Managed peer-to-peer applications, systems and methods for distributed data access and storage

• US 20050149481A1
• Filed: 11/13/2004
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Rizal, Dharmarus, Hesselink, Lambertus, Bjornson, Eric S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,917,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

Applications, systems and methods for efficiently accessing and controlling data of devices among multiple computers over a network. Peer-to-peer exchanges of data between private computers is made possible while providing seamless, firewall-compliant connectivity. Such functionality is available even among private users over a public network, and even when multiple firewalls must be passed through. A firewall compliant connection may be established between a local computer and at least one remote computer; at least one file on a storage device associated with one of the computers is selected, and securely sent to at least one other computer over the secure connections. Computers may be connected over a wide area network with or without a connection server, with or without a VPN.

Claims

1. A peer-to-peer method of exchanging data between private computers through a public network while providing seamless, firewall-compliant connectivity, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a firewall compliant connection between a local computer and at least one remote computer over the public network;

selecting at least one file on a storage device associated with one of said computers; and

securely sending at least a portion of the at least one file to at least a second of the other computers connected over the public network to enable the file to be executed at the location of the at least one other computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one firewall is provided through which at least one of said computers is protected, respectively.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the local computer is protected by a local firewall element, and at least one of said remote computers is protected by a remote firewall element, each said firewall element adapted to protect each said computer from hostile intrusion from the public network, respectively.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least two of said firewall elements use different criteria for restriction of communications traffic therethrough.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said establishing a firewall compliant connection further comprises:

centrally authenticating, at a location having a public address, the computer having a first, firewall protected private address;

creating a first firewall compliant connection between a publicly addressed connection server and said local computer upon authentication of said local computer;

establishing at least a second firewall compliant connection between said publicly addressed connection server and at least one of said remote computers having at least a second firewall protected private address; and

establishing at least one private-to-public-to-private communications tunnel, wherein said connection server routes communications from said local computer through said first firewall compliant connection and said at least a second firewall compliant connection to at least said second computer, and from at least said second computer through said second firewall compliant connection to at least said local computer through said first firewall compliant connection to said local computer

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said peer-to-peer method is point-to-multipoint, and said at least one file is sent from said local computer to a plurality of said remote computers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one file is sent from said local computer to at least one remote computer to backup said at least one file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one remote computers is a wireless device, said method further comprising the steps of downloading the file sent from the local computer;

and printing the downloaded file.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless device is configured to wirelessly send print commands to a printer to print the downloaded file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one file is selected from the group consisting of:

audio files, video files, audio-video files, and data files.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending the at least one file comprises sending a Delta or Inverse Delta file used to construct the at least one file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said Delta or Inverse Delta file is spatially compressed.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending the at least one file comprises sending a spatially compressed file.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending comprises strategically sending portions of at least one of the at least one file in an order that allows the at least one file to begin to be executed prior to complete transmission of the at least one file.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said connections between said local computer and said at least one remote computer are persistent network connections, such that if a connection is broken, the connection is automatically reconnected to resume functioning without any requirement for reconfiguration required to resume normal functioning.

11. A peer-to-peer method of exchanging data between computers over a network while providing seamless, firewall-compliant connectivity, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a firewall compliant connection between a first computer and at least one other computer over the network wherein at least one of said local computer and said at least one other computer connects with the network through a firewall element;

selecting at least one file on a storage device associated with one of said computers; and

securely sending the at least one file to at least one of said at least one other computer connected over the network to enable the file to be executed at the location of the at least one other computer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least two of said computers connect to the network through firewalls, respectively.

18. A peer-to-peer method of exchanging data between private computers through a public network while providing seamless, firewall-compliant connectivity, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a firewall compliant connection between a local computer and at least one remote computer over the public network;

selecting at least one file on a storage device associated with one of said computers; and

securely sending at least a portion of the at least one file to at least a second of the other computers connected over the public network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein first computer comprises a first digital video storage device having a video file stored therein;

said second computer comprises a digital video device capable of at least storing video files; and

said at least a portion of a file comprises at least a portion of the video file.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said first digital video storage device is located behind a first firewall and said digital video device is located behind a firewall different from said first firewall.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least a portion of the video file is sent to a remote video display.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said sending at least a portion of the video file comprises sending a Delta or Inverse Delta file.

23. A computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for peer-to-peer exchange of data between private computers through a public network while providing seamless, firewall-compliant connectivity, wherein execution of one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

establishing a firewall compliant connection between a local computer and at least one remote computer over the public network;

selecting at least one file on a storage device associated with one of said computers; and

securely sending the at least one file to at least a second of the other computers connected over the public network to enable the file to be executed at the location of the at least one other computer.