Network distributed tracking wire transfer protocol

• US 7,814,170 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kove IO, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Econnectix LLC
• Inventors: Bailey, Stephen W., Overton, John K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue; Larry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gillis; Brian J
• Application Number:
  US11/354,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20070011267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,702 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/223, 709/238, 709/219, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories

Abstract

A network distributed tracking wire transfer protocol for storing and retrieving data across a distributed data collection. The protocol includes a location string for specifying the network location of data associated with an entity in the distributed data collection, and an identification string for specifying the identity of an entity in the distributed data collection. According to the protocol, the length of the location string and the length of the identification string are variable, and an association between an identification string and a location string can be spontaneously and dynamically changed. The network distributed tracking wire transfer protocol is application independent, organizationally independent, and geographically independent. A method for using the protocol in a distributed data collection environment and a system for implementing the protocol are also provided.

Claims

1. A system for managing data stored in a distributed network, the system comprising:

a data repository configured to store a data entity, wherein an identifier string identifies the data entity; and

a data location server network comprising a plurality of data location servers, wherein data location information for a plurality of data entities is stored in the data location server network, at least one of the plurality of data location servers includes location information associated with the identifier string, each one of the plurality of data location servers comprises a processor and a portion of the data location information, the portion of the data location information included in a corresponding one of the data location servers is based on a hash function used to organize the data location information across the plurality of data location servers, and each one of the data location servers is configured to determine the at least one of the plurality of data location servers based on the hash function applied to the identifier string.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises any portion of a hash table generated with the hash function.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data repository comprises a plurality of data repository servers and wherein each of the plurality of data location servers is configured, in response to a request to store data in the data repository, to execute the hash function and store the data on one of the plurality of data repository servers based on a result of the hash function.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each one of the data location servers is configured to return all location information associated with a respective one of the data entities in response to a request for any location information associated with the respective one of the data entities.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the location information includes a hash table and the hash table includes an association between a hash of the string identifier and at least one identifier of the at least one of the plurality of data location servers.

6. A system for managing data location information and providing the data location information in response to location queries, the system comprising:

a location server configured to receive a location addition request, the location addition request formatted in conformance with a transfer protocol, the location addition request comprising an identifier and at least one location to associate with the identifier, wherein the identifier identifies an entity and wherein each of the at least one location specifies a location of data in a network pertaining to the entity;

wherein the location server includes a processor; and

programming logic stored on the location server, wherein the programming logic is configured to return, in response to a location query related to a desired entity, a location message, the location message in conformance with the transfer protocol and comprising at least one location associated with the desired entity, wherein the programming logic is further configured to return the location message if the location server contains location information for the desired entity, and wherein the programming logic is further configured to return a redirect message if the location server lacks the location information for the desired entity, the redirect message comprising a list of at least one other location server known to have the location information for the desired entity.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the list of at least one other location server comprises a list of a plurality of location servers in the network and a corresponding list of a plurality of entities having location information on the respective one of the plurality of location servers.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein each of a plurality of location servers in the network stores only a portion of the data location information.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the location information in the location server is maintained in an indexed location store.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the indexed location store comprises a string store indexed by a hash table.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the indexed location store comprises a string store indexed by a hash table distributed across a plurality of clients.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the indexed location store comprises a string store indexed by a hash table distributed across a plurality of servers.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the location query identifying the desired entity comprises a unique identifier for the desired entity, and wherein the programming logic stored on the location server further comprises programming logic configured to apply an index function to the unique identifier to retrieve at least a portion of the locations associated with the unique identifier in the indexed location store.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the indexed location store comprises a string store and the index function comprises a hash function.

15. A method of handling location queries in a network, the network comprising a plurality of location servers including data location information, the method comprising:

correlating each one of a plurality of identifiers with at least one of a plurality of locations in the network, each one of the plurality of identifiers identifying a respective one of a plurality of data entities, wherein the data entities are stored in corresponding locations in the network;

receiving a location query from a client at one of the plurality of location servers, the location query requesting location information identifying a location of a data entity included in the data entities;

determining which of the plurality of location servers includes the location information;

sending a location response message to the client in response to determining the one of the plurality of location servers includes the location information, the location response message comprising the location information; and

sending a redirect message to the client in response to determining the one of the plurality of location servers fails to include the location information, the redirect message identifying which of the plurality of location servers includes the location information.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising applying an identifier of the data entity to an indexing function to determine which of the location servers includes the location information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each one of the plurality of location servers comprises a portion of an indexed table of the identifiers and corresponding associated locations, and wherein determining which of the plurality of location servers includes the location information comprises applying one of the identifiers to a hash function to look up corresponding associated locations in the indexed table, the one of the identifiers identifying the data entity.