초록 ▼

Methods and apparatus for implementing a sequential synchronization hierarchy among networked devices are disclosed. An example synchronization method disclosed herein comprises configuring a first networked node to be a parent node associated directly with second and third networked nodes configure

Methods and apparatus for implementing a sequential synchronization hierarchy among networked devices are disclosed. An example synchronization method disclosed herein comprises configuring a first networked node to be a parent node associated directly with second and third networked nodes configured to be respective first and second direct child nodes, selecting other networked nodes to be a set of indirect child nodes associated indirectly with the parent node through the first direct child node, and configuring the parent node to send information undergoing synchronization to the direct child nodes sequentially based on a plurality of hierarchical synchronization levels associated with the direct child nodes, but to not send the information to the set of indirect child nodes, wherein the first direct child node is to propagate the information to the set of indirect child nodes while the parent node is to send the information to the second direct child node.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A method to synchronize information within a hierarchical synchronization topology comprising a plurality of networked nodes, the method comprising: configuring a first networked node to be a parent node associated directly with second and third networked nodes configured to

What is claimed is: 1. A method to synchronize information within a hierarchical synchronization topology comprising a plurality of networked nodes, the method comprising: configuring a first networked node to be a parent node associated directly with second and third networked nodes configured to be respective first and second direct child nodes of the parent node; selecting one or more other networked nodes to be a first set of indirect child nodes associated indirectly with the parent node through the first direct child node; and configuring the parent node to send information undergoing synchronization to the first and second direct child nodes sequentially based on a plurality of hierarchical synchronization levels to which the first and second direct child nodes are associated, but to not send the information to the first set of indirect child nodes, wherein the first direct child node is to propagate the information to the first set of indirect child nodes while the parent node is to send the information to the second direct child node. 2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second direct child nodes are each associated with a unique hierarchical synchronization level from the plurality of hierarchical synchronization levels. 3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the first direct child node is to send the information sequentially to at least some of the indirect child nodes in the first set of indirect child nodes. 4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein the first set of indirect child nodes comprises a first subset and a second subset, wherein the first direct child node is associated directly with the first subset of indirect child nodes according to a first set of hierarchical synchronization levels, and wherein after receipt of the information from the parent node, the first direct child is to send the information sequentially to the first subset of indirect child nodes based on the associated first set of hierarchical synchronization levels, but to not send the information to the second subset of indirect child nodes. 5. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein each indirect child node in the first subset of indirect child nodes is associated with a unique hierarchical synchronization level from the first set of hierarchical synchronization levels. 6. A method as defined in claim 4 further comprising selecting one or more other networked nodes to be a second set of indirect nodes associated indirectly with the parent node through the second direct child node, wherein after receipt of the information from the parent node, the second direct child node is to send the information sequentially to at least some of the indirect child nodes in the second set of indirect child nodes based on a second set of hierarchical synchronization levels to which the second set of indirect child nodes are associated. 7. A method as defined in claim 6 wherein the second direct child node is to receives the information from the parent node after the first direct child node is to receive the information from the parent node, and wherein the second direct child node is to send the information sequentially to an indirect child node in the second set of indirect child nodes while the first direct child node is to send the information sequentially to an indirect child node in the first subset of indirect child nodes. 8. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising configuring the plurality of networked nodes according to the plurality of hierarchical synchronization levels by: associating the first networked node with a first hierarchical synchronization level; associating the second networked node with a second hierarchical synchronization level having lower priority than the first hierarchical synchronization level; associating the third networked node with a third hierarchical synchronization level having lower priority than the second hierarchical synchronization level; and associating a fourth networked node with a fourth hierarchical synchronization level having higher priority than the first hierarchical synchronization level, wherein the fourth networked node is configured to be a sole parent of the first networked node. 9. A method as defined in claim 8 wherein first networked node is configured to receive the information undergoing synchronization from the fourth networked node and to send the information sequentially to the second networked node and then the third networked node according to the second hierarchical synchronization level having higher priority than the third hierarchical synchronization level. 10. A method as defined in claim 9 further comprising associating the first networked node with a fifth networked node configured to be an indirect child node associated with the first networked node through the second networked node, wherein the fifth networked node is associated with the third hierarchical synchronization level, and wherein after receiving the information undergoing synchronization from the first networked node, the second networked node is to send the information to the fifth networked node while the first networked node is to send the information to the third networked node. 11. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising configuring the plurality of networked nodes according to the plurality of hierarchical synchronization levels by: obtaining a set of descendent nodes selected from the plurality of networked nodes for associating with the first networked node; selecting a first descendent node in the set of descendent nodes to be the first direct child node and to be associated with the first networked node at a first hierarchical synchronization level; selecting a first subset of the set of descendent nodes, excluding the first descendent node, to be the first set of indirect child, nodes associated with the first networked node through the first direct child node according to a corresponding first set of hierarchical synchronization levels having lower priority than the first hierarchical synchronization level; and drafting the selected first descendent node to be the first direct child node of the first networked node by: configuring the first networked node to be a sole parent node associated with the first descendent node; and indicating the selected first set of indirect child nodes to the selected first descendent node to allow the first descendent node to continue configuring the first set of indirect child nodes according to the first set of hierarchical synchronization levels. 