Patents by Inventor Robbert Van Renesse

Robbert Van Renesse has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240143378
    Abstract: A method for instantiating and transparently migrating executing containerized processes includes receiving, by a container engine executing on a first machine, an instruction to instantiate a container image on the first machine. The container engine transmits, to a modified container runtime process, executing on the first machine, the instruction to instantiate the container image on the first machine. The modified container runtime process generates, on the first machine, a shim process representing the instantiated container image. The shim process forwards the instruction to an agent executing on a second machine, via a proxy connected to the agent via a network connection. The agent directs instantiation of the container image as a containerized process. A scheduler component executing on the first machine determines to migrate the containerized process to a third machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2024
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventors: Zhiming Shen, Hakim Weatherspoon, Robbert Van Renesse
  • Patent number: 11915031
    Abstract: A method for instantiating and transparently migrating executing containerized processes includes receiving, by a container engine executing on a first machine, an instruction to instantiate a container image on the first machine. The container engine transmits, to a modified container runtime process, executing on the first machine, the instruction to instantiate the container image on the first machine. The modified container runtime process generates, on the first machine, a shim process representing the instantiated container image. The shim process forwards the instruction to an agent executing on a second machine, via a proxy connected to the agent via a network connection. The agent directs instantiation of the container image as a containerized process. A scheduler component executing on the first machine determines to migrate the containerized process to a third machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Exostellar, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhiming Shen, Hakim Weatherspoon, Robbert Van Renesse
  • Patent number: 11816094
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a first processing node configured to participate in a consensus protocol with a plurality of additional processing nodes. The first processing node is further configured in conjunction with its participation in the consensus protocol to implement repeated polling of respective selected subsets of the additional processing nodes, to resolve a state for a given transaction to a particular one of a plurality of possible states for the given transaction responsive to results of the repeated polling; and to initiate at least one automated action based at least in part on the resolved state for the given transaction. In some embodiments, the first processing node utilizes the results of the repeated polling to maintain a directed acyclic graph or other data structure of transactions that characterizes relationships between the given transaction and a plurality of other transactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Cornell University
    Inventors: Kevin Sekniqi, Maofan Yin, Robbert van Renesse, Emin Gün Sirer
  • Publication number: 20230105439
    Abstract: A method for instantiating and transparently migrating executing containerized processes includes receiving, by a container engine executing on a first machine, an instruction to instantiate a container image on the first machine, the container image including at least one process without including an operating system kernel. The container engine transmits, to a modified container runtime process, the instruction to instantiate the container image on the first machine. The modified container runtime process generates, on the first machine, a shim process representing the instantiated container image. The shim process forwards the instruction to an agent on a second machine. The agent directs instantiation of the container image, which includes providing, to the containerized process, at least one instruction for communicating with an operating system kernel of the second machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: Zhiming Shen, Hakim Weatherspoon, Robbert Van Renesse
  • Publication number: 20220050705
    Abstract: A method for instantiating and transparently migrating executing containerized processes includes receiving, by a container engine executing on a first machine, an instruction to instantiate a container image on the first machine. The container engine transmits, to a modified container runtime process, executing on the first machine, the instruction to instantiate the container image on the first machine. The modified container runtime process generates, on the first machine, a shim process representing the instantiated container image. The shim process forwards the instruction to an agent executing on a second machine, via a proxy connected to the agent via a network connection. The agent directs instantiation of the container image as a containerized process. A scheduler component executing on the first machine determines to migrate the containerized process to a third machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Zhiming Shen, Hakim Weatherspoon, Robbert Van Renesse
  • Publication number: 20210117410
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a first processing node configured to participate in a consensus protocol with a plurality of additional processing nodes. The first processing node is further configured in conjunction with its participation in the consensus protocol to implement repeated polling of respective selected subsets of the additional processing nodes, to resolve a state for a given transaction to a particular one of a plurality of possible states for the given transaction responsive to results of the repeated polling; and to initiate at least one automated action based at least in part on the resolved state for the given transaction. In some embodiments, the first processing node utilizes the results of the repeated polling to maintain a directed acyclic graph or other data structure of transactions that characterizes relationships between the given transaction and a plurality of other transactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Kevin Sekniqi, Maofan Yin, Robbert van Renesse, Emin Gün Sirer
  • Publication number: 20210109775
