US6463457B1 — System and method for the establishment and the u…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 156 words

A system for using computer excess computational power comprising: at least one client computer adapted to create programs for execution; a network connected to the client computer; a central task server (CTS) connected to the network, adapted to receive the programs from the client; a plurality of provider computers for providing excess computational power connected to the CTS via network and adapted to receive the programs from the CTS, the CTS thereby providing computational power upon demand to the at least one client computer; and instructions for paying the owners of the provider computers a fixed amount per unit work for providing excess computational power according to a formula: T   ln   ( 1 - π ) ln   ( 1 - r )   per   GHz  -  hour ,  where T is a rate, π is an average availability, and r is a target reliability.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 156 words

A system for using computer excess computational power comprising: at least one client computer adapted to create programs for execution; a network connected to the client computer; a central task server (CTS) connected to the network, adapted to receive the programs from the client; a plurality of provider computers for providing excess computational power connected to the CTS via network and adapted to receive the programs from the CTS, the CTS thereby providing computational power upon demand to the at least one client computer; and instructions for paying the owners of the provider computers a fixed amount per unit work for providing excess computational power according to a formula: T   ln   ( 1 - π ) ln   ( 1 - r )   per   GHz  -  hour ,  where T is a rate, π is an average availability, and r is a target reliability.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 52 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 1 wherein the at least one client computer further comprises: a client application programming interface (API) with instructions for allowing the client computer to specify a compute capacity needed in the form of a virtual cluster in which programs are to be run.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 37 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 2 further comprising client API instructions for collecting parameters to be specified for compute capacity comprising at least computer power, disk space required, and reliability of computer power.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 68 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 2 wherein the at least one client computer further comprises a run time interface, the run time interface further comprising a set of function calls used by the client computer for getting parameters from the run time environment, for getting data elements, for querying the CTS for task status, and for performing checkpointing at various places in the program.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 21 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 4 wherein the run time interface further comprises instructions for creating jobs.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 23 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 5 wherein the run time interface further comprises instructions for creating tasks within jobs.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 25 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 5 wherein the run time interface further comprises instructions for querying against a status of jobs.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 43 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 5 wherein the run time interface further comprises instructions for attaching the client computer of a job in progress and for checking on the status of a job while the job is in progress.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 33 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 1 wherein the CTS further comprises instructions for charging the at least one client for computational power used during the execution of the programs.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 23 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 9 wherein the charging of the client is made when the task is launched.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 31 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 10 wherein a task is launched when it is scheduled by the CTS to be run by at least one provider computer.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 27 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 1 wherein the CTS further comprises instructions for monitoring a virtual node specified by the client for failure.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 32 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 9 further comprising instructions for charging clients based upon a sum of the computational power of the provider computers running the client tasks.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 30 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 9 wherein the CTS further comprises instructions for making payments to providers based upon available computational power of the provider's computer.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 26 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 14 wherein the available computational power is a function of CPU availability, CPU speed and bandwidth availability.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 23 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 15 wherein CPU speed is measured by running benchmark tests of the CPU periodically.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 34 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of provider computer further comprises a general purpose compute engine (CE) for executing programs sent from the central server.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 32 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 17 wherein the CE further comprises instructions for allowing an owner of the provider computer to set availability parameters of the provider computer.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 47 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 18 wherein the availability parameters comprise amount of RAM available for the programs, amount of disk space available for the programs and times during the day, if any, that the provider computer is available to execute the programs.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 30 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 18 wherein the CE further comprises instructions for opening a widow on the provider computer when the programs are being run.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 25 words

The system~for using excess computational power of claim 18 wherein the CE further comprises instructions for displaying content from the central server in the window.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 31 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 18 wherein the CE further comprises instructions for executing the programs only when excess computational power is detected on the provider computer.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 56 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 9 further comprising instructions for determining an amount charged to the client I based on a formula: Price per hour for computation=4.5+0.296P 1.155, where P is a sum of all power in active nodes being used by the CTS to fulfill computational requirements specified by the client.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 139 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 23 wherein the client is also charged for data transfer during the course of executing the particular tasks of the client based upon the following formula: Total Cost of Data Transfer = g  ( d i + d o )   ( ln   ( 1 - r ) ln   ( 1 - π ) + 1 ) , where d i in the quantity (in GB) of data transferred from the client to the server, d o is the quantity of data transferred from the server to the client, where g is the transfer cost per communication path among the client computer, the provider computer and the CTS per GB, r is a requested node reliability, and 7 is an average provider computer reliability.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 106 words

The system for using excess computational power of claim 24 wherein the client is also charged an hourly premium for requesting reliability greater than a set baseline reliability given by the formula: Price per hour for premium reliability = k   CN   ( ln   ( 1 - r ) ln   ( 1 - R ) - 1 ) where k is a baseline price per MHz-hour, C is the CPU speed requested of a virtual node requested by the client, N is the number of virtual nodes running, r is the requested reliability, and R is the baseline reliability.

