Distributed, fault-tolerant message store

• US 7,904,592 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2003
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloudian Holdings, Inc. (Cloudian, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cloudian, Inc.
• Inventors: Tso, Michael Man-Hak, Stone, David, Schwartz, Jonan, Norton, Joseph Wayne, Ogasawara, Gary Hayato
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips; Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swearingen; Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US10/686,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20040139148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,699 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers

Abstract

A system and method of managing a network provides for distributed storage and retrieval. In one embodiment, information such as a text message is stored by calculating an actual destination node based on a subscriber identifier and a current addressing function, which corresponds to a current topology of a network. The message is sent to the actual destination node for storage. Messages can be retrieved by calculating a plurality of destination nodes based on a subscriber identifier and a plurality of addressing functions, where each addressing corresponds to a topology of the network at a particular moment in time. In one embodiment, the addressing functions are hash functions.

Claims

1. A method of managing a network, comprising:

receiving a message at an initial storage node, the message including a subscriber identifier;

calculating an actual destination node based on the subscriber identifier and a first addressing function corresponding to a current topology of the network;

sending the message to the actual destination node for storage;

storing the message to an internal queue of the initial storage node;

removing the message from the internal queue if a confirmation of receipt is received from the actual destination node;

sending a message waiting indicator message toward a device associated with the subscriber identifier;

receiving a message retrieval request at an initial retrieval node of the network, the message retrieval request including the subscriber identifier;

calculating a plurality of destination nodes based on the subscriber identifier and a plurality of addressing functions, each addressing function corresponding to a topology of the network at a particular moment in time, the plurality of destination nodes including the actual destination node and the plurality of addressing functions including the first addressing function;

querying the calculated plurality of destination nodes for the message;

receiving the message from the actual destination node; and

forwarding the message toward an originator of the message retrieval request, wherein the addressing functions are hash functions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the originator of the message retrieval request is a wireless handset, the message being at least one of a short messaging service message and a mail digest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the originator of the message retrieval request is a wireless handset, the message being a long messaging service message.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving a plurality of messages from the calculated plurality of destination nodes; and

forwarding the plurality of messages toward the originator of the message retrieval request.

5. The method of claim 1, further including expiring one or more of the plurality of addressing functions based on a message validity period.

6. The method of claim 1, further including expiring one or more of the plurality of addressing functions for an expired destination node based on a local expiration signal from the expired destination node.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

applying a time stamp to each of the plurality of addressing functions; and

delivering each of the plurality of addressing functions to the plurality of destination nodes before activation.

8. A method of managing a network, comprising:

receiving a message at an initial storage node, the message including a subscriber identifier;

calculating an actual destination node based on the subscriber identifier and a first addressing function corresponding to a current topology of the network;

sending the message to the actual destination node for storage;

storing the message to an internal queue of the initial storage node;

removing the message from the internal queue if a confirmation of receipt is received from the actual destination node;

sending a message waiting indicator message toward a device associated with the subscriber identifier;

receiving, by a first node that stores messages, a message retrieval request;

calculating, by the first node using a subscriber identifier and a first addressing function, a second node that stores messages;

calculating, by the first node using the subscriber identifier and a second addressing function, a third node that stores messages; and

forwarding, by the first node, the message retrieval request to the second and third nodes, wherein the first and second addressing functions are hash functions.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second addressing functions correspond to a topology of the network at different moments in time.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second addressing functions are hash functions, and the first and second addressing functions each have a different expiration time.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium to store a set of instructions capable of being executed by a processor to:

receive a message at an initial storage node, the message including a subscriber identifier;

calculate an actual destination node based on the subscriber identifier and a first addressing function corresponding to a current topology of the network;

send the message to the actual destination node for storage;

store the message to an internal queue of the initial storage node;

remove the message from the internal queue if a confirmation of receipt is received from the actual destination node;

send a message waiting indicator message toward a device associated with the subscriber identifier;

receive a message retrieval request at an initial retrieval node of the network, the message retrieval request including the subscriber identifier;

calculate a plurality of destination nodes based on the subscriber identifier and a plurality of addressing functions, each addressing function corresponding to a topology of the network at a particular moment in time, the plurality of destination nodes including the actual destination node and the plurality of addressing functions including the first addressing function;

query the calculated plurality of destination nodes for the message;

receive the message from the actual destination node; and

forward the message toward an originator of the message retrieval request, wherein the addressing functions are hash functions.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the originator of the message retrieval request is a wireless handset, the message being at least one of a short messaging service message and a mail digest.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the originator of the message retrieval request is a wireless handset, the message being a long messaging service message.

14. The medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to:

receive a plurality of messages from the calculated plurality of destination nodes; and

forward the plurality of messages toward the originator of the message retrieval request.

15. The medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to:

expire one or more of the plurality of addressing functions based on a message validity period.

16. The medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to:

expire one or more of the plurality of addressing functions for an expired destination node based on a local expiration signal from the expired destination node.

17. The medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further capable of being executed to:

apply a time stamp to each of the plurality of addressing functions; and

deliver each of the plurality of addressing functions to the plurality of destination nodes before activation.