Patent ID: 7174382

Claim:
A method for reconfiguring a node in a peer-to-peer network, comprising: maintaining a list of addressable nodes on the peer-to-peer network and identifying which are currently considered immediate peers and which are considered indirect peers; generating a query message to each of the immediate peers for subsequent preparation of a reply message or for forwarding to one or more other peers for a reply; receiving at least a first unique reply to said query message; maintaining statistical information on unique replies originating both from said immediate peers and from said indirect peers; calculating a first metric for at least three peers in the peer-to-peer network, including directly connected first and second immediate peers and an indirect third peer that is not directly connected to the node being reconfigured, calculating a second metric for at least the first and second immediate peers, and dropping the direct connection to said second peer and establishing a direct connection to said third peer if the calculated first metric for the third peer is greater than a corresponding first metric for at least one of the first and second immediate peers and the calculated second metric value for the second peer is less than a corresponding second metric value for other immediate peers.