System for locating a node containing a requested resource and for selectively verifying the presence of the resource at the node
 The present invention is an improvement in a known LOCATE process used to locate resources in a computer network. The known LOCATE process always requires that information about a target resource be verified by forwarding a LOCATE request to the node owning the target resource. The present invention improves upon this process by use of selective verification. If predetermined conditions are met, a node in the network may reply to a received LOCATE request by using information about the target resource found in its cache directory. The LOCATE request need not be propagated to the node owning the target resource except for predetermined types of sessions or where past attempts to use selective verification have not been successful. 
International Business Machines Corp.
H
H04L
inventional
Michael A. Jeffrey G. Lee M. Dirk K. James C. John E. Joseph L. Johnathan L. Owen H.
Lerner Knauth Rafalow Kramer Fletcher Drake, Jr. McKinnon Harter Choi