Advertisement search agent

Abstract

An advertisement search agent detects a service that is provided by a node or a service that can be used by a node immediately after the node is newly connected to a domain. A message acquisition unit acquires an advertisement search message broadcast or multicast by a node connected to either one of a plurality of domains. A message database stores advertisement search messages acquired by the message acquisition unit. A node connection monitoring unit detects the connection of a node to either one of a plurality of domains. When the connection of a node is detected by the node connection monitoring unit, a delivery message extractor extracts an advertisement search message stored in the message database. A message delivery unit delivers the advertisement search message extracted by the delivery message extractor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an advertisement search agent module according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a connected configuration in which the advertisement search agent module shown in FIG. 1 is disposed in a VLAN switch;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a connected configuration in which the advertisement search agent module shown in FIG. 1 is disposed in a VPN gateway;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of data stored in a message database (DB) of the advertisement search agent module shown in FIG. 1 which is located in the position shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the message DB shown in FIG. 1 is shared by a plurality of advertisement search agent modules;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process of extracting a message using a third extracting function in a delivery message extractor of the advertisement search agent module shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an advertisement search agent module according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process of generating a message in a delivery message generator shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process of extracting a message in a delivery message extractor shown in FIG. 7 when it is guaranteed that both a service availability advertisement message and a service unavailability advertisement message of all service providing nodes connected to either monitoring domain immediately before a node connection or disconnection occurs, are stored in a message DB; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a process of extracting a message in the delivery message extractor shown in FIG. 7 when it is not guaranteed that both a service availability advertisement message and a service unavailability advertisement message of all service providing nodes connected to either monitoring domain immediately before a node connection or disconnection occurs, are stored in a message DB.

Claims

1. An advertisement search agent module comprising: a message acquisition unit for acquiring advertisement search messages including a search message, a service availability advertisement message, and a service unavailability advertisement message broadcast or multicast by a node connected to either one of a plurality of domains;a message database for storing the advertisement search messages acquired by said message acquisition unit;a node connection monitoring unit for detecting a connection of said node to either one of said domains;a delivery message extractor having at least one of a first extracting function to extract only said search message and said service availability advertisement message delivered from the connected node, of said advertisement search messages stored in said message database, and a second extracting function to recognize a node connected to the domain to which said node is connected, and extract only said search message and said service availability advertisement message delivered from the node connected to said domain, when the connection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit; anda message delivery unit having at least one of a first delivery function to deliver said search message and said service availability advertisement message extracted by said first extracting function of said delivery message extractor to the domain to which said node is connected, and a second delivery function, to deliver said search message and said service availability advertisement message extracted by said second extracting function of said delivery message extractor to the node connected to said domain, when the connection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit.

2. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 1, wherein said delivery message extractor has a third extracting function to further extract said search message extracted by said first extracting function and to further extract said service availability advertisement message extracted by said second extracting function when a service using node for using a service is connected to the domain, and to further extract said service availability advertisement message extracted by said first extracting function and to further extract said search message extracted by said second extracting function when a service providing node for providing a service is connected to the domain.

3. An advertisement search agent module comprising: a message acquisition unit for acquiring advertisement search messages including a search message, a service availability advertisement message, and a service unavailability advertisement message broadcast or multicast by a node connected to either one of a plurality of domains;a message database for storing the advertisement search messages acquired by said message acquisition unit;a node connection monitoring unit for detecting a disconnection of said node from either one of said domains;a delivery message extractor having at least one of a first extracting function to extract only said service unavailability advertisement message delivered from the disconnected node, of said advertisement search messages stored in said message database, and a second extracting function to recognize a node connected to the domain from which said node is disconnected, and to extract only said service unavailability advertisement message delivered from the node connected to said domain, when the disconnection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit; anda message delivery unit having at least one of a first delivery function to deliver said service unavailability advertisement message extracted by said first extracting function of said delivery message extractor to the domain from which said node is disconnected, and a second delivery function to deliver said service unavailability advertisement message extracted by said second extracting function of said delivery message extractor to the node disconnected from said domain, when the disconnection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit.

4. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 3, wherein said delivery message extractor has a third extracting function to not extract the message extracted by said first extracting function and to further extract said service unavailability advertisement message extracted by said second extracting function when a service using node for using a service is disconnected from the domain, and to further extract said service unavailability advertisement message extracted by said first extracting function and not extract the message extracted by said second extracting function when a service providing node for providing a service is disconnected from the domain.

