Abstract:
A method, system and apparatus for predicting a download time for a file using historical data are provided. A cross-reference table is used to archive an average time taken to download at least one file from a first computer system (e.g., a server) to a second computer system (e.g., a client). Whenever a file is to be downloaded from the first computer to the second sometime in the ufture, the size of the file is divided by the time stored in the table to predict how long it will take for the entire file to be downloaded.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Technical Field:  
           [0002]    The present invention is directed to a communications network. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an apparatus and method of improving predictions of time needed to download a file based on previous interactions between a server and a client.  
           [0003]    2. Description of Related Art:  
           [0004]    The Internet is used for a variety of reasons. For example, a user may use the Internet to do research on a topic or to copy files from a computer system (e.g., a server) onto the user&#39;s own computer system (e.g., a client). The act of copying files from a server to a client is often referred to as downloading the files.  
           [0005]    Ordinarily, when a file is being downloaded, an estimation of the time required to download the entire file is usually provided to the user. The estimation is usually provided in a form of a displayed status window. The status window, most of the times, contains a growing bar which the user may use to quickly judge how far along the transaction has progressed. Additionally, a countdown clock is displayed in the status window so the user can determine numerically the time remaining before the file download is completed.  
           [0006]    Often times, when the file download is first initiated, a preliminary estimation is provided to the user. However, after the server and the client finally figure out the true data transmission rate, the estimation is generally readjusted. Obviously, the readjustment of the preliminary estimation takes sometime to occur and at times may be rather drastic. For example, it is not uncommon for the completion of a file download to be preliminarily estimated to be ten (10) minutes and then later readjusted to be thirty (30) minutes.  
           [0007]    Some users sometimes may not have initiated the file download had they known the true amount of time it would take for the file download to be completed. Furthermore, when the true download time is known, these users may cancel the file download. Thus, the time spent between the initiation of the file download and its cancellation is time squandered that might have been better used for another task.  
           [0008]    What is needed, therefore, is a better predictor of time required to download a file.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The present invention provides a method, system and apparatus for predicting a download time for a file using historical data. A cross-reference table is used to archive an average time taken to download at least one file from a first computer system (e.g., a server) to a second computer system (e.g., a client). Whenever a file is to be downloaded from the first computer to the second sometime in the future, the size of the file is divided by the time stored in the table to predict how long it will take for the entire file to be downloaded.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating a distributed data processing system according to the present invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a server apparatus according to the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram of a client apparatus according to the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a first representative cross-referencing table used by the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a second representative cross-referencing table used by the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process used by the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]    With reference now to the figures, FIG. 1 depicts a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which the present invention may be implemented. Network data processing system  100  is a network of computers in which the present invention may be implemented. Network data processing system  100  contains a network  102 , which is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within network data processing system  100 . Network  102  may include connections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables.  
         [0018]    In the depicted example, server  104  is connected to network  102  along with storage unit  106 . In addition, clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  are connected to network  102 . These clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  may be, for example, personal computers or network computers. In the depicted example, server  104  provides data, such as boot files, operating system images, and applications to clients  108 ,  110  and  112 . Clients  108 ,  110  and  112  are clients to server  104 . Network data processing system  100  may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown. In the depicted example, network data processing system  100  is the Internet with network  102  representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial, government, educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. Of course, network data processing system  100  also may be implemented as a number of different types of networks, such as for example, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). FIG. 1 is intended as an example, and not as an architectural limitation for the present invention.  
         [0019]    Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a data processing system that may be implemented as a server, such as server  104  in FIG. 1, is depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Data processing system  200  may be a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality of processors  202  and  204  connected to system bus  206 . Alternatively, a single processor system may be employed. Also connected to system bus  206  is memory controller/cache  208 , which provides an interface to local memory  209 . I/O bus bridge  210  is connected to system bus  206  and provides an interface to I/O bus  212 . Memory controller/cache  208  and I/O bus bridge  210  may be integrated as depicted.  