12. A method as defined in claim 11 further comprising configuring the plurality of networked nodes according to the plurality of hierarchical synchronization levels by: further updating an updated set of descendent nodes by removing a second descendent node; selecting a second subset of the further updated set of descendent nodes to be a second set of indirect child nodes associated with the first networked node through the second direct child node according to a corresponding second set of hierarchical synchronization levels having lower priority than the second hierarchical synchronization level; and drafting the selected second descendent node to be the second direct child node of the first networked node by indicating the second set of indirect child nodes to the selected second descendent node to allow the second descendent node to continue configuring the second set of indirect child nodes according to the second set of hierarchical synchronization levels. 13. An apparatus to synchronize information obtained by a networked node, the apparatus comprising: a node selector to select a plurality of direct child nodes to receive the information undergoing synchronization directly from the networked node; a node list segmenter to select one or more sets of indirect child nodes, wherein each set of indirect child nodes is to receive the information undergoing synchronization through a respective direct child node instead of directly from the networked node; and a synchronization sequencer to schedule sending the information undergoing synchronization to a first direct child node associated with a first hierarchical synchronization level before sending the information to a second direct child node associated with a second hierarchical synchronization level having a lower priority than the first hierarchical synchronization level, wherein a first set of indirect child nodes is to receive the information through the first direct child node, and wherein the synchronization sequencer is to schedule sending the information to the first direct child node after the first direct child node has been configured to receive the information from the networked node regardless of whether the first set of indirect child nodes is configured to receive the information undergoing synchronization through the first direct child node. 14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 further comprising a child drafting interface to: configure each of the plurality of direct child nodes to receive the information undergoing synchronization directly from the networked node; and send each set of indirect child nodes to the respective direct child node for configuring each set of indirect child nodes to receive the information undergoing synchronization through the respective direct child node. 15. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein the synchronization sequencer is further configured to schedule sending the information undergoing synchronization to the plurality of direct child nodes based on a plurality of hierarchical synchronization levels respectively with which the plurality of direct child nodes are associated. 16. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 further comprising an error processor to determine at least one of whether configuration of the first direct child node to receive the information undergoing synchronization directly from the networked node was successful or whether sending the information to the first direct child node was successful. 17. A data network to support data synchronization, the data network comprising: a plurality of networked nodes configurable to implement a synchronization hierarchy comprising a plurality of hierarchical synchronization levels, wherein each networked node assigned to a first hierarchical level is configurable to synchronize data received from one respectively configured parent node assigned to a second hierarchical synchronization level having a higher priority than the first hierarchical synchronization level, and configurable to transmit the data sequentially to a respective plurality of correspondingly configured child nodes assigned uniquely to a respective plurality of hierarchical synchronization levels each having a lower priority than the first hierarchical synchronization level; and a root node assignable to a highest priority synchronization level and configurable to obtain the data to be synchronized, to initiate configuration of the synchronization hierarchy and to transmit the data sequentially based on the synchronization hierarchy to a first plurality of correspondingly configured child nodes, wherein a first child node in the first plurality of child nodes is also configurable to be a first parent node to sequentially transmit the data based on synchronization hierarchy to a second plurality of correspondingly configured child nodes after receiving the data from the root node and while the root node is to transmit the data to at least a second child node in the first plurality of child nodes. 18. A data network as defined in claim 17 wherein the second child node in the first plurality of child nodes is also configurable to be a second parent node to sequentially transmit the data based on synchronization hierarchy to a third plurality of correspondingly configured child nodes after receiving the data from the root node and while the root node is to transmit the data to at least a third child node in the first set of child nodes. 19. A data network as defined in claim 17 wherein root node is configurable to be responsible for initiating configuration of the first plurality of child nodes to descend from the root node and the first child node is configurable to be responsible for initiating configuration of the second plurality of child nodes to descend from the first child node. 20. A data network as defined in claim 17 wherein the root node is further configured to add a new networked node to the synchronization hierarchy by randomly determining an existing leaf node of the synchronization hierarchy from which the new networked node is to descend. 21. A data network as defined in claim 17 wherein the root node is further configured to process removal of an existing networked node from the synchronization hierarchy by: assigning a first descendent node associated previously with the removed existing node to a lowest hierarchical synchronization level relative to the root node; configuring the root node to transmit the data to the first descendent node and the first descendent node to synchronize the data received from the root node; configuring any remaining descendent nodes associated previously with the removed existing node to descend from the first descendent node. 22. A method to synchronize information among a plurality of networked nodes, the method comprising: receiving information undergoing synchronization at a parent node; sending the information sequentially from the parent node to each of a first set of nodes; sending the information sequentially from a first node in the first set of nodes to each of a second set of nodes after the information is received by the first node, wherein the first node is to send the information to at least some of the second set of nodes at substantially the same time the parent node is to send the information to at least some of the first set of nodes other than the first node. 23. A method as defined in claim 22 further comprising sending the information sequentially from a second node in the first set of nodes to each of a third set of nodes after the information is received by the second node, wherein the second node is to send the information to at least some of the third set of nodes at substantially the same time the first node is to send the information to at least some of the second set of nodes and the parent node is to send the information to at least some of the first set of nodes other than the first and second nodes. 24. A method as defined in claim 22 wherein receiving the information undergoing synchronization at the parent node comprises receiving a first version of the information, and further comprising: receiving a second version of the information undergoing synchronization at the parent node after the parent node has sent the first version of the information to the first node, but before the parent node has sent the first version of the information to a second node in the first set of nodes; and sending the second version of the information instead of the first version of the information from the parent node to the second node and at substantially the same time the first node is to send the first version of the information to at least some of the second set of nodes.