Distributed computer network including hierarchical resource information structure and related method of distributing resources

Claim 1

A method of managing resources in a network of computers comprising: providing in a first computer in the computer network a plurality of already have (AH) resources that the first computer already has (AH resources); providing in the first computer an AH information structure; wherein the AH information structure includes one or more respective first already have (AH) information units that respectively identify one or more different respective ones of the plurality of AH resources and that respectively provide respective AH information unit identifiers; wherein the AH information structure further includes at least one respective second AH information unit that respectively identifies one or more different respective ones of the first AH information units and that provides a respective AH differencing value calculated from respective AH information unit identifiers provided by the one or more respective first AH information units identified by such at least one respective second AH information unit; providing in the computer network a plurality of should have (SH) resources that computers in the network might need (SH resources); providing in a second computer an SH information structure; wherein the SH information structure includes one or more respective first should have (SH) resource information units that respectively identify one or more different respective ones of the plurality of SH resources and that respectively provide respective SH information unit identifiers; wherein the SH information structure further includes at least one second SH information unit that respectively identifies one or more different respective ones of the first SH information units and that provides a respective SH differencing value calculated from respective SH information unit identifiers provided by the one or more respective first SH information units identified by such at least one second SH information unit; and comparing one or more respective AH differencing values with one or more respective corresponding SH differencing values to determine whether one or more of the SH resources are needed to update the resources of the first computer.

Claim 2

A method of managing resources in a network of computers comprising: providing in a first computer in the computer network a plurality of already have (AH) resources that the first computer already has (AH resources); providing in the first computer an AH information structure; wherein the AH information structure includes one or more respective first already have (AH) information units that respectively identify one or more different respective ones of the plurality of AH resources and that respectively provide respective AH information unit identifiers; wherein the AH information structure further includes at least one respective second AH information unit that respectively identifies one or more different respective ones of the first AH information units and that provides a respective AH differencing value calculated from respective AH information unit identifiers provided by the one or more respective first AH information units identified by such at least one respective second AH information unit; providing in the computer network a plurality of should have (SH) resources that computers in the network might need (SH resources); providing in a second computer an SH information structure; wherein the SH information structure includes one or more respective first should have (SH) resource information units that respectively identify one or more different respective ones of the plurality of SH resources and that respectively provide respective SH information unit identifiers; wherein the SH information structure further includes at least one second SH information unit that respectively identifies one or more different respective ones of the first SH information units and that provides a respective SH differencing value calculated from respective SH information unit identifiers provided by the one or more respective first SH information units identified by such at least one second SH information unit; and comparing one or more respective AH differencing values with one or more respective corresponding SH differencing values to determine whether one or more of the SH resources are needed to update the resources of the first computer.