Method of autonomic representative selection in local area networks

摘要

A method and apparatus for selecting a client computer as a relay server to rebroadcast common application information that is broadcast from a server system over a network. The client computer is selected randomly to rebroadcast the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) information received from the server system and client computers receiving the UDP information from another client computer relay server on the network do not rebroadcast the information. If the client computer selected to rebroadcast the common information fails to rebroadcast, another client computer is randomly selected as a relay server and takes over rebroadcasting the common information.

主权项

1. A network system, comprising:
a network server arranged to broadcast common information to clients; a plurality of clients connected to said server through a network and arranged to receive said broadcast common information; each of said plurality of clients arranged to rebroadcast said common information received from said network server to remaining clients of said plurality of clients when enabled; each individual client of said plurality of clients provided with an arrangement that acts to generate a random time to initiate rebroadcast of said common information received from said network server with said individual client of said plurality of clients first acting to rebroadcast said common information being the client enabled from said plurality of clients connected to said network to act as a relay server to currently rebroadcast said common information received from said network server to the remaining ones of said plurality of clients; and failure of the client enabled from among the plurality of clients to currently rebroadcast said common information acts to cause another client to be enabled from said plurality of clients connected to said network and receiving said common information from said server to act as a relay server to take over rebroadcasting common information from said server to the remaining ones of said plurality of clients.