Abstract: Obligatorily-acquired digital content items are stored under service control in one or more local storage machines of a computer based on service commands provided by a centralized management service; and voluntarily-acquired digital content items are stored under user control in the one or more local storage machines of the computer based on user commands. The obligatorily-acquired digital content items are protected from user-commanded deletion. The obligatorily-acquired digital content items are deleted from the one or more local storage machines based on service commands provided by the centralized management service. However, the voluntarily-acquired digital content items are deleted from the one or more local storage machines based on user commands.

Abstract: Telemetry data from a plurality of peer computers of a peer-to-peer network is aggregated via a computer network. Each of the plurality of peer computers sends telemetry data relating to transfer of a digital content item within the peer-to-peer network. A mitigation operation that modifies transfer of a digital content item between peer computers of the peer-to-peer network is performed according to one or more health metrics of the peer-to-peer network. The one or more health metrics are derived from the telemetry data aggregated from the plurality of peer computers.

Abstract: A plurality of sources storing portions of a digital content item that includes a plurality of pieces is identified. The plurality of sources includes one or more peer computers of a peer-to-peer network. For each piece of the plurality of pieces of the digital content item, that piece is acquired from a source.

Abstract: Each computing device in a peer-to-peer network stores particular digital content. A computing device in the peer-to-peer network includes a peer prediction system that obtains an indication of digital content that has not been downloaded to the computing device but is predicted to be downloaded by the computing device in the future (e.g., in response to a user request for the digital content). The peer prediction system obtains a list of peer computing devices in the peer-to-peer network that have at least part of the digital content, and communicates with those peer computing devices to determine connectivity information for each of those peer computing devices. The computing device maintains a record of this connectivity information, and in response to a subsequent user request to download the digital content, uses the maintained record to determine which peer computing devices to access to obtain the digital content.

Abstract: A content-acquisition request is sent to a centralized management service computer via a computer network. The content-acquisition request may query the centralized management service computer for a recommended content source to provide a first digital content item. If a response to the content-acquisition request is received via the computer network and identifies a recommended peer computer of a peer-to-peer network as the recommended content source, a request to download the first digital content item is sent to the recommended peer computer via the computer network. If a response to the content-acquisition request is not received, a fallback request to download the first digital content item is automatically sent to a content-delivery network computer via the computer network.

Abstract: A computing device includes a primary content storage machine configured to selectively store one or more content portions of a digital content item, such as game portions of a video game. The computing device is configured to determine a size of a dynamically changing content access window including one or more content portions usable to provide an above-threshold user experience, such as uninterrupted game play, based on a current access position of the digital content item or video game and historical user-specific play patterns or game play consumption rates of different users. The computing device is configured to dynamically load the primary content storage machine with the content portions or game portions corresponding to the content access window and dynamically unload the content or game portions outside of the content access window from the primary content storage machine.

Abstract: Identifying peers to a client for the client to obtain data. A method includes receiving from the client an identification of a dataset and a specification of one or more byte ranges of the dataset. As a result, the method further includes identifying one or more other clients associated with the one or more byte ranges of the dataset to acts as peers to the client. The method further includes providing an indication of the one or more of the other identified clients as peers to the client.

Abstract: Each computing device in a peer-to-peer network stores particular digital content. A computing device in the peer-to-peer network includes a peer prediction system that obtains an indication of digital content that has not been downloaded to the computing device but is predicted to be downloaded by the computing device in the future (e.g., in response to a user request for the digital content). The peer prediction system obtains a list of peer computing devices in the peer-to-peer network that have at least part of the digital content, and communicates with those peer computing devices to determine connectivity information for each of those peer computing devices. The computing device maintains a record of this connectivity information, and in response to a subsequent user request to download the digital content, uses the maintained record to determine which peer computing devices to access to obtain the digital content.

Abstract: A plurality of sources storing portions of a digital content item that includes a plurality of pieces is identified. The plurality of sources includes one or more peer computers of a peer-to-peer network. For each piece of the plurality of pieces of the digital content item, that piece is acquired from a source.

Abstract: Telemetry data from a plurality of peer computers of a peer-to-peer network is aggregated via a computer network. Each of the plurality of peer computers sends telemetry data related to transfer of a digital content item within the peer-to-peer network. A content-acquisition request querying for a recommended content source to provide a first digital content item is received from a first peer computer of the peer-to-peer network via the computer network. A response to the content-acquisition request is sent to the first peer computer via the computer network. The response identifies a second peer computer of the peer-to-peer network that has the first digital content item as the recommended content source. The second peer computer is selected according to a peer selection metric derived from the telemetry data aggregated from the plurality of peer computers.

