Efficient Use of Peer Cache Space In Large Scale File Distributions

An apparatus comprising:

• a bus;
• a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;
• at least one managed device connected to the bus;
• a communications unit connected to the bus;
• and
• a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to receive, at a peer computer in the file distribution environment, a download plan for a requested file, wherein the download plan comprises a number of peer servers within the file distribution environment where the file is stored, a minimum number of peer servers in the file distribution environment required to store the file;
• determine, in response to downloading the file from one or more of the peer servers listed in the download plan, whether the file is required to be cached at the peer computer by comparing the minimum number of peer servers in the download plan required to store the file against the number of peer servers listed in the download plan;
• and cache, in response to a determination that the minimum number of peer servers required to store the file in the download plan is greater than the number of peer servers listed in the download plan, the file at the peer computer.

A computer program product for managing file caching in a peer-to-peer file distribution environment, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer usable medium having computer usable program code tangibly embodied thereon, the computer usable program code comprising:
• computer usable program code for receiving, at a peer computer in the file distribution environment, a download plan for a requested file, wherein the download plan comprises a number of peer servers within the file distribution environment where the file is stored, a minimum number of peer servers in the file distribution environment required to store the file;
• computer usable program code for determining, in response to downloading the file from one or more of the peer servers listed in the download plan, whether the file is required to be cached at the peer computer by comparing the minimum number of peer servers in the download plan required to store the file against the number of peer servers listed in the download plan;
• and
• computer usable program code for caching, in response to a determination that the minimum number of peer servers required to store the file in the download plan is greater than the number of peer servers listed in the download plan, the file at the peer computer.