1. One or more devices in a host network, the one or more devices configured to:
receive a message indicating that first content is to be downloaded to a content consumer device in the host network different from a partner network;
assign a confidence rating to the content consumer device, relative to other content consumer devices in the host network, wherein the confidence rating is assigned based on a history of content requests received from the content consumer device and the other content consumer devices;
define, based on the assigned confidence rating, a request pattern with respect to the content consumer device and the first content;
identify, based on the request pattern, second content associated with the first content, wherein a first copy of the first and second content is stored at an originating content provider device in the partner network and wherein a path for downloading the first copy of the first and second content from the originating content provider device in the partner network to the content consumer device in the host network includes peering points that connect the host network to the partner network;
determine whether a second copy of the first and second content is cached at the one or more devices in the host network;
acquire the first and second content when the second copy of the first and second content is not cached at the one or more devices in the host network;
cache the first and second content as the second copy at one or more locations in the one or more devices in the host network;
generate indices that correspond to the second copy of the first and second content and the locations at which the second copy of the first and second content is stored;
store the generated indices in an index database of an index device of a plurality of index devices, wherein each index device is different from the content consumer device, and wherein the index database stores other indices of all content cached at the one or more devices in the host network; and
transmit the generated indices to the other index devices, of the plurality of index devices, so that the index databases of all of the index devices, of the plurality of index devices, are synchronized.
2. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein the one or more devices include the plurality of index devices.
3. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein the message includes one of:
a request from the content consumer device to download the second copy; or
an alert message from a monitoring device, the alert message indicating that the content consumer device is attempting to download the first copy stored at the originating content provider device over the peering points.
4. The one or more devices of claim 3, comprising:
the monitoring device configured to generate the alert message upon detecting a network message whose source is the content consumer device and whose destination is the originating content provider device.
5. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein when the one or more devices determine whether the second copy of the first and second content is cached at the one or more devices, the one or more devices are configured to:
compare a file property of the first and second content to be downloaded to file properties of contents cached at the one or more devices;
compare the first and second content to be downloaded at specific offsets to second content; or
download the first and second content to be downloaded until the first and second content to be downloaded is confirmed to match another content being downloaded.
6. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein the second copy includes two or more segments that are stored over two or more devices included in the one or more devices or stored over two or more records in a database.
7. The one or more devices of claim 6, wherein when the one or more devices generate the indices, the one or more devices generate codes for a network device that is not included in the host network to provide to the one or more devices to locate the segments in the one or more devices.
8. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein when the one or more devices acquire the first and second content, the one or more devices are configured to:
join a peer-to-peer cluster.
9. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein when the second copy of the first and second content is cached at the one or more devices, the one or more devices are further configured to:
distribute the second copy via multicast;
seed a bit torrent cluster with the second copy; or
redirect the content consumer device to the second copy in the one or more devices in the host network.
10. The one or more devices of claim 1, comprising:
a verification device configured to determine whether the second copy is stale by comparing samples or checksums of the second copy to samples or checksums of the first copy.
11. The one or more devices of claim 10, wherein the verification device is further configured to hide the second copy from devices not included in the host network when an expiration date for allowing the second copy to be downloaded has expired.
12. The one or more devices of claim 1, further configured to:
select contents to cache at the one or more devices based on a size of each of the contents and frequency of network downloads for each of the contents.
13. The one or more devices of claim 1, further configured to:
download and cache contents from a list of content distribution sites.
14. A method comprising:
receiving a request to store, at a content server farm, a first copy of content from an originating content provider device in a partner network, and to provide the content to a content consumer device in a host network different from the partner network, wherein a path for downloading the first copy of the content from the originating content provider device in the partner network to the content consumer device in the host network includes peering points that connect the host network to the partner network;
determining whether a second copy of the content is stored at the content server farm;
acquiring the content when the second copy of the content is not stored at the content server farm;
determining at least one of a state of limited storage space or a scheduling conflict with respect to pending content storage requests associated with one or more devices in the content server farm in the host network;
determining that a confidence rating assigned to the content consumer device is higher than at least one other confidence rating assigned to another content consumer device in the host network associated with a pending content storage request;
storing, irrespective of the pending content storage request based on the higher confidence rating, the content as the second copy at one or more locations in the one or more devices in the content server farm in the host network;
generating indices that correspond to the second copy of the content and the locations at which the second copy of the content is stored;
storing the generated indices in a database of an index device of a plurality of index devices of the content server farm, wherein each index device is different from the content consumer device, and wherein the database stores other indices of all content stored at the one or more devices in the content server farm; and
transmitting the indices to the other index devices, of the plurality of index devices, so that the databases of all of the index devices, of the plurality of index devices, are synchronized.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the content server farm includes the plurality of index devices.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining whether the second copy of the content is stored at the content server farm includes:
comparing a file property of the first copy to a file property of second content;
comparing the first copy at specific offsets to second content; or
download the first copy until the first copy matches a copy of second content.