Claim 27

Independent Claim 157 words

A method for using computer excess computational power comprising: adapting at least one client computer to create programs for execution; connecting the client computer to a network; connecting a central task server (CTS) to the network, wherein said CTS is adapted to receive the programs from the client; connecting a plurality of provider computers for providing excess computational power to the network and adapting said provider computers to receive the programs from the central server, the plurality of provider computers providing computational power upon demand; and further comprising paying the owners of the provider computers a fixed amount per unit work for providing excess computational power according to a formula: T   ln   ( 1 - π ) ln   ( 1 - r )   per   GHz  -  hour ,  where T is a rate, Tc is an average availability, and r is a target reliability.

Claim 28

Independent Claim 157 words

A method for using computer excess computational power comprising: adapting at least one client computer to create programs for execution; connecting the client computer to a network; connecting a central task server (CTS) to the network, wherein said CTS is adapted to receive the programs from the client; connecting a plurality of provider computers for providing excess computational power to the network and adapting said provider computers to receive the programs from the central server, the plurality of provider computers providing computational power upon demand; and further comprising paying the owners of the provider computers a fixed amount per unit work for providing excess computational power according to a formula: T   ln   ( 1 - π ) ln   ( 1 - r )   per   GHz  -  hour ,  where T is a rate, Tc is an average availability, and r is a target reliability.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 42 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 26 further comprising supplying the at least one client computer with a client application programming interface (API) for allowing the client computer to specify parameters under which the programs are to be run.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 31 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 27 , wherein the parameters to be specified are at least computer power, disk space required, and reliability of the computer power.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 69 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 27 , further comprising providing the at least one client computer with a run time interface, the run time interface including a set of function calls used by the client computer for getting parameters from the run time environment, for getting data elements, for querying the CTS for task status, and for performing checkpointing at various places in the program.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 23 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 29 , further comprising providing the run time interface with instructions for creating jobs.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 25 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 30 , further comprising providing the run time interface with instructions for creating tasks within jobs.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 27 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 30 , further comprising providing the run time interface with instructions for querying against a status of jobs.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 45 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 30 , further comprising providing the run time interface with instructions for attaching the client computer of a job in progress and for checking on the status of a job while the job is in progress.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 36 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 26 , further comprising providing the CTS with instructions for charging the at least one client for excess computational power used during the execution of the programs.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 23 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 34 wherein the charging of the client is made when the task is launched.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 30 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 35 including launching a task when it is scheduled by the CTS to be run by at least one provider computer.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 26 , further comprising providing the CTS with instructions for monitoring a virtual node specified by the client for failure.

Claim 40

Dependent Claim 31 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 34 wherein charging of clients is based upon a sum of the computational power of the provider computers running the client tasks.

Claim 41

Dependent Claim 32 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 34 , further comprising providing the CTS with instructions for making payments to providers based upon available computational power of the provider's computer.

Claim 42

Dependent Claim 28 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 39 wherein the available computational power is determined as a function of CPU availability, CPU speed and bandwidth availability.

Claim 43

Dependent Claim 23 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 40 wherein CPU speed is measured by running benchmark tests of the CPU periodically.

Claim 44

Dependent Claim 36 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 26 , further comprising providing each of the plurality of provider computer with a general purpose compute engine (CE) for executing programs sent from the central server.

Claim 45

Dependent Claim 34 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 42 , further comprising providing the CE with instructions for allowing an owner of the provider computer to set availability parameters of the provider computer.

Claim 46

Dependent Claim 47 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 43 wherein the availability parameters comprise amount of RAM available for the programs, amount of disk space available for the programs and times during the day, if any, that the provider computer is available to execute the programs.

Claim 47

Dependent Claim 32 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 43 , further comprising providing the CE with instructions for opening a widow on the provider computer when the programs are being run.

Claim 48

Dependent Claim 28 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 43 , further comprising providing the CE with instructions for displaying content from the central server in the window.

Claim 49

Dependent Claim 33 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 43 , further comprising providing the CE with instructions for executing the programs only when excess computational power is detected on the provider computer.

Claim 50

Dependent Claim 40 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 26 wherein an amount charged to the client I is computed based on a formula: Price per hour for computation=4.5+0.296P 1.155, where P is computational power of the computer in Mhz.

Claim 51

Dependent Claim 137 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 48 , further comprising charging the client for data transfer during the course of executing the particular tasks of the client based upon the following formula: Total Cost of Data Transfer = g  ( d i + d o )   ( ln   ( 1 - r ) ln   ( 1 - π ) + 1 ) , where di in the quantity (in GB) of data transferred from the client to the server, do is the quantity of data transferred from the server to the client, where g is the transfer cost per communication path among the client computer, the provider computer and the CTS per GB, r is a requested node reliability, and r is an average provider computer reliability.

Claim 52

Dependent Claim 107 words

The method for using excess computational power of claim 49 , further comprising charging the client an hourly premium for requesting reliability greater an a set baseline reliability given by the formula: Price per hour for premium reliability = k   CN   ( ln   ( 1 - r ) ln   ( 1 - R ) - 1 ) where k is a baseline price per MHz-hour, C is the CPU speed requested of a virtual node requested by the client, N is the number of virtual nodes running, r is the requested reliability, and R is the baseline reliability. jobs.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2005-10-07	2006-04-08	2006-10-08	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2009-10-07	2010-04-08	2010-10-08	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2013-10-07	2014-04-08	2014-10-08	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

System and method for the establishment and the utilization of networked idle computational processing power

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