the acquired information in a project database, the project server managing the project in which a computational processing is divided into a plurality of tasks and the plurality of tasks are processed by a plurality of terminals;

a project information transmitter which presents the information on the project to a terminal and which transmits, to the terminal, information necessary for the terminal to access a project server of a project that the terminal desires to participate in; and

an execution status management unit which receives a notification indicating that the terminal having accessed the project server using the information has executed a task assigned from the project server and which stores an execution status in a terminal database,

wherein the mediation server is located remotely from the project server,

wherein the mediation server mediates between the project server and the terminals that choose to participate in the project managed by the project server,

wherein the mediation server does not mediate transmission and reception of data or execution result of the tasks, and

wherein the project server sends tasks directly to the terminals that choose to participate in the project managed by the project server without passing the tasks through the mediation server.

2. A mediation server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a project selector which acquires, from the terminal, a condition on a project that the terminal desires to participate in and which selects a project agreeing with the condition by referring to the project database.

3. A mediation server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a task execution request acquiring unit which acquires an execution request of the task from the project server;

a terminal information acquiring unit which acquires information on the terminal from the terminal; and

a distributor which distributes the tasks, the execution of which has been requested, to the terminals, based on information on the tasks and information on the terminals.

4. A mediation server according to claim 3, wherein the distributor manages terminals having a similar type of processing circuits or storages as a group.

5. A mediation server according to claim 3, further comprising a task information transmitter which transmits time or an amount of a processing circuit or a storage required to execute the task, to the terminal.

6. A mediation server according to claim 3, further comprising a distribution status notification unit which conveys a status of task distribution by the distributor to the project server.

7. A mediation server according to claim 1, further comprising a compensation provider which acquires time or an amount of a processing circuit or a storage required to execute the task, from the terminal and which provides compensations for the execution of the task, to user of the terminal, based on the acquired time or the amount of the processing circuit or the storage.

8. A mediation server according to claim 1, further comprising a statistical information notification unit which conveys statistical information, on the execution status by the terminal, acquired by the execution status management unit to the project server.

9. A distribution processing method executed by a mediation server that is remotely located from a project server, the method comprising:

acquiring information on a project from a project server and storing the acquired information in a project database, the project server managing the project in which a computational processing is divided into a plurality of tasks and the plurality of tasks are processed by a plurality of terminals;

presenting the information on the project to a terminal and transmitting, to the terminal, information necessary for the terminal to access a project server of a project that the terminal desires to participate in,

wherein the mediation server mediates between the project server and the terminal, and

wherein the terminal can choose whether or not to participate in the project managed by the project server,

wherein the mediation server does not mediate transmission and reception of data or execution result of the tasks, and

wherein the project server sends tasks directly to the terminal that choose to participate in the project managed by the project server without passing the tasks through the mediation server; and

receiving a notification indicating that the terminal having accessed the project server using the information has executed a task assigned from the project server and storing an execution status in a terminal database.

10. A computer program product embedded on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, executed by a mediation server that is remotely located from a project server, the program product comprising:

a module which acquires information on a project from a project server and stores the acquired information in a project database, the project server managing the project in which a computational processing is divided into a plurality of tasks and the plurality of tasks are processed by a plurality of terminals;

a module which presents the information on the project to a terminal and transmits, to the terminal, information necessary for the terminal to access a project server of a project that the terminal desires to participate in,

wherein the mediation server mediates between the project server and the terminal,

wherein the terminal can choose whether or not to participate in the project managed by the project server,

wherein the mediation server does not mediate transmission and reception of data or execution result of the tasks, and

wherein the project server sends tasks directly to the terminals that choose to participate in the project managed by the project server without passing the tasks through the mediation server; and

a module which receives a notification indicating that the terminal having accessed the project server using the information has executed a task assigned from the project server and stores an execution status in a terminal database.

11. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having embodied a programs executed by a mediation server that is remotely located from a project server, that functions as:

means for acquiring information on a project from a project server and storing the acquired information in a project database, the project server managing the project in which a computational processing is divided into a plurality of tasks and the plurality of tasks are processed by a plurality of terminals;

means for presenting the information on the project to a terminal and transmitting, to the terminal, information necessary for the terminal to access a project server of a project that the terminal desires to participate in,

wherein the mediation server mediates between the project server and the terminal,

wherein the terminal can choose whether or not to participate in the project managed by the project server,

wherein the mediation server does not mediate transmission and reception of data or execution result of the tasks, and

wherein the project server sends tasks directly to the terminal that chooses to participate in the project managed by the project server without passing the tasks through the mediation server; and

means for receiving a notification indicating that the terminal having accessed the project server using the information has executed a task assigned from the project server and storing an execution status in a terminal database.

