Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer protocol implementing – Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-17
2001-07-03
Etienne, Ario (Department: 2155)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer protocol implementing
Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating
C709S231000, C709S200000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06256673
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FILED
The present invention relates to a multicast of computer files from one central data server to one or more remote client machines (workstations) over a computer network and, more particularly, relates to cyclic multicasting of such computer files from one central data server conveniently and concurrently to one or more remote client machines (workstations) on a computer network in which any number of remote client machines can download the computer files at any time without the need to synchronize with the central data server's transmission over a computer network.
RELATED ART
Large computer files (e.g., containing programs and/or data) sometimes have to be transmitted over a computer network from a central data processing system such as a central server to a plurality of client computers. For purposes of this disclosure, an image file is defined as a copy (i.e., exact image) of a large computer file (e.g., a software application program, huge data file, etc), whereas a disk image is a copy of the entire contents of a storage device such as a floppy or hard disk, or one or more partitions of a floppy disk or a hard disk of a server or computer. The term disk image will be used in the discussions to follow, but it should be understood that such discussions apply equally as well to a generic image file. As the cost of high-capacity storage has decreased, disk images have been increasingly utilized as a means to distribute system updates over a computer network, e.g., so as to coincide a plurality of client computers on a computer network. Disk images ensure that distributed client computers are loaded with the same material.
One technique to replicate a disk image from a central or source data provider (server) to a single destination over a computer network is unicasting (discussed in greater detail ahead). A disk image is transferred from the central data provider to a single client machine at a time. If a disk image need to be transferred to multiple client machines, then replication of a disk image onto many client machines can be time consuming and bandwidth extensive. Another technique to replicate a disk image from a central data provider to multiple client machines over a computer network, while easing bandwidth and time delay problems, is broadcasting (discussed in greater detail ahead). Broadcasting involves indiscriminate delivery of information from a central data provider to all destinations over a computer network. Every client machine on a computer network can receive and process the information which has been broadcasted, despite the fact that only a small number of machines are likely to be interested in the information. Therefore, broadcasting is generally a poor solution for replicating disk images to multiple machines over a computer network.
A recent solution to replicating a disk image to multiple client machines over a computer network, while concomitantly keeping the network transmission to a minimum is multicasting (discussed in greater detail ahead). Multicasting allows only selected multiple client machines to receive the same information over a computer network simultaneously through the use of a single transmission of the information. The key difference between broadcast and multicast is that broadcast is indiscriminate about which client machines shall receive the disk image, whereas multicast attempts to deliver the disk image only to client machines that have expressed interested in receiving, or which are authorized to receive, the disk image. However, multicasting deployment requires extensive scheduling and coordinations between the central data provider and the participating client machines. In addition, there can be significant time delays between requests for a multicast session and the time a multicast session occurs. Moreover, once a multicast session is deployed, no other client machine can sign on that multicast session.
Therefore, there remains a need for replicating a large volume of data to multiple client machines over a computer network, while keeping the network transmission, distribution coordination and bandwidth to a minimum.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system for providing a cyclic multicasting of an image file from a central data provider to one or more client machines over a computer network through the use of different, consecutive cycles during a cyclic multicast session with each cycle including transmission of at least a portion of the image file.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5459725 (1995-10-01), Bodner et al.
patent: 5664091 (1997-09-01), Keen
patent: 5949789 (1999-09-01), Davis et al.
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Etienne Ario
Intel Corp.
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