Systems and methods for seamless host migration

• US 10,063,631 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2017
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Jacob, Mark Lester, Roy, Ronald Joseph, Harris, Adam Pierce
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice L
• Application Number:
  