System and method for migrating an agent server to an agent client device

• US 9,948,712 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2016
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OL Security LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: OL Security LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Gerard, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Baturay, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US15/187,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20170099349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4862 the task being a mobile agent, i.e. specifically designed to migrate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

In a network of mobile agents, data integrity can be improved by providing an agent server that can migrate between devices operating in the region of interest (ROI). The agent server distributes agent clients onto devices in the ROI and provides agent server services to the agent clients, including receiving and storing data from the agents. When the agent server device is to leave the ROI, the agent server can migrate to any device executing an agent client and continue to provide the agent server services, including data collection and aggregation, from the device to which the agent server has migrated.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, at an agent server device, a need to migrate an agent server to an agent client device;

transmitting an agent server participation request from the agent server device to the agent client device;

receiving, at the agent server device from the agent client device, an agent server participation response to the agent server participation request;

rejecting, at the agent server device, new service requests in response to the agent server participation response;

migrating the agent server from the agent server device to the agent client device in response to the agent server participation response; and

terminating execution of the agent server on the agent server device based, at least in part, on migrating the agent server from the agent server device to the agent client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent server participation request includes a device identification identifying the agent client device, an agent identification identifying an instance of the agent server executing on the agent client device, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the agent server participation response includes a device identification identifying the agent client device, an agent server identification identifying the agent server device, a value indicating whether the agent client device can execute the agent server, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, at the agent server device, the need to migrate the agent server to the agent client device is based, at least in part, on the agent server device or the agent client device being geographically located in a region of interest.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the agent client device from a plurality of capable devices geographically located in a region of interest.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein rejecting, at the agent server device, the new service requests includes resolving outstanding service requests.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an agent server activation request to the agent client device in response to receiving the agent server participation response indicating acceptance of the agent server participation request.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the agent server activation request includes an identification of the agent client device, a serialized agent server, stored content of the agent server, identification of agents in a region of interest, aggregated data collected from the agents in the region of interest, a definition of the region of interest, or a combination thereof.

9. An agent server device, comprising:

a memory device configured to store instructions that implement an agent server; and

a processing device configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device to;

determine a need to migrate execution of the agent server to an agent client device;

transmit an agent server participation request from the agent server device to the agent client device;

reject new service requests in response to receiving an agent server participation response;

migrate the agent server from the agent server device to the agent client device in response to the agent server participation response; and

terminate execution of the agent server on the agent server device based, at least in part, on migrating the agent server from the agent server device to the agent client device.

10. The agent server device of claim 9, wherein the agent server participation request includes a device identification identifying the agent client device, an agent identification identifying an instance of the agent server executing on the agent client device, or a combination thereof.

11. The agent server device of claim 9, wherein the agent server participation response includes a device identification identifying the agent client device, an agent server identification identifying the agent server device, a value indicating whether the agent client device can execute the agent server, or a combination thereof.

12. The agent server device of claim 9, wherein the processing device is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device further to determine the need to migrate the agent server to the agent client device based, at least in part, on the agent server device or the agent client device being geographically located in a region of interest.

13. The agent server device of claim 9, wherein the processing device is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device further to identify the agent client device from a plurality of capable devices geographically located in a region of interest.

14. The agent server device of claim 9, wherein the processing device is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device further to transmit an agent server activation request to the agent client device in response to receiving the agent server participation response indicating acceptance of the agent server participation request.

15. The agent server device of claim 14, wherein the agent server activation request includes an identification of the agent client device, a serialized agent server, stored content of the agent server, identification of agents in a region of interest, aggregated data collected from the agents in the region of interest, a definition of the region of interest, or a combination thereof.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an agent client device, an agent server participation request from an agent server device;

determining, at the agent client device, whether the agent client device is able to host an agent server to be migrated from the agent server device;

transmitting an agent server participation response from the agent client device to the agent server device in response to determining that the agent client device is able to host the agent server;

processing at the agent client device, an agent server activation request including agent server migration data, the agent server activation request received from the agent server device;

activating the agent server on the agent client device using the agent server migration data from the agent server activation request;

transmitting an agent server success response to indicate successful activation of the agent server on the agent client device, the agent server success response transmitted to the agent server device in response to the agent server activation request; and

terminating an agent client executing on the agent client device in response to the server activation request and after the successful activation of the agent server on the agent client device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the agent server migration data includes first data that includes a serialized instance of the agent server and second data that is different than the first data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second data includes a device identification identifying the agent client device, an agent server identification identifying the agent server device, a value indicating whether the agent client device can execute the agent server, or a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the second data includes identification of agents in a region of interest, aggregated data collected from the agents in the region of interest, a definition of the region of interest, or a combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising deserializing the agent server instance of the first data.