US 2010/0150157 A1Published application

Peer to multi-peer routing

AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation

InventorsJim Jianping Wang, Robert A. Lomme, JR., Ransom L. Richardson, Thomas D. Sanfilippo

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Abstract

A collaboration system using peer-to-multi-peer distribution of messages representing changes to a shared workspace. Each peer determines a distribution mechanism for messages to each of the target peers sharing the workspace. The selected distribution mechanism may depend on capabilities of a home relay associated with a peer initiating a message. Further, messages to subsets of the target peers sharing the workspace may be distributed using a session for each subset on which each message is sent only one time. The subset of target peers associated with some of the sessions may be selected so that target peers for which communication attempts have failed are grouped in the same session. In some scenarios, the initiating peer may provide multiple routing paths for target peers in a session and the home relay server may appropriately forward the message to the target peers, using one of the routing paths.

A method of operating a peer device in a computer system employing peer to multi-peer routing, the method comprising operating an initiating peer device to send a message to a plurality of target peer devices, the initiating peer device being connected to an initiating local area network and being associated with an initiating home relay server and the plurality of target devices each being associated with a target home relay server, the method comprising:

obtaining a first target peer list and each target peer's home relay list;
selecting a distribution mechanism for each target peer on the first target peer list, the selecting comprising:
when the first target peer list comprises a single target peer, selecting as the distribution mechanism a communication mechanism comprising single connection communication from the initiating peer to its home relay, wherein when the target peer's home relay is different than the initiating peer's home relay, the distribution mechanism further comprises a communication mechanism from the initiating peer's home relay to the target peer's home relay and a communication mechanism from the target peer's home relay to the single target peer;
and
when the first target peer list comprises a plurality of target peers:
selecting as the distribution mechanism for each of the plurality of target peers that have the same home relay as the initiating peer a distribution mechanism comprising single connection communication from the initiating peer to its home relay and from that home relay to the plurality of target peers;
and
selecting as the distribution mechanism for each remaining target peer on the first target peer list that does not have the same home relay as the sending peer a distribution mechanism comprising single connection communication from the initiating peer to its home relay and from that home relay to the home relay of each of the remaining target peers and from the home relay associated with each of the remaining target peers to each remaining target peer from its associated home relay.

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Facts

Application

12/335,066Filed 15 Dec 2008

Published

17 Jun 2010

Term ends

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Classification5 codes

H04L 67/104
In which an application is distributed across nodes in the network: peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
H04L 67/1001
In which an application is distributed across nodes in the network: for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
H04L 67/1034
For accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers: reaction to server failures by a load balancer
H04L 67/1072
Using node-based peer discovery mechanisms: discovery involving ranked list compilation of candidate peers

Abstract

Claims20