Mechanisms for Transparently Converting Between Peer-to-Peer Protocols

Abstract

A method of converting client-server software agents to peer-to-peer software agents coupling a client to an adaptor software module is provided. The method includes directly coupling a client in software to an adaptor software module, wherein said adaptor software services underlying traffic from an unmodified agent and relays it on behalf of said unmodified agent, wherein all traffic generated by said unmodified agent is relayed directly to said adaptor software module.

1 . A method of transparently converting between peer-to-peer protocols, the method comprising:
 directly coupling in software on a user agent device a peer agent application-level software program to an adaptor software module without any network connection between the peer agent application-level software program and the adaptor software module, wherein the peer agent application-level software program operates using a first peer-to-peer protocol;   receiving by the user agent device at the adaptor software module from the peer agent application-level software program application-level network traffic in the first peer-to-peer protocol;   converting by the user agent device at the adaptor software module the received traffic into a second peer-to-peer protocol;   relaying by the user agent device using the adaptor software module the converted traffic over a network on behalf of the peer agent application-level software program.   
     
     
         2 . A method for translating between peer-to-peer protocols, the method comprising:
 positioning between a peer agent and a network edge an adaptor software module device that intercepts packets traversing a network connection between the peer agent and a network edge between a local area network and a wide area network;   receiving by the adaptor software module device from the peer agent network traffic in a first peer-to-peer protocol;   converting by the adaptor software module device the received traffic into a second peer-to-peer protocol;   relaying by the adaptor software module device the converted traffic over a network on behalf of the peer agent.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the adaptor software module device is implemented as part of a firewall. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the adaptor software module device is implemented as part of a network edge device.