Network Wake-Up Master for Software Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing software deployment systems, such as NOMAD, fail to download software from computers in reduced power states like standby, sleep, or hibernation, as they do not respond to communications, leading to incomplete software distribution across networks.
Innovation Solution
A computer network arrangement that includes a subnet of computers capable of responding to wake-up signals to transition from non-active power states to active states, allowing designated wake-up agents to issue magic packets for computers to wake up and facilitate software distribution, ensuring that computers can communicate and provide or receive requested content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If computers are placed in reduced power states (standby, sleep, hibernate) to reduce power consumption, then energy efficiency is improved, but the ability to respond to software deployment requests deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by designating wake-up masters in advance and maintaining their active state. When software deployment is needed, the pre-designated wake-up master can immediately issue wake-up signals without delay, ensuring reliable delivery while allowing most computers to remain in low-power states for energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The wake-up master acts as an intermediary between the software deployment system and computers in reduced power states. Instead of the deployment system directly communicating with sleeping computers, it routes requests through the active wake-up master, which then issues wake-up signals to activate the target computers.
2Reliability
If all computers remain in active state to ensure software deployment reliability, then software distribution reliability is improved, but network traffic increases due to lack of power state optimization
Solution Approach 1:
The network is segmented into active components (wake-up masters and target computers needing software) and inactive components (other computers in reduced power states). This segmentation allows the system to maintain reliability for essential functions while minimizing energy consumption across the entire network.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the power state parameter of computers based on their role and needs. Wake-up masters maintain an active power state to ensure reliability, while other computers can transition to reduced power states, optimizing the balance between reliability and energy efficiency.
3Productivity
If wake-up signals are sent to all computers to ensure software availability, then software deployment completeness is improved, but network traffic and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains copies of software packages at multiple locations including wake-up masters and potentially at computers in reduced power states. This allows the system to quickly identify and activate only the specific computers that have the required software, avoiding the need to wake up all computers in the network.
Data Source
AI summary
A central server in a network stores, or has access to, data relating to software stored on computers in subnets of the network. The central server is able to designate a computer in each subnet as a wake-up master for that subnet. The wake up master maintains an awoken state and is able to issue a wakeup signal to any computer designated by the central server in the subnet. A computer in a subnet requesting software from another computer in the subnet, but unable to find it because the other computer may not be awake, issues a request to the central server. The central server identifies a computer in the subnet likely to have the software and causes the wake-up master of the subnet to wake up the identified computer so the requesting computer can communicate with, and download, the requested software from the identified computer.