Abstract: The techniques and systems described herein implement an improved peer matching service by coordinating peer matching requests across multiple peer matching nodes configured within a peer matching unit so that resource consumption can be spread out and resource limitations are not exceeded. Moreover, the peer matching service can determine if a peer matching unit is overloaded (e.g., experiencing an increased number of requests in a given time interval that is causing performance degradation), and the peer matching service can implement an action to scale out the number of requests within the peer matching unit (e.g., re-distribute some peer matching requests to another peer matching unit). In various examples, the peer matching service can determine if peer devices are co-located peer devices based on location information and can generate a list that prioritizes the co-located peer devices.

Abstract: The techniques and systems described herein implement an improved peer matching service by coordinating peer matching requests across multiple peer matching nodes configured within a peer matching unit so that resource consumption can be spread out and resource limitations are not exceeded. Moreover, the peer matching service can determine if a peer matching unit is overloaded (e.g., experiencing an increased number of requests in a given time interval that is causing performance degradation), and the peer matching service can implement an action to scale out the number of requests within the peer matching unit (e.g., re-distribute some peer matching requests to another peer matching unit). In various examples, the peer matching service can determine if peer devices are co-located peer devices based on location information and can generate a list that prioritizes the co-located peer devices.

Abstract: A managed wireless distribution network includes multiple devices that communicate with one another via multiple wireless networks (e.g., multiple Wi-Fi networks). Each device in the managed wireless distribution network can host at least one wireless network and/or join at least one wireless network. Content in the managed wireless distribution network is protected so that the content cannot be consumed unless permission to consume the content is obtained. Devices can host portions of protected content regardless of whether they can consume the protected content, and can obtain portions of protected content via the wireless networks of the managed wireless distribution network without having to access a content service over the Internet.

Abstract: A plurality of sources storing portions of a digital content item that includes a plurality of pieces is identified. The plurality of sources includes one or more local storage machines of a computer and one or more peer computers of a peer-to-peer network. For each piece of the plurality of pieces of the digital content item, that piece is downloaded from a source. The source is selected from the plurality of sources according to one or more download metrics. The plurality of pieces is organized for installation on the computer as the digital content item.

Abstract: A managed wireless distribution network includes multiple devices that communicate with one another via multiple wireless networks (e.g., multiple Wi-Fi networks). Each device in the managed wireless distribution network can host at least one wireless network and/or join at least one wireless network. Content in the managed wireless distribution network is protected so that the content cannot be consumed unless permission to consume the content is obtained. Devices can host portions of protected content regardless of whether they can consume the protected content, and can obtain portions of protected content via the wireless networks of the managed wireless distribution network without having to access a content service over the Internet.

Abstract: A content store is maintained in a device, the device being one of multiple devices in a managed wireless distribution network that allows portions of protected content to be transferred among the multiple devices via multiple wireless networks hosted by various ones of the multiple devices. The content store is configured to maintain portions of protected content that can be consumed by a user of the device only if the user of the device is licensed to consume the protected content. An indication of portions of protected content stored in the content store is provided to each of a set of the multiple devices or to a network management service. Routes to portions of content in the managed wireless distribution network can be identified by the network management service or the multiple devices.

Abstract: Telemetry data from a plurality of peer computers of a peer-to-peer network is aggregated via a computer network. Each of the plurality of peer computers sends telemetry data related to transfer of a digital content item within the peer-to-peer network. A content-acquisition request querying for a recommended content source to provide a first digital content item is received from a first peer computer of the peer-to-peer network via the computer network. A response to the content-acquisition request is sent to the first peer computer via the computer network. The response identifies a second peer computer of the peer-to-peer network that has the first digital content item as the recommended content source. The second peer computer is selected according to a peer selection metric derived from the telemetry data aggregated from the plurality of peer computers.

Abstract: Certain embodiments relate to use of aggressive peering requests, which enable a peer computing device to obtain desired digital content more quickly than typically possible in a P2P network. In certain embodiments, an aggressive peering request comprises a request that another peer computing device, to which the aggressive peering request is sent, dedicates substantially all of, or a disproportionately large amount of, its P2P resources to servicing a specific peer computing device. Other embodiments relate to identifying, based on accessed information, peer computing devices that are predicted to be available as an uninterrupted seed, and thus, can be used to increase download throughput in a P2P network.

Abstract: A content-acquisition request is sent to a centralized management service computer via a computer network. The content-acquisition request may query the centralized management service computer for a recommended content source to provide a first digital content item. If a response to the content-acquisition request is received via the computer network and identifies a recommended peer computer of a peer-to-peer network as the recommended content source, a request to download the first digital content item is sent to the recommended peer computer via the computer network. If a response to the content-acquisition request is not received, a fallback request to download the first digital content item is automatically sent to a content-delivery network computer via the computer network.

Abstract: Buffering an interactive digital content item includes downloading the interactive digital content item, and beginning execution of the interactive digital content item with a buffer after enough of the interactive digital content item is downloaded to fill the buffer and before the interactive digital content item is completely downloaded. The size of the buffer is dynamically set as a function of one or more experience parameters.