Scalable merge technique for information retrieval across a distributed network

A method for retrieving information in a distributed network environment comprising:

• distributing a query request and merge function code across the distributed network environment from a root node to multiple clients:
• generating a merged response within said distributed network environment, said generating comprising producing said merged response in an application specific manner dependent on said merge function code distributed with said query request;
• and
• receiving back at the root node, from across the distributed network environment, said merged response produced from responses of at least some clients of said multiple clients;
• further comprising generating said merged response within said distributed network environment at other than said at least some clients responding to said query request.

A method for retrieving information in a distributed network environment comprising:

• distributing a query request and merge function code across the distributed network environment from a root node to multiple clients;
• generating a merged response within said distributed network environment, said generating comprising producing said merged response in an application specific manner dependent on said merge function code distributed with said query request;
• and
• receiving back at the root node, from across the distributed network environment, said merged response produced from responses of at least some clients of said multiple clients;
• and
• wherein said distributed network environment comprises a plurality of nodes, and wherein said method comprises implementing at multiple nodes of said plurality of nodes merging of responses to said query request in accordance with the application specific merge function code accompanying the query request.

A system for retrieving information in a distributed network environment comprising:

• means for distributing a query request and merge function code across the distributed network environment from a root node to multiple clients of the network environment;
• means for generating a merged response within said distributed network environment, said means for generating comprising means for producing said merged response in an application specific manner dependent on said merge function code distributed with said query request;
• and
• means for receiving back at the root node, from across the distributed network environment, said merged response produced from responses of at least some clients of said multiple clients;
• wherein said distributed network environment comprises a plurality of nodes, and wherein said system comprises:
• means for gathering responses from at least one client or child node of said given node of said distributed network environment;
• and
• means for merging gathered responses at said given node using the merge function code for forwarding of the merged response to a parent node of said given node.

A system for retrieving information in a distributed network environment comprising:

• means for distributing a query request and merge function code across the distributed network environment from a root node to multiple clients of the network environment;
• means for generating a merged response within said distributed network environment, said means for generating comprising means for producing said merged response in an application specific manner dependent on said merge function code distributed with said query request;
• and
• means for receiving back at the root node, from across the distributed network environment, said merged response produced from responses of at least some clients of said multiple clients;
• further comprising means for generating said merged response within said distributed network environment at other than said at least some clients responding to said query request.

A system for retrieving information in a distributed network environment comprising:

• means for distributing a query request and merge function code across the distributed network environment from a root node to multiple clients of the network environment;
• means for generating a merged response within said distributed network environment, said means for generating comprising means for producing said merged response in an application specific manner dependent on said merge function code distributed with said query request;
• and
• means for receiving back at the root node, from across the distributed network environment, said merged response produced from responses of at least some clients of said multiple clients;
• wherein said distributed network environment comprises a plurality of nodes, and wherein said system comprises means for implementing at multiple nodes of said plurality of nodes merging of responses to said query request.

An article of manufacture comprising:

• a computer program product comprising computer usable medium having computer readable program code means therein for use in retrieving information in a distributed network environment, said computer readable program means in said computer program product comprising;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect distributing a query request having a merge function code across the distributed network environment from a root node to multiple clients;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect generating a merged response within said distributed network environment, said generating comprising producing said merged response in an application specific manner dependent on said merge function code distributed with said query request;
• and
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect receiving back at the root node, from across the distributed network environment, said merged response produced from responses of at least some clients of said multiple clients;
• wherein:
• the distributed network environment comprises a plurality of nodes, and said computer readable program means in said computer program product comprises at a given node of said plurality of nodes;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect gathering responses, from at least one client or child node of said given node;
• and
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect merging gathered responses at said given node using the merge function code for forwarding of the merged response to a parent node of said given node.