    Abstract: A method in one embodiment comprises implementing a kernel-based isolation layer, configuring a software container on the kernel-based isolation layer to include a dedicated operating system kernel as a library operating system, and executing one or more user processes in the software container. The method is performed by a cloud-based processing platform, an enterprise processing platform, or other type of processing platform comprising a plurality of processing devices, with each such processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory. The library operating system illustratively runs in the software container at a privilege level that is the same as a privilege level of the one or more user processes executing in the software container. The library operating system is illustratively configured to support automatic translation of binaries of the one or more user processes in conjunction with converting system calls into corresponding function calls.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Inventors: Zhiming Shen, Robbert van Renesse, Hakim Weatherspoon
  • Patent number: 8799264
    Abstract: In a method for improving the efficiency of a search engine in accessing, searching and retrieving information in the form of documents stored in document or content repositories, the search engine comprises an array of search nodes hosted on one or more servers. An index of the stored document is created. The search engine processes a user search query and returns a result set of query-matching documents. The index of the search engine is configured on the basis of one or more document properties and partitioned, replicated and distributed over the array of the search nodes. The search queries are processed on the basis of the distributed index. The method realizes a framework for distributing the index of a search engine across several hosts in a computer cluster, relying on three orthogonal mechanisms for index distribution, namely index partitioning, index replication, and assignment of replicas to hosts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Johannes Gehrke, Robbert Van Renesse, Fred Schneider
  • Publication number: 20090157666
    Abstract: In a method for improving the efficiency of a search engine in accessing, searching and retrieving information in the form of documents stored in document or content repositories, the search engine comprises an array of search nodes hosted on one or more servers. An index of the stored document is created. The search engine processes a user search query and returns a result set of query-matching documents. The index of the search engine is configured on the basis of one or more document properties and partitioned, replicated and distributed over the array of the search nodes. The search queries are processed on the basis of the distributed index. The method realizes a framework for distributing the index of a search engine across several hosts in a computer cluster, relying on three orthogonal mechanisms for index distribution, namely index partitioning, index replication, and assignment of replicas to hosts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicant: Fast Search & Transfer AS
    Inventors: Johannes Gehrke, Robbert Van Renesse, Fred Schneider
  • Patent number: 6724770
    Abstract: A scalable multicast protocol buffers the multicast messages at a subset of “C” members, where C is selected to reduce to an acceptable level the probability that a given message will be lost before it reaches at least one of the C members. When a member receives a multicast message, the member determines whether or not it should buffer the message by manipulating a string of bytes that is unique to both the message and the member and determining if the result is less than a calculated value C/n, where “n” is the number of known members. When one of the C bufferers thereafter receives a gossip message that indicates that the multicast message has been lost to the gossiping member, the bufferer retransmits the message to the gossiping member. When a member that is not one of the C bufferers receives such a gossip message, the member determines which members are bufferers of the lost message and requests that one of the bufferers retransmit the message to the gossiping member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Inventor: Robbert Van Renesse
  • Patent number: 6529953
    Abstract: A computer network resource monitoring and locating system includes one or more hierarchical management information bases (HMIBs) through which a user can locate or obtain information relevant to managing or locating various network resources. The system maintains a portion of the HMIB information on each node, and a user starts from a local node and navigates through the system using the contact information that is part of the HMIBs. Each network node provides information directly to an associated lowest level MIB, referred to herein as a group MIB, and maintains a copy of that MIB. The system condenses the information in the gossip MIB and provides the condensed information as a row of a next highest level MIB, which is referred to herein as a subnetwork MIB. The system further condenses the information in this MIB to produce a row of a next highest level MIB, and so forth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Reliable Network Solutions
    Inventor: Robbert Van Renesse
  • Patent number: 6411967
    Abstract: A replicated management information base (RMIB), or replicated spreadsheet, is maintained at nodes to share information among the nodes. The RMIB includes columns, or categories, of the information to be shared and rows for the respective “member” nodes. Each member node is responsible for the contents of its own row. When the node updates its row, the node sends out an update message to the other members. As the update message propagates through the membership, each member updates the row in its copy, or view, of the RMIB. The nodes may include version numbers in the update messages, so that the receiving node ignores older messages or applies the messages in order. The member nodes may gossip among themselves, to ensure that each node receives the most recent updates. Also, the nodes may monitor their respective network interfaces and send as updates any changes to the status of the interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Reliable Network Solutions
    Inventor: Robbert Van Renesse
  • Patent number: 6208651
    Abstract: The Protocol Accelerator is a system which significantly reduces the communication latency of complex layered communication protocols. In particular, the protocol accelerator reduces both the message header overhead imposed by layered protocols and the message processing overhead by employing such techniques as classifying, collecting and aligning the headers, using shorter identifiers to represent information in immutable fields of the headers, introducing pre- and post-processing of a message, packet filtering, and packing and unpacking of messages in cases where a backlog of messages has to be processed by the protocol accelerator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: Cornell Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Robbert Van Renesse, Mark Hayden