# US 9,819,742 B1 · Bandwidth aware state transfer among satellite devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,819,742 B1 - Document ID: US9819742B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/653,881 - Filed: 2017-07-19 - Granted: 2017-11-14 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-19 - Assignees: Vector Launch Inc. - Applicants: Vector Launch Inc. - Inventors: Shaun Coleman; Darren D. Garber - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9819742B1 ## CPC - H04L 67/14: Session management (for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066) - G06F 11/203: {using migration} - G06F 11/2041: {with more than one idle spare processing component} - G06F 11/2048: {where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage} - G06F 11/2097: {maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated (initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups)} - H04B 7/18504: {Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform} - H04B 7/18515: {Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays} - H04B 7/18521: {Systems of inter linked satellites, i.e. inter satellite service (for optical links between satellites H04B10/118)} - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - H04L 67/1095: Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes - H04L 67/1097: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] - H04L 69/40: for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection (management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06) - G06F 9/45533: {Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors} - G06F 2201/81: Threshold - G06F 2201/815: Virtual - H04L 67/63: Routing a service request depending on the request content or context - H04W 84/06: Airborne or Satellite Networks (space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Systems, methods, and software described herein provide enhancements for orbital satellite platforms. In one example, an orbital satellite platform includes a plurality of satellite devices each comprising a virtualized execution system configured to execute one or more software payloads as associated virtual nodes. An active satellite device is provided among the plurality of satellite devices and is configured to execute at least an active virtual node, determine state information related to the execution of the active virtual node, and periodically update the state information in a storage satellite device. The storage satellite device is configured to select a level of statefulness for delivery of the state information to a peer satellite device designated as an operational backup for the active satellite device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An orbital satellite platform, comprising: a plurality of satellite devices each comprising a virtualized execution system configured to execute one or more software payloads as associated virtual nodes; an active satellite device among the plurality of satellite devices configured to execute at least an active virtual node, determine state information related to the execution of the active virtual node, and periodically update the state information in a storage satellite device; and the storage satellite device configured to select a level of statefulness for delivery of the state information to a peer satellite device designated as an operational backup for the active satellite device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The orbital satellite platform of claim 1, comprising: the storage satellite device configured to select the level of statefulness based at least on a communication link quality between the storage satellite device and the peer satellite device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The orbital satellite platform of claim 1, comprising: based at least in part on the communication link quality falling below a predetermined threshold, the storage satellite device configured to transfer file-level state information for delivery to the peer satellite device; and based at least in part on the communication link quality exceeding the predetermined threshold, the storage satellite device configured to transfer block-level state information for delivery to the peer satellite device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The orbital satellite platform of claim 1, comprising: responsive to failure of the active satellite device, the peer satellite device configured to resume activity of the active satellite device based at least in part on the state information received from the storage satellite device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The orbital satellite platform of claim 4, comprising: the peer satellite device configured to resume the activity of the active satellite device by at least performing a differential update of a virtual machine image resident on the peer satellite device using the state information. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The orbital satellite platform of claim 1, wherein the peer satellite device is selected for designation as the operational backup for the active satellite device according to provisioning attributes presently available to support execution of the active virtual node. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The orbital satellite platform of claim 6, wherein the provisioning attributes comprise version levels of one or more virtual machine images resident on the peer satellite device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The orbital satellite platform of claim 6, comprising: responsive to one or more of the satellite devices lacking the provisioning attributes to support execution of the active virtual node, at least one among the active satellite device and the storage satellite device configured to update a software portion of the one or more of the satellite devices to include the provisioning attributes to support execution of the active virtual node. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The orbital satellite platform of claim 1, comprising: the storage satellite device comprising a data storage system configured to store the state information received from one or more satellite devices, and execute a storage platform as one or more virtual nodes to exchange the state information with the one or more satellite devices. ### Claim 10 A method of operating an orbital satellite platform, the method comprising: in an active satellite device among a plurality of satellite devices, executing at least an active virtual node, determining state information related to the execution of the active virtual node, and periodically updating the state information in a storage satellite device; and selecting a level of statefulness for delivery of the state information from the storage satellite device to a peer satellite device designated as an operational backup for the active satellite device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: selecting the level of statefulness based at least on a communication link quality between the storage satellite device and the peer satellite device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: based at least in part on the communication link quality falling below a predetermined threshold, transferring file-level state information for delivery to the peer satellite device; and based at least in part on the communication link quality exceeding the predetermined threshold, transferring block-level state information for delivery to the peer satellite device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: in the peer satellite device, resuming activity of the active satellite device responsive to failure of the active satellite device based at least in part on the state information received from the storage satellite device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: in the peer satellite device, resuming the activity of the active satellite device by at least performing a differential update of a virtual machine image resident on the peer satellite device using the state information. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the peer satellite device is selected for designation as the operational backup for the active satellite device according to provisioning attributes presently available to support execution of the active virtual node. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the provisioning attributes comprise version levels of one or more virtual machine images resident on the peer satellite device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: responsive to one or more of the satellite devices lacking the provisioning attributes to support execution of the active virtual node, updating a software portion of the one or more of the satellite devices to include the provisioning attributes to support execution of the active virtual node. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: in the storage satellite device, storing the state information received from one or more satellite devices, and executing a storage platform as one or more virtual nodes to exchange the state information with the one or more satellite devices. ### Claim 19 A satellite device, comprising: a communication system configured to receive state information from at least an active satellite device that periodically updates the state information related to execution of one or more virtual nodes by an associated virtualized execution system of the active satellite device; a storage system configured to store the state information; and a storage platform executed as one or more virtual nodes on a virtualized execution system of the satellite device and configured to select a level of statefulness for delivery of the state information to a peer satellite device designated as an operational backup for the active satellite device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The satellite device of claim 19, comprising: the storage platform configured to select the level of statefulness based at least on a communication link quality between the satellite device and the peer satellite device; based at least in part on the communication link quality falling below a predetermined threshold, the storage platform configured to transfer file-level state information for delivery to the peer satellite device; and based at least in part on the communication link quality exceeding the predetermined threshold, the storage platform configured to transfer block-level state information for delivery to the peer satellite device.