         [0020]    Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge  214  connected to I/O bus  212  provides an interface to PCI local bus  216 . A number of modems may be connected to PCI local bus  216 . Typical PCI bus implementations will support four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. Communications links to network computers  108 ,  110  and  112  in FIG. 1 may be provided through modem  218  and network adapter  220  connected to PCI local bus  216  through add-in boards. Additional PCI bus bridges  222  and  224  provide interfaces for additional PCI local buses  226  and  228 , from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported. In this manner, data processing system  200  allows connections to multiple network computers. A memory-mapped graphics adapter  230  and hard disk  232  may also be connected to I/O bus  212  as depicted, either directly or indirectly.  
         [0021]    Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in FIG. 2 may vary. For example, other peripheral devices, such as optical disk drives and the like, also may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted. The depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention.  
         [0022]    The data processing system depicted in FIG. 2 may be, for example, an IBM e-Server pseries system, a product of International Business Machines Corporation in Armonk, New York, running the Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX) operating system or LINUX operating system.  
         [0023]    With reference now to FIG. 3, a block diagram illustrating a data processing system is depicted in which the present invention may be implemented. Data processing system  300  is an example of a client computer. Data processing system  300  employs a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus architecture. Although the depicted example employs a PCI bus, other bus architectures such as Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) and Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) may be used. Processor  302  and main memory  304  are connected to PCI local bus  306  through PCI bridge  308 . PCI bridge  308  also may include an integrated memory controller and cache memory for processor  302 . Additional connections to PCI local bus  306  may be made through direct component interconnection or through add-in boards. In the depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter  310 , SCSI host bus adapter  312 , and expansion bus interface  314  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by direct component connection. In contrast, audio adapter  316 , graphics adapter  318 , and audio/video adapter  319  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by add-in boards inserted into expansion slots. Expansion bus interface  314  provides a connection for a keyboard and mouse adapter  320 , modem  322 , and additional memory  324 . Small computer system interface (SCSI) host bus adapter  312  provides a connection for hard disk drive  326 , tape drive  328 , and CD-ROM drive  330 . Typical PCI local bus implementations will support three or four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors.  
         [0024]    An operating system runs on processor  302  and is used to coordinate and provide control of various components within data processing system  300  in FIG. 3. The operating system may be a commercially available operating system, such as Windows 2000, which is available from Microsoft Corporation. An object oriented programming system such as Java may run in conjunction with the operating system and provide calls to the operating system from Java programs or applications executing on data processing system  300 . “Java” is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Instructions for the operating system, the object-oriented operating system, and applications or programs are located on storage devices, such as hard disk drive  326 , and may be loaded into main memory  304  for execution by processor  302 .  
         [0025]    Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware in FIG. 3 may vary depending on the implementation. Other internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash ROM (or equivalent nonvolatile memory) or optical disk drives and the like, may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in FIG. 3. Also, the processes of the present invention may be applied to a multiprocessor data processing system.  
         [0026]    As another example, data processing system  300  may be a stand-alone system configured to be bootable without relying on some type of network communication interface, whether or not data processing system  300  comprises some type of network communication interface. As a further example, data processing system  300  may be a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, which is configured with ROM and/or flash ROM in order to provide non-volatile memory for storing operating system files and/or user-generated data.  
         [0027]    The depicted example in FIG. 3 and above-described examples are not meant to imply architectural limitations. For example, data processing system  300  may also be a notebook computer or hand held computer in addition to taking the form of a PDA. Data processing system  300  also may be a kiosk or a Web appliance.  
         [0028]    The present invention provides an apparatus and method of improving predictions of file download time. The invention may be local to client systems  108 ,  110  and  112  of FIG. 1 or to the server  104  or to both the server  104  and clients  108 ,  110  and  112 . Consequently, the present invention may reside on any data storage medium (i.e., floppy disk, compact disk, hard disk, ROM, RAM, etc.) used by a computer system.  