5. An advertisement search agent module comprising: a message acquisition unit for acquiring advertisement search messages including a search message, a service availability advertisement message, and a service unavailability advertisement message broadcast or multicast by a node connected to either one of a plurality of domains;a message database for storing the advertisement search messages acquired by said message acquisition unit;a node connection monitoring unit for detecting a connection of said node to either one of said domains and a disconnection of said node from either one of said domains;a delivery message extractor having at least one of a first extracting function to extract only said search message and said service availability advertisement message delivered from the connected node, of said advertisement search messages stored in said message database, when the connection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit and to extract only said service unavailability advertisement message delivered from the disconnected node, of said advertisement search messages stored in said message database, when the disconnection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit, and a second extracting function to extract only said search message and said service availability advertisement message delivered from the node connected to said domain, of said advertisement search messages stored in said message database, when the connection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit and to extract only said service unavailability advertisement message delivered from the node connected to said domain, of said advertisement search messages stored in said message database, when the disconnection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit; anda message delivery unit having at least one of a first delivery function to deliver said advertisement search message extracted by said first extracting function of said delivery message extractor to the domain to or from which said node is connected or disconnected, and a second delivery function to deliver said advertisement search message extracted by said second extracting function of said delivery message extractor to the node connected to or disconnected from said domain, when the connection or disconnection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit.

6. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 5, wherein said delivery message extractor has a third extracting function to further extract said search message extracted by said first extracting function and to further extract said service availability advertisement message or said service unavailability advertisement message extracted by said second extracting function, when a service using node for using a service is connected to or disconnected from the domain, and to further extract said service availability advertisement message or said service unavailability advertisement message extracted by said first extracting function and to further extract said search message extracted by said second extracting function, when a service providing node for providing a service is connected to or disconnected from the domain.

7. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 1, wherein said message database stores advertisement search messages acquired by a plurality of said message acquisition units.

8. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 3, wherein said message database stores advertisement search messages acquired by a plurality of said message acquisition units.

9. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 5, wherein said message database stores advertisement search messages acquired by a plurality of said message acquisition units.

10. An advertisement search agent module comprising: a node connection monitoring unit for detecting the connection of a node to and the disconnection of a node from a plurality of domains;a delivery message extractor having either one or both of a first message generation instructing function to specify a domain to which said node is connected or a domain from which said node is disconnected as a domain for which a message is to be generated, and to instruct a message to be generated for said specified domain, and a second message generation instructing function to specify the connected or disconnected node as a node for which a message is to be generated, and to instruct a message to be generated for said specified node, when the connection or disconnection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit;a delivery message generator for generating a service availability advertisement message or a service unavailability advertisement message of said specified node or said specified domain, based on instructions to generate a message from said delivery message extractor; anda message delivery unit having a domain delivery function to delivery a search message generated by said first message generation instructing function of said delivery message extractor to the domain to or from which said node is connected or disconnected, and a node delivery function to deliver a search message generated by said second message generation instructing function of said delivery message extractor to the node connected to said domain, when the connection or disconnection of said node is detected by said node connection monitoring unit.

11. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 10, wherein said delivery message extractor instructs said first message generation instructing function to generate a message when a service using node for using a service is connected or disconnected, and instructs said message generation instructing function to generate a message when a service providing node for providing a service is connected or disconnected.

12. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 10, further comprising: a message database for storing messages generated by said delivery message generator;wherein said delivery message extractor further has a function to store a node or a domain for which a message is to be generated when said delivery message extractor instructs a message to be generated, checks if a message has already been generated for the domain for which a message is to be generated when said delivery message extractor instructs said first message generation instructing function to generate a message, checks if a message has already been generated for the node for which a message is to be generated when said delivery message extractor instructs said second message generation instructing function to generate a message, and instructs said first message generation instructing function or said second message generation instructing function to generate a message if no message has already been generated for the domain or node for which a message is to be generated.

13. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 12, wherein said message database stores messages generated by instructions to generate a message from a plurality of said delivery message extractors.

14. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 1, wherein when said message delivery unit is to delivery a message according to said second delivery function, said message delivery unit converts the message into a unicast message and delivers the unicast message.

15. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 3, wherein when said message delivery unit is to delivery a message according to said second delivery function, said message delivery unit converts the message into a unicast message and delivers the unicast message.

16. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 5, wherein when said message delivery unit is to delivery a message according to said second delivery function, said message delivery unit converts the message into a unicast message and delivers the unicast message.

17. An advertisement search agent module according to claim 10, wherein when said message delivery unit is to delivery a message according to said node delivery function, said message delivery unit converts the message into a unicast message and delivers the unicast message.