Technique to transfer data over a network

• US 20020069238A1
• Filed: 12/05/2000
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Morrow, Patrick S., Eard, Douglas F.
• Application Number:
  US09/729,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20020069238A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/783 Distributed allocation of resources, e.g. bandwidth brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Briefly, embodiments of a technique to transfer data across a network are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending a request for a network resource from an application to a first agent, the request including a general resource identifier generally identifying the requested resource to agents within a domain and a path QOS identifier specifying a path quality of service;

forwarding the request from the first agent to a second agent while enforcing the path quality of service specified by the path QOS identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the forwarding comprises enforcing a per-link quality of service between the first and second agents.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein quality of service comprises a specified performance for the forwarding of data or packets.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the agents within the domain resolve the general resource identifier to a specific identifier by forwarding the request to another agent in the domain until the request reaches a destination where the request can be fulfilled.

5. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the second agent forwarding the request to a third agent, while enforcing the path quality of service specified by the path QOS identifier, the third agent coupled to the requested network resource.

6. The method of claim 5 and further comprising the third agent fulfilling the request based on the general resource identifier.

7. A method of resolving a general resource identifier in a network of agents comprising:

receiving a request for a network resource at a first agent, the request including a general resource identifier generally identifying the requested resource to agents within a network;

repeatedly forwarding the request to a next agent in the network of agents until the request is received by an agent that is coupled to the requested resource.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the request also includes a path QOS identifier identifying a QOS to be enforced, and wherein repeatedly forwarding comprises repeatedly forwarding the request to a next agent while enforcing the QOS identified by the QOS identifier.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the network of agents comprises a network of hierarchically arranged agents, and repeatedly forwarding comprises repeatedly forwarding the request to a next agent in the network of hierarchically arranged agents while enforcing the path QOS identified by the QOS identifier.

10. The method of claim 7 and further comprising each agent enforcing a per-link QOS in addition to the path QOS when forwarding the request to a next agent.

11. A method comprising:

sending a request for a network resource from an application to a first agent, the request including a general resource identifier generally identifying the requested resource to agents within a domain;

sending the request from the first agent to a second agent;

fulfilling the request at the second agent if the requested resource is available to the second agent;

forwarding the request from the second agent to a next agent if the requested resource is not available to the second agent; and

enforcing a path quality of service across the agents.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first and second agents are part of a group of agents within a domain or network.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the agents are hierarchically arranged.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein at least some of the hierarchically arranged agents have parent-child relationships.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the hierarchically arranged agents allows the application to request the resource using the general resource identifier, while abstracting a specific address or location of the resource from the application.

16. The method of claim 11 and further comprising comparing the general resource identifier to a list of resources available to the first agent.

17. The method of claim 11 and further comprising:

returning a response or requested information from the requested resource to the application via a return path along the second and first agents respectively, the quality of service also being enforced along the return path.

19. The article of claim 18, wherein the agents are hierarchically arranged, wherein the hierarchically arranged agents allow the application to request the resource using the general resource identifier, while abstracting a specific address or location of the resource from the application.

18. An article comprising a computer readable media having instructions stored thereon, the instructions resulting in the following when executed by a machine:

sending a request for a network resource from an application to a first agent, the request including a general resource identifier generally identifying the requested resource to agents within a domain;

sending the request from the first agent to a second agent;

servicing the request at the second agent if the requested resource is available to the second agent;

forwarding the request from the second agent to a next agent if the requested resource is not available to the second agent; and

enforcing a quality of service across the agents.

20. An article comprising a computer readable media having instructions stored thereon, the instructions resulting in the following when executed by a machine:

sending a request for a network resource from an application to a first agent, the request including a general resource identifier generally identifying the requested resource to agents within a domain and a path QOS identifier specifying a path quality of service; and

forwarding the request from the first agent to a second agent while enforcing the path quality of service specified by the path QOS identifier.

21. The article of claim 20 wherein forwarding further comprises enforcing a per-link QOS.

22. A first node coupled to other nodes in a domain, the first node comprising

a network client to provide communications with other nodes in the domain;

and

an agent to abstract the specific location or address of one or more network resources from one or more applications within the domain, the agent to receive a request for a resource along with a general resource identifier and to service the request if the requested resource is locally available and otherwise to forward the request to a next agent in the domain if the resource is not available to the agent, the agent to enforce a quality of service with one or more other agents in the domain.

23. The first node of claim 22 wherein one agent is provided on each node within the domain.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein each agent is provided to forward a received request according to a path QOS specified by the application.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a network comprising a plurality of hierarchically agents coupled to each other, an application coupled to a first of the agents to make a request for a resource based on a general resource identifier;

each of the agents to forward the request to a next agent of the hierarchically arranged agents until the request is received by an agent coupled to the requested resource.

26. A method comprising:

sending a request for a network resource from an application to a first agent, the request including a general resource identifier generally identifying the requested resource to agents within a domain; and

forwarding the request from the first agent to a second agent, the second agent fulfilling the request based on the general resource identifier.