         [0029]    Historically, it has always been difficult to predict the speed at which a file will be downloaded from a server to a client. The speed of a file download depends not only on the speed at which the server can process the file out and the speed at which the client can process the file in, it also depends on the speed at which the network (whether Internet, LAN, WAN, etc.) can convey the file to the client. The present invention relies on historical data analyses to predict the speed at which a file may be downloaded from a particular server to the client. To do so, the invention uses a cross-referencing table, preferably residing on the client, to archive the speed at which files were previously downloaded from a particular server to the client. In so doing, the invention takes into account the speed at which files were processed out by the server, processed in by the client and conveyed to the client by the network.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 4 displays the cross-referencing table. Server 1  is logged as having transmitted a file to the client at an average rate of 24 kbits/sec. Server 2  is entered as having transmitted a file at an average rate of 90 kbits/sec and server 3  at 124 kbits/sec. When files are downloaded, often times, the transmission rate during the file download varies. Thus, the average speed mentioned above is the average speed over the entire transmission.  
         [0031]    If the client has downloaded files, say, from server 1  more than once, the invention may be implemented to archive the average of the average speed of all the file transmissions from server 1 . Alternatively, the invention may be implemented to archive the last few file transmissions from the server to better predict future download times from the server. For example, suppose initially the client used to download files from server 1  at an average rate of 90 kbits/sec., then somehow in the recent past, the speed has slowed down to 24 kbits/sec. (this could be due to any number of reasons). If the average of the average speed of all file downloads from server 1  is taken into account, the speed will be skewed upward (i.e., predicted download time may be much less than actual download time). If instead, the last few downloads are archived and analyzed each time a client is to download a file from the server, the client may come up with a more realistic prediction.  
         [0032]    In any case, the present invention may be implemented such that particular programmed keystrokes or a key from the mouse can activate the invention. Suppose for example, the right mouse key has been programmed to activate the invention. Then, before downloading a file if the user right clicks on the file to download, the table will be consulted to determine whether files have been downloaded from that server or web site before (i.e., the client will determine whether there is an entry or entries for that server in the table). If so, the size of the file (which is usually provided) will be divided by the average speed archived to arrive at a predicted download time. The predicted time will then be displayed to the user. At this point, if the user wants to download the file the user may initiate the download.  
         [0033]    In the case where no files have ever been downloaded from a particular server by the client before, no historical data will be available. If a user then right clicks on the mouse, “no available data” may be displayed.  
         [0034]    When a user actually initiates a file download, progress status bar and countdown clock will be displayed as usual. After the download is completed, the average speed of the download (i.e., time from start to finish of the download) will be stored in the table for future reference.  
         [0035]    The invention has been described as residing on the client. However, it may reside on the server as well. That is, the server may keep a cross-referencing table in which client systems are cross-referenced with download times. FIG. 5 depicts such table.  
         [0036]    In this case, next to each downloadable file, there may be an icon that a user may assert to get the predicted download time. If the user asserts the icon, the server will consult the reference table to determine whether the client system has downloaded files from the server before. If so, the server will divide the size of the file by the archived transmission rate and displays the estimated download time. As mentioned above, if a client has never downloaded files from the server before “no data available” may be displayed.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process used by the invention. The process starts as soon as a Web browser is activated (step  600 ). A check is continuously being made as to whether a user wants a predicted file download time. This may be when the user right clicks on a mouse while the mouse is on a downloadable file (in the case where the invention resides on a client and the right mouse button is programmed to provide predicted file download time) or when the user asserts the predicted time icon next to the downloadable file (in the case where the invention resides on a server). Note that the invention may reside on both a client and a server when a file is to be downloaded.  
         [0038]    If a predicted time is requested, then a check is made as to whether there have been files downloaded from the server to the client. If not, a “no data available” may be displayed (steps  605 ,  610  and  615 ). If a file or files have been downloaded before, a predicted download time based on the size of the file to be downloaded and the archived time of previous downloads will be calculated. When done, the predicted download time will be displayed (steps  605 ,  610  and  620 ).  
         [0039]    The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.