Patent · US Expired

Guaranteed message delivery from a data handling computer to management computer by monitoring the management computer with the data handling computer and other management computer

US5276861A · kind A · utility

59Cited by
4References
1Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 18, 1991
Grant dateJan 4, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 18, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2201/82
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In a distributed computer network having a large number of intercommunicating distributed nodes and a smaller number of control nodes in which each distributed node reports status information to a particular one of the control nodes, a method is provided for guaranteeing that at least one control node receives a status message from a distributed node despite the unavailability of the particular control node to which the distributed node normally sends its status messages. Each distributed node associates a serial number and time stamp and an identification of itself with each message it originates, and each distributed node retains copies of the messages. Should a distributed node be unsuccessful in transmitting to its normal control node it attempts to transmit to other control nodes until it transmits successfully. A control node assigned to assume the functions of an failed control node requests a distributed node formerly associated with the unavailable control node to resend all messages it originated within a period of time sufficiently long that at least all messages sent to the failed control since its failure are resent. Since replicate messages may be sent to a plurality …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.