DEPLOYING SOFTWARE IN A COMPUTER NETWORK

摘要

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.

主权项

1. A computer network comprising:
one or more subnets, each subnet comprising a plurality of computers, and a computer arrangement connected by the network to the subnets and configured to respond to a request, from a computer in the one or more subnets, for the provision of content, wherein each of the computers in the subnets is configured to respond to an wake-up signal to transition the computer from a non-active power state to an active power state, and has program code which enables the computer to:
issue a request to the computer arrangement for the provision of content, andcommunicate with another computer on the same subnet or another subnet selectively to receive requested content therefrom or provide requested content thereto, andwherein the computer arrangement has program code which enables the computer arrangement to:
respond to a request from a computer in a subnet for the provision of content with an indication of at least one other computer, the other computer being identified as having the content and being communicatively-coupled to the computer requesting the content, and cause a wake-up signal to be sent to that other computer.