Nicholas D Harvey

US Patent:

7613796, Nov 3, 2009

Filed:

Feb 3, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/356961

Inventors:

Nicholas J. Harvey - Redmond WA, US
Michael B. Jones - Redmond WA, US
Stefan Saroiu - Seattle WA, US
Marvin M. Theimer - Bellevue WA, US
Alastair Wolman - Seattle WA, US
Atul Adya - Bellevue WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/177

US Classification:

709220, 709221, 709222

Abstract:

A system and method for using skip nets to build and maintain overlay networks for peer-to-peer systems. A skip net is a distributed data structure that can be used to avoid some of the disadvantages of distributed hash tables by organizing data by key ordering. Skip nets can use logarithmic state per node and probabilistically support searches, insertions and deletions in logarithmic time.

US Patent:

8145699, Mar 27, 2012

Filed:

May 30, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/448903

Inventors:

Jeffrey B. Parham - Redmond WA, US
Levon A. Esibov - Sammamish WA, US
Nicholas J. Harvey - Redmond WA, US
William B. Lees - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

709202, 709203, 709217, 709238

Abstract:

A system and method for identifying network endpoints that provide a service of interest orders endpoints according to their network proximity to a requesting client. The requesting client may then contact the closest available providing endpoint, thus increasing the efficiency of usage of network resources while decreasing latency and enhancing reliability. In an embodiment of the invention, when a connection to the nearest providing endpoint cannot be established, a mechanism for locating a next-closest alternative endpoint is provided.

US Patent:

8250220, Aug 21, 2012

Filed:

Jan 25, 2012

Appl. No.:

13/358233

Inventors:

Jeffrey B. Parham - Redmond WA, US
Levon A. Esibov - Sammamish WA, US
Nicholas J. Harvey - Redmond WA, US
William B. Lees - Redmond WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

709227, 709202, 709203, 709217, 709238

Abstract:

A system and method for identifying network endpoints that provide a service of interest orders endpoints according to their network proximity to a requesting client. The requesting client may then contact the closest available providing endpoint, thus increasing the efficiency of usage of network resources while decreasing latency and enhancing reliability. In an embodiment of the invention, when a connection to the nearest providing endpoint cannot be established, a mechanism for locating a next-closest alternative endpoint is provided.

US Patent:

20020120770, Aug 29, 2002

Filed:

Feb 28, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/795202

Inventors:

Jeffrey Parham - Redmond CA, US
Mark Brown - Seattle WA, US
William Lees - Redmond WA, US
Van Vu - Bellevue WA, US
Laszlo Lovasz - Sammamish WA, US
Nicholas Harvey - Redmond WA, US
Katalin Vesztergombi - Sammamish WA, US

International Classification:

G06F015/173

US Classification:

709/238000, 709/243000

Abstract:

A method for designating communication paths in a computer network is provided, in which communication paths are designated for the transmission of data throughout a network. The network may have both recipient computers, which are the intended recipients of the data, and intermediary computers, which are not the intended recipients, but merely relay the data. Each intermediary computer is grouped with the “closest” recipient computer (i.e. the recipient computer with whom it is “least expensive” to communicate). Communication paths between the resulting groups are then identified. A representation of the network is then created. The representation replaces the intermediary computers with the inter-group communication paths, so that the inter-group communication paths appear to pass directly through the locations occupied by the intermediary computers. The created representation is then further processed so that the “least expensive” communication paths may be designated.

US Patent:

20040003066, Jan 1, 2004

Filed:

Jun 26, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/180734

Inventors:

Nicholas Harvey - Redmond WA, US
Laszlo Lovasz - Sammamish WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F015/173

US Classification:

709/223000

Abstract:

A method of finding an optimal match between clients and servers under given matching constraints utilizes a bipartite diagram in which the clients are presented as vertices on one side, the servers as vertices on the other side, and each possible client-server pairing allowed under the matching constraints as an edge connecting the vertices representing the client and the server. After an initial round of assignments is performed, the assignments are optimized by an optimization operation that iteratively applies a reassignment process. The reassignment process searches for a chain of servers starting with a server having a highest number of clients and ends with another server with a client number less than that of the first server by at least two, with each server in the chain except the end server having a client reassignable to the next server in the chain. Those reassignable clients are then reassigned along the chain such that the first server's client number is reduced by one and the end server's client number is reduced by one. The reassignment process is repeated until an optimal match is reached.

US Patent:

20050083834, Apr 21, 2005

Filed:

Oct 17, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/686658

Inventors:

John Dunagan - Bellevue WA, US
Nicholas Harvey - Cambridge MA, US
Michael Jones - Redmond WA, US
Dejan Kostic - Durham NC, US
Marvin Theimer - Bellevue WA, US
Alastair Wolman - Seattle WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G01R031/08

US Classification:

370221000, 370245000

Abstract:

A guaranteed distributed failure notification method is described, wherein a failure notification (FN) facility allows applications using the facility to create FN groups to which the application associates an application state. The application registers failure handlers with the FN facility on nodes in the FN group; each failure handler is associated with a specific FN group. When, on a given node, the FN facility learns of a failure in the FN group, the facility executes the associated failure handler on that node. System failures detected by the application are signaled to other FN group members using the facility. The facility detects system failures that occur in an overlay network on which the facility is implemented, and signals a failure notification to the other FN group members.

US Patent:

20050086469, Apr 21, 2005

Filed:

Oct 17, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/686620

Inventors:

John Dunagan - Bellevue WA, US
Nicholas Harvey - Cambridge MA, US
Michael Jones - Redmond WA, US
Marvin Theimer - Bellevue WA, US
Alastair Wolman - Seattle WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

H04L009/00

US Classification:

713163000

Abstract:

A scalable, fault-tolerant, federated event notification method is described, wherein clients express interest in a topic by subscribing, and published event notifications are delivered to all current topic-subscribers. Event notifications are disseminated by a multicast tree that does not require participation by unwilling nodes. The multicast tree is constructed so that nodes belonging to the organization owning the tree do not rely on nodes outside the organization to forward message traffic. Event notifications are delivered using redundant tree-based application-level multicast to ensure reliable delivery.

US Patent:

20050256879, Nov 17, 2005

Filed:

Jan 26, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/043607

Inventors:

Jeffrey Parham - Redmond WA, US
Mark Brown - Seattle WA, US
William Lees - Redmond WA, US
Van Vu - Bellevue WA, US
Laszlo Lovasz - Sammamish WA, US
Nicholas Harvey - Redmond WA, US
Katalin Vesztergombi - Sammamish WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F017/30

US Classification:

707010000

Abstract:

A method for designating communication paths in a computer network is provided, in which communication paths are designated for the transmission of data throughout a network. The network may have both recipient computers, which are the intended recipients of the data, and intermediary computers, which are not the intended recipients, but merely relay the data. Each intermediary computer is grouped with the “closest” recipient computer (i.e. the recipient computer with whom it is “least expensive” to communicate). Communication paths between the resulting groups are then identified. A representation of the network is then created. The representation replaces the intermediary computers with the inter-group communication paths, so that the inter-group communication paths appear to pass directly through the locations occupied by the intermediary computers. The created representation is then further processed so that the “least expensive” communication paths may be designated.