17. The method of claim 14, wherein acquiring the content includes:
determining whether the first copy of the content from the originating content provider device is to be stored, at the content server farm, in segments;
downloading the first copy;
segmenting the downloading copy into multiple segments when the first copy of the content is to be stored in segments; and
storing the multiple segments in one or more devices in the content server farm.
18. The method of claim 14, further comprising at least one of:
distributing the second copy via multicast; or
seeding a bit torrent cluster with the second copy.
19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
verifying whether the second copy is stale by comparing samples or checksums of the second copy to samples or checksums of the first copy.
20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising computer-executable instructions, for causing one or more processors executing the computer-executable instructions to:
receive a message indicating that first content is to be downloaded to a content consumer device in a host network different from a partner network;
assign a confidence rating to the content consumer device, relative to other content consumer devices in the host network, wherein the confidence rating is assigned based on a history of content requests received from the content consumer device and the other content consumer devices;
define, based on the assigned confidence rating, a request pattern with respect to the content consumer device and the first content;
identify, based on the request pattern, second content associated with the first content, wherein a first copy of the first and second content is stored at an originating content provider device in the partner network and wherein a path for downloading the first copy of the first and second content from the originating content provider device in the partner network to the content consumer device in the host network includes peering points that connect the host network to the partner network;
determine whether a second copy of the first and second content is cached at a network device that includes the one or more processors;
determine at least one of a state of limited storage space or a scheduling conflict with respect to pending content storage requests associated with one or more devices in the content server farm in the host network;
determine that the assigned confidence rating is higher than at least one other confidence rating assigned to one of the other content consumer devices associated with a pending content storage request;
download, irrespective of the pending content storage request based on the higher confidence rating, the first and second content from the device to the network device when the second copy of the first and second content is not cached at the network device;
cache the first and second content as the second copy at one or more locations in the network device in the host network;
generate indices that correspond to the second copy of the content and the locations at which the second copy of the first and second content is stored;
store the generated indices in a database of an index device of a plurality of index devices, wherein each index device is different from the content consumer device, and wherein the database stores other indices of all content cached at the network device; and
transmit the indices to the other index devices, of the plurality of index devices, so that the databases of all of the index devices, of the plurality of index devices, are synchronized.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A light fixture coupling system, comprising:
a plurality of lamp housings;
a plurality of elongated wireways each including a proximal end and a distal end, each of said distal ends coupled with a corresponding said lamp housing; and
a mounting plate positioned within each of said proximal ends, being used to couple each of said proximal ends together relative to one another, and configured for being used to selectively move said proximal ends away from said mounting plate to align said proximal ends relative to one another.
2. The light fixture coupling system of claim 1, further including a plurality of threaded aligning elements threadably received by said mounting plate, each said threaded aligning element configured for moving a corresponding said proximal end away from said mounting plate.
3. The light fixture coupling system of claim 2, further including a plurality of threaded drawing elements threadably received by said mounting plate, each said threaded drawing element configured for drawing a corresponding said proximal end and said mounting plate toward one another.
4. The light fixture coupling system of claim 3, wherein each of said threaded aligning and drawing elements is vertically oriented, said threaded aligning element being positioned proximally relative to said threaded drawing element of each said wireway.
5. The light fixture coupling system of claim 3, wherein each said proximal end defines a drawing element hole and an aligning element hole, each said drawing element hole being associated with one said threaded drawing element and including a chamfered edge, each said aligning element hole being associated with one said threaded aligning element and not including a chamfered edge.
6. The light fixture coupling system of claim 5, wherein each said threaded aligning element includes a head which is greater in diameter than, and positioned inward of, a corresponding said aligning element hole.
7. A method of coupling a plurality of light fixtures together, said method comprising the steps of:
providing a plurality of lamp housings and a plurality of elongated wireways each including a proximal end and a distal end;
coupling said distal ends with a corresponding said lamp housing;
positioning a mounting plate within each of said proximal ends;
coupling said proximal ends together relative to one another using said mounting plate; and
aligning said proximal ends relative to one another by selectively moving, using said mounting plate, said proximal ends away from said mounting plate.
8. The method of claim 7, further including the step of said mounting plate receiving a plurality of threaded aligning elements and the step of turning at least one said threaded aligning element to move a corresponding said proximal end away from said mounting plate.
9. The method of claim 8, further including the step of said mounting plate receiving a plurality of threaded drawing elements and the step of turning at least one said threaded drawing element to draw a corresponding said proximal end and said mounting plate toward one another.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of said threaded aligning and drawing elements is vertically oriented, said threaded aligning element being positioned proximally relative to said threaded drawing element of each said wireway.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein each said proximal end defines a drawing element hole and an aligning element hole, each said drawing element hole being associated with one said threaded drawing element and including a chamfered edge, each said aligning element hole being associated with one said threaded aligning element and not including a chamfered edge.
12. The method of claim 11, further including accessing, through said aligning element hole, a head of each said threaded aligning element, each said head being greater in diameter than, and positioned inward of, a corresponding said aligning element hole.