System and method to guide active participation in peer-to-peer systems with passive monitoring environment

• US 8,959,243 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gerber, Alexandre, Spatscheck, Oliver, Sen, Subhabrata, Todimala, Ajay
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mesa, Joel
• Application Number:
  US12/325,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,269 Days
• Field of Search: 709/232, 709/230
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A method includes identifying shared content by inspecting a peer-to-peer traffic flow and identifying source peers providing the shared content, and requesting the shared content from the source peers. The method further includes receiving requests for the shared content from requesting peers, identifying requesting peers based on the requests for the shared content, and providing the shared content to a local subset of the requesting peers.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

identifying, by utilizing instructions from memory that are executed by a processor, a plurality of shared content items by inspecting peer-to-peer traffic flow using deep packet inspection;

selecting, by utilizing the processor, one of the shared content items based on inspecting the peer-to-peer traffic flow, wherein the one shared content item is selected when the one shared content item is popular shared content, is content having a significant effect on network resources, and is content with a large file size that is repeatedly transferred, and wherein the one shared content item is selected by being in a list of content licensed for active participation;

identifying, by utilizing the processor, a source peer providing the one shared content item;

downloading the one shared content item at a peer server from the source peer;

adding, by utilizing the processor, the peer server to a list of peers currently transferring portions of the one shared content item, wherein the one shared content item includes an identity of a tracker including the list of peers currently transferring portions of the one shared content item;

transmitting, by utilizing the processor, a notification to the tracker that the peer server has the one shared content item available for downloading;

redirecting, by utilizing the processor, a request for the one shared content item to the peer server, wherein the request is made by a requesting peer of a plurality of requesting peers and the request is redirected to the peer server based on the peer server being in the list of peers currently transferring the portions of the one shared content item;

identifying, by utilizing the processor, the requesting peer based on the request for the one shared content item; and

providing the one shared content item from the peer server to a subset of the plurality of requesting peers in a same subnet as the peer server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the plurality of requesting peers is determined based on a network topology.

3. A computer implemented method comprising:

identifying, by utilizing instructions from memory that are utilized by a processor, a plurality of shared content items by inspecting peer-to-peer traffic flow;

selecting, by utilizing the processor, one of the shared content items based on inspecting the peer-to-peer traffic flow, wherein the one shared content item is selected when the one shared content item is popular shared content, is content having a significant effect on network resources, and is content with a large file size that is repeatedly transferred, and wherein the one shared content item is selected by being in a list of content licensed for active participation;

identifying, by utilizing the processor, a source peer providing the one shared content item, wherein the one shared content item includes an identity of a tracker including a list of peers currently transferring portions of the one shared content item;

downloading the one shared content item at a peer server from the source peer based on network costs associated with receiving the one shared content item from the source peer;

transmitting, by utilizing the processor, a notification to the tracker that the peer server has the one shared content item available for downloading;

receiving a request for the one shared content item at the peer server from a requesting peer, wherein the request is received by the peer server based on the peer server being in a list of peers currently transferring portions of the one shared content item; and

identifying, by utilizing the processor, the requesting peer based on the request for the one shared content item.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing the one shared content item to the requesting peer.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one shared content item is excluded content.

6. A method comprising:

inspecting, by utilizing instructions from memory that are executed by a processor, peer-to-peer traffic of participating peers using deep packet inspection to identify a plurality of shared content items;

selecting, by utilizing the processor, one of the shared content items based on inspecting the peer-to-peer traffic, wherein the one shared content item is selected when the one shared content item is popular shared content, is content having a significant effect on network resources, and is content with a large file size that is repeatedly transferred, and wherein the one shared content item is selected by being in a list of content licensed for active participation;

identifying, by utilizing the processor, source peers having the one shared content item, the source peers being different than the participating peers;

downloading, at a server, the one shared content item from the source peers;

providing the one shared content item;

adding, by utilizing the processor, the server to a list of peers currently transferring portions of the one shared content item, wherein the one shared content item includes an identity of a tracker including the list of peers currently transferring portions of the one shared content item;

transmitting, by utilizing the processor, a notification to the tracker that a peer server has the one shared content item available for downloading;

identifying, by utilizing the processor, a requesting peer other than the participating peers requesting the one shared content item and the server being on the list of peers; and

redirecting, by utilizing the processor, the requesting peer to the server for the one shared content item based on the server being in the list of peers currently transferring the portions of one shared content item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one shared content item is provided to the requesting peer.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the one shared content item matches a list of content provided by a content owner.

9. A computer implemented method comprising:

inspecting, by utilizing instructions from memory that are executed by a processor, peer-to-peer traffic of participating peers to identify a plurality of shared content items;

selecting, by utilizing the processor, one of the shared content items based on inspecting the peer-to-peer traffic, wherein the shared content item is selected when the shared content item is popular shared content, is content having a significant effect on network resources, and is content with a large file size that is repeatedly transferred, and wherein the shared content item is selected by being in a list of content licensed for active participation;

identifying, by utilizing the processor, source peers providing the one shared content item, the source peers being different than the participating peers, wherein the one shared content item includes an identity of a tracker including a list of peers currently transferring portions of the one shared content item;

transmitting, by utilizing the processor, a notification to the tracker that a peer server has the one shared content item available for downloading;

selecting, by utilizing the processor, a peer other than the participating peers based on network costs associated with receiving the one shared content item from the peer;

sending, by utilizing the processor, a request for the one shared content item to the peer other than the participating peers, wherein the request is sent to the peer other than the participating peers based on the peer other than the participating peers being in the list of peers currently transferring portions of the one shared content item;

receiving a response to the request; and

obtaining, by utilizing the processor, source information about one of the source peers providing the one shared content item based on the response.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the source information includes one of a location of the source peer, an identity of the source peer, and any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining content distribution information for the one shared content item, wherein the content distribution information includes a distribution of one of a plurality of source peers, internet protocol addresses of the plurality of source peers, location of the plurality of source peers, and any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the one shared content item matches a list of content provided by a content owner.

13. A computer implemented method comprising:

inspecting, by utilizing instructions from memory that are executed by a processor, peer-to-peer traffic of participating peers;

identifying, by utilizing the processor, a plurality of shared content items based on inspecting peer-to-peer traffic;

selecting, by utilizing the processor, one of the shared content items based on inspecting the peer-to-peer traffic, wherein the one shared content item is selected when the one shared content item is popular shared content, is content having a significant effect on network resources, is content with a large file size that is repeatedly transferred, and wherein the one shared content item is selected by being in a list of content licensed for active participation;

making the one shared content item available from a local server, wherein the one shared content item includes an identity of a tracker including a list of peers currently transferring portions of the one shared content item;

transmitting, by utilizing the processor, a notification to the tracker that a peer server has the one shared content item available for downloading;

receiving requests for the one shared content item from requesting peers;

obtaining, by utilizing the processor, requestor information based on the requests;

identifying, by utilizing the processor, the requesting peers downloading the one shared content item based on the requestor information; and

redirecting, by utilizing the processor, the requesting peers to the local server based on the requesting peers downloading the one shared content item and based on the local server being in the list of peers currently transferring portions of the one shared content item.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the requestor information includes one of a location of the requesting peer, an identity of the requesting peer, and any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining content distribution information for the one shared content item, wherein the content distribution information includes a distribution of a plurality of requesting peers, internet protocol addresses of a plurality requesting peers, location of the plurality of requesting peers, or any combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the one shared content item matches a list of content provided by a content owner.