Command and control of arbitrary resources in a peer-to-peer network

• US 20040249888A1
• Filed: 05/12/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Berkey, Howard, Corson, Greg, Bates, John Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,849,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable

Abstract

Provided is a method and apparatus for virtualizing access to resources in a distributed peer-to-peer (P2P) network. Specifically, a resource locally managed by a peer in the P2P network can be published such that other peers can identify the peer managing the resource. Any peer requesting access to the resource of another peer establishes communication to the peer managing the resource. After establishing communication, a proxy of the peer managing the resource can establish a proxy interface. The proxy interface, operating on the peer requesting access, permits the peer requesting access to generate command and control data to control the resource. Thus, the peer requesting access believes that it manages the local resource, while in reality, the peer requesting access only has virtualized access to the resource.

Claims

1. A method for peers of a peer-to-peer network to access resources connected to particular peers of the peer-to-peer network, comprising:

establishing communication between a first peer and a second peer in the peer-to-peer network;

defining parameters for accessing a resource of the first peer, the first peer providing a proxy for managing access to the resource; and

enabling access to the resource from the second peer through the proxy, the proxy defining a proxy interface to enable the second peer to interact with the resource.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein establishing communication further includes publishing the resource from the first peer to a third peer.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein publishing the resource further includes listing the resource as available on the first peer.

4. A method of claim 2, wherein publishing the resource further includes identifying the first peer to the second peer.

5. A method of claim 1, wherein the peer-to-peer network further includes connecting the first system and the third system in a grid.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein providing the proxy further includes assessing a resource constraint.

7. A method of claim 6, wherein assessing the resource constraint further includes determining one of permitted access and duration of access.

8. A method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the resource from the second peer through the proxy further includes arbitrating for access to the resource.

9. A method of claim 8, wherein arbitrating for access further includes determining an order for accessing the resource.

10. A method of claim 1, wherein providing the proxy for managing access to the resource further includes providing a bi-directional communication link.

11. A method of claim 10, wherein providing the bi-directional communication link further includes establishing the proxy interface on the first peer to access the resource.

12. A method of claim 11, wherein establishing the proxy interface further includes providing command and control data via the proxy interface to manipulate the resource.

13. A method of claim 12, wherein providing command and control data further includes controlling the resource from the first peer.

14. A system for providing access to resources in a peer-to-peer distributed network, comprising:

a first system and a second system capable of communication with one another;

a publication list accessible by the first system to identify the second system; and

a resource of the second system capable of being accessed by a proxy interface of the first system, wherein manipulation of the resource is processed through the proxy interface.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first system and the second system are peers of a peer-to-peer grid, the second system including a proxy configured to interface with the proxy interface.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the publication list further includes the resource and the location of the second system in the peer-to-peer grid.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the peer-to-peer grid is configured to provide a plurality of proxy interfaces to manipulate the resource.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein manipulation of the resource further includes command and control capabilities from the first system to the second system.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein command and control capabilities includes a control signal transmitted to the resource from a local system of the first system.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the resource is physical component of the second system.

21. A peer-to-peer grid, comprising:

a first peer and a second peer coupled together, wherein the first peer is capable of requesting a resource coupled to the second peer;

a proxy service operating on the second peer, the proxy service being capable of granting access to the resource; and

a proxy interface operating on the first peer, the proxy interface being capable of providing command and control signals to the resource using a local system operating on the first peer.

22. The peer-to-peer grid of claim 21, wherein the resource is a physical component of the second system, wherein the physical component communicates access information to the proxy service.

23. The peer-to-peer grid of claim 22, wherein the proxy service arbitrates access to the resource by gathering access information from the physical component.

24. The peer-to-peer grid of claim 21, wherein the proxy interface is a graphics interface to the resource.

25. The peer-to-peer grid of claim 21, wherein the command and control signals manipulate the resource on the second system.

26. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for accessing resources in a peer-to-peer network, comprising:

instructions for defining parameters for accessing a resource of a first peer connected to the peer-to-peer network, the first peer providing a proxy for managing access to the resource; and

instructions for enabling access to the resource from a second peer connected to the peer-to-peer network through the proxy, the proxy defining a proxy interface to enable the second peer to interact with the resource.

27. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for accessing resources in a peer-to-peer network as recited in claim 26, further including:

instructions for establishing communication between the first peer and the second peer in the peer-to-peer network.

28. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for accessing resources in a peer-to-peer network as recited in claim 26, wherein instructions for providing the proxy for managing access to the resource further includes instructions for providing a bi-directional communication link.

29. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for accessing resources in a peer-to-peer network as recited in claim 28, wherein instructions for providing the bi-directional communication link further includes instructions for establishing the proxy interface on the first peer to access the resource.

30. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for accessing resources in a peer-to-peer network as recited in claim 29, wherein instructions for establishing the proxy interface further includes instructions for providing command and control data via the proxy interface to manipulate the resource.

31. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for accessing resources in a peer-to-peer network as recited in claim 30, wherein instructions for providing command and control data further includes instructions for controlling the resource from the first peer.

32. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for accessing resources in a peer-to-peer network as recited in claim 31, wherein instructions for controlling the resource from the first peer further includes instructions for supplanting software operating the resource from the first peer.

33. A peer-to-peer network, comprising:

means for establishing communication between a first peer and a second peer in the peer-to-peer network;

means for defining parameters for accessing a resource of the first peer, the first peer providing a proxy for managing access to the resource; and

means for enabling access to the resource from the second peer through the proxy, the proxy defining a proxy interface to enable the second peer to interact with the resource.

34. The peer-to-peer network of claim 33, wherein means for providing the proxy for managing access to the resource further includes means for providing a bi-directional communication link.

35. The peer-to-peer network of claim 34, wherein means for providing the bi-directional communication link further includes means for establishing the proxy interface on the first peer to access the resource.

36. The peer-to-peer network of claim 35, wherein means for establishing the proxy interface further includes means for providing command and control data via the proxy interface to manipulate the resource.

37. The peer-to-peer network of claim 36, wherein means for providing command and control data further includes means for controlling the resource from the first peer.

38. The peer-to-peer network of claim 39, wherein means for controlling the resource from the first peer further includes means for operating the resource locally.