Distributed processing system and method

• US 9,426,207 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Beverly, Harlan Titus
• Primary Examiner(s): D'Agostino, Paul A
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAY, BRANDON RAMON
• Application Number:
  US13/399,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20120150952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30, 463/40, 463/42, 463/43, 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/12 Protocol engines

Abstract

A solution for managing communicative interactions between network elements is described herein. A system incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may include a processor module that monitors communications between a program resident on a user machine and a server program resident on a computing device remote from the user. The processor module may be utilized to effectively reduce the number of communications actually transmitted between the client program and the server program. For example, the processor module may intercept certain client initiated communications intended for the server program, process those communications without server program involvement, and respond to the client program.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a first memory configured to store a client program;

a first processor coupled to the first memory, the first processor configured to execute the client program and to communicate a communication addressed to a server program on a remote server; and

a distributed processor module coupled with the first processor, the distributed processor module comprising a second processor and a second memory coupled to the second processor, the distributed processor module configured to;

monitor the communication,

determine, based at least in part on a copy of state information of the server program, if the communication can be processed by the distributed processor module, and

in response to determining the communication can be processed by the distributed processor module, intercept the communication, process the communication to determine a first response, and provide the first response to the first processor.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the distributed processor module is configured to intercept the communication without providing the communication to the remote server.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a housing component at least partially defining an enclosure, wherein the first processor and the distributed processor module are located within the enclosure.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a network interface coupled with the first processor, wherein the distributed processor module comprises the network interface.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the distributed processor module is further configured to provide a state information update to the remote server.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the second processor comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a microprocessor.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the second memory is not accessible to the first processor.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the distributed processor module further comprises firmware.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the firmware includes a digital signature.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the firmware is encrypted.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises a content interaction request.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the distributed processor module is configured to provide the communication to the remote server in response to determining the distributed processor module cannot process the communication.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the distributed processor module is configured to emulate a function of the server program.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the distributed processor module is configured to execute a software program to emulate the function of the server program, and wherein the software program is encrypted.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the distributed processor module is configured to execute a software program to emulate the function of the server program, and wherein the software program includes a digital signature.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the distributed processor module is configured to execute the software program in response to authentication of the digital signature.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the distributed processor module is configured to update the copy of state information based, at least in part, on monitoring updates to the state information of the server program exchanged between the first processor and the remote server.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the distributed processor module is further configured to provide a copy of the communication to the remote server to update the remote server, and ignore a second response that is received from the remote server, wherein the second response is associated with the copy of the communication.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the distributed processor module is further configured to:

anticipate a content interaction request from the first processor to the remote server;

request from the remote server a second response to the content interaction request prior to receiving the content interaction request from the first processor; and

provide the second response to the first processor.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the first response emulates an expected response from the server program.

21. A distributed processor module comprising:

a first interface configured to receive a communication from a client having a first processor and a first memory, the communication addressed to a server;

a second interface configured to communicate with the server; and

a second processor coupled to a second memory, the second processor further coupled with at least one of the first interface and the second interface;

wherein the distributed processor module is configured to;

monitor the communication;

determine, based at least in part on a copy of state information of a program executable on the server, if the communication can be processed by the distributed processor module; and

in response to determining the communication can be processed by the distributed processor module, intercept the communication, process the communication to determine a first response, and provide the first response to the client.

22. The distributed processor module of claim 21, wherein the distributed processor module is configured to intercept the communication without providing the communication to the server.

23. The distributed processor module of claim 21, wherein the distributed processor module is configured to provide a state information update to the server.

24. The distributed processor module of claim 21, wherein the distributed processor module is configured to update the copy of state information based, at least in part, on monitoring updates to the state information of the program exchanged between the client and the server.

25. The distributed processor module of claim 21, wherein the distributed processor module is further configured to provide a copy of the communication to the server to update the server, and ignore a second response that is received from the server, wherein the second response is associated with the copy of the communication.

26. The distributed processor module of claim 21, wherein the distributed processor module is further configured to:

anticipate a content interaction request from the client to the server;

request from the server a second response to the content interaction request prior to receiving the content interaction request from the client; and

provide the second response to the client.

27. The distributed processor module of claim 21, wherein the first response emulates an expected response from a server program of the server.

28. The distributed processor module of claim 21, wherein a network card comprises the first interface, the second interface, the second processor, and the second memory.

29. The distributed processor module of claim 28, further comprising a dongle housing component at least partially defining an internal space in which the second processor and the second memory are located.

30. The distributed processor module of claim 28, wherein the second memory is configured to store executable instructions for emulating a function of the server.

31. The distributed processor module of claim 21, further comprising an emulator configured to emulate the server, the emulator further configured to provide a trusted message to the server, wherein the trusted message is recognizable as originating from the emulator.

32. A method for processing communications, the method comprising:

monitoring, at a distributed processor module of a client device, a communication between a client program on the client device and a server program on a remote server, the communication addressed to the server program, wherein the distributed processor module includes a first processor and a first memory and the client device includes a second processor and a second memory;

intercepting the communication;

determining, based at least in part on a copy of state information of the server program, if the communication can be processed by the distributed processor module; and

in response to determining the communication can be processed by the distributed processor module, processing the communication at the distributed processor module to determine a first response, and providing the first response to the client program.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

in response to processing the communication at the distributed processor module, providing a state information update to the server program.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the first response emulates an expected response from the server program.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein said intercepting the communication comprises intercepting the communication without providing the communication to the server program.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

providing a copy of the communication to the server program to update the server program; and

ignoring a second response that is received from the server program, wherein the second response is associated with the copy of the communication.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

anticipating a content interaction request from the client program to the server program;

requesting from the server program a second response to the content interaction request prior to receiving the content interaction request from the client program; and

providing the second response to the content interaction request to the client program.

38. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations that comprise:

monitoring, at a distributed processor module, a communication between a client program and a server program, the client program executed on a client device and the server program executed on a remote server, the communication addressed to the server program, wherein the distributed processor module includes a first processor and a first memory and the client device includes a second processor and a second memory;

intercepting the communication;

determining, based at least in part on a copy of state information of the server program, if the communication can be processed by the distributed processor module; and

in response to determining the communication can be processed by the distributed processor module, processing the communication at the distributed processor module to determine a first response, and providing the first response to the client program.

39. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to processing the communication at the distributed processor module, providing a state information update to the server program.

40. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 38, wherein the first response emulates an expected response from the server program.

41. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 38, wherein said intercepting the communication comprises intercepting the communication without providing the communication to the server program.

42. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise providing a copy of the communication to the server program to update the server program, and ignoring a second response that is received from the server program, wherein the second response is associated with the copy of the communication.

43. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise:

anticipating a content interaction request from the client program to the server program;

requesting from the server program a second response to the content interaction request prior to receiving the content interaction request from the client program; and

providing the second response to the content interaction request to the client program.