Patent ID: 7401132
Filing Date: 2008-07-15
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for creating from a network of existing nodes, a peer-to-peer overlay network having no centralized server, said method comprising: discovering a plurality of node characteristics for each node of a subset of said existing nodes; scaling each of said discovered plurality of node characteristics to a value which is within a predetermined range of values; generating a plurality of weighted values for each of said subset of existing nodes by applying a separate weighting function to each of said scaled values; generating a node rank value for each of said subset of existing nodes by summing said plurality of weighted values; determining which of said subset of said existing nodes are eligible nodes, wherein each of said eligible nodes have a node rank value that is greater than a dynamically programmable minimum node rank value; determining a maximum number of nodes of said eligible nodes to establish a connection by generating a random number between zero and a dynamically programmable maximum number; determining to which nodes of said eligible nodes to establish a connection by randomly selecting said maximum number of nodes from said eligible nodes; and establishing a connection to said selected nodes.