Mechanisms for Transparently Converting Client-Server Software Agents to Peer-to-Peer Software Agents

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 implemented by a client agent device for converting a client-server software agent to a peer-to-peer software agent, the method comprising:
 directly coupling in software on the client agent device a client agent application-level software program to an adaptor software module without any network connection between the client agent application-level software program and the adaptor software module, wherein the client agent application-level software program operates using a client-server protocol;   receiving by the client agent device at the adaptor software module from the client agent application-level software program application-level network traffic in a client-server protocol;   converting by the client agent device at the adaptor software module the received traffic into a peer-to-peer protocol;   relaying by the client agent device using the adaptor software module the converted traffic over a network on behalf of the client agent application-level software program.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the converting is performed only when the client-server protocol is selected by a configuration setting for translation. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the client-server protocol is selected for translation when an intended server is unreachable. 
     
     
         4 . A method implemented by a network edge device for converting network traffic between a client-server protocol and a peer-to-peer protocol, the method comprising:
 receiving by the network edge device packets containing application-level network traffic in a client-server protocol;   converting by the network edge device using socket-level deep packet inspection the application-level network traffic in a client-server protocol into application-level network traffic in a peer-to-peer protocol;   relaying by the network edge device the application-level network traffic in a peer-to-peer protocol over a network.