12. A terminal, comprising:

a project information acquiring unit which acquires information necessary for accessing a project server that manages a project desired to be participated in, from a mediation server that mediates between the project server and a plurality of terminals, the project server managing the project in which a computational processing is divided into a plurality of tasks and the plurality of tasks are processed by the plurality of terminals,

wherein the mediation server mediates between the project server and the terminal,

wherein the terminal can choose whether or not to participate in the project managed by the project server,

wherein the mediation server does not mediate transmission and reception of data or execution result of the tasks, and

wherein the project server sends tasks directly to the terminal that chooses to participate in the project managed by the project server without passing the tasks through the mediation server;

a task acquiring unit which acquires the task by accessing the project server using the information;

a task execution unit which executes the task;

an execution result transmitter which transmits an execution result of the task to the project server, and

an execution status notification unit which conveys to the mediation server that the task has been executed,

wherein the mediation server is located remotely from the project server.

13. A terminal according to claim 12, wherein the task execution unit includes a management unit and a plurality of processors, and wherein at least part of the plurality of processors executes the task under control of the management unit.

14. A terminal according to claim 13, where the tasks are designed as programs to be processed by the processing units.

15. A terminal according to claim 13, wherein the management unit executes the tasks by selecting processing units, from among the plurality of processing units, which are not in use.

16. A terminal according to claim 13, further comprising a task information acquiring unit which acquires a time limit within which the execution of the task is to be completed, from the mediation server or the project server, wherein the management unit selects the processing unit by which the task is executed, based on the time limit and usage status of the plurality of processing units.

17. A terminal according to claim 13, further comprising a task information acquiring unit which acquires specification of an amount of processing circuit to be used for the execution of the task, wherein the management unit has the processing unit of the specified amount execute the task.

18. A terminal according to claim 12, wherein the task execution unit stores a partial result when the processing unit suspends the execution of a task and reads out the stored partial result when the execution of the task is resumed.

19. A terminal according to claim 12, wherein the task acquiring unit acquires an execution program of the task encrypted by the project server, and

wherein the task execution unit includes a decoder which decodes the encrypted execution program.

20. A terminal according to claim 12, wherein the task execution unit includes a signature unit which attaches a signature to an execution result of the task,

wherein the execution result transmitter transmits the execution result to which the signature has been attached, to the project server.

21. A distribution processing method, comprising:

acquiring information necessary for accessing a project server that manages a project desired to be participated in, from a mediation server that mediates between the project server and a plurality of terminals, the project server managing the project in which a computational processing is divided into a plurality of tasks and the plurality of tasks are processed by the plurality of terminals;

acquiring the task by accessing the project server using the information;

executing the task;

transmitting an execution result of the task to the project server, and

conveying to the mediation server that the task has been executed,

wherein the mediation server is located remotely from the project server,

wherein each of the terminals can choose whether or not to participate in the project managed by the project server,

wherein the mediation server does not mediate transmission and reception of data or execution result of the tasks, and

wherein the project server sends tasks directly to the terminals that choose to participate in the project managed by the project server without passing the tasks through the mediation server.

22. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

a module which acquires information necessary for accessing a project server that manages a project desired to be participated in, from a mediation server that mediates between the project server and a plurality of terminals, the project server managing the project in which a computational processing is divided into a plurality of tasks and the plurality of tasks are processed by the plurality of terminals;

a module which acquires the task by accessing the project server using the information;

a module which executes the task;

a module which transmits an execution result of the task to the project server; and

a module which conveys to the mediation server that the task has been executed,

wherein the mediation server is located remotely from the project server,

wherein each of the terminals can choose whether or not to participate in the project managed by the project server,

wherein the mediation server does not mediate transmission and reception of data or execution result of the tasks, and

wherein the project server sends tasks directly to the terminals that choose to participate in the project managed by the project server without passing the tasks through the mediation server.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having embodied a programs that functions as:

means for acquiring information necessary for accessing a project server that manages a project desired to be participated in, from a mediation server that mediates between the project server and a plurality of terminals, the project server managing the project in which a computational processing is divided into a plurality of tasks and the plurality of tasks are processed by the plurality of terminals;

means for acquiring the task by accessing the project server using the information;

means for executing the task;

means for transmitting an execution result of the task to the project server, and

means for conveying to the mediation server that the task has been executed,

wherein the mediation server is located remotely from the project server,

wherein each of the terminals can choose whether or not to participate in the project managed by the project server,

wherein the mediation server does not mediate transmission and reception of data or execution result of the tasks, and

wherein the project server sends tasks directly to the terminals that choose to participate in the project managed by the project server without passing the tasks through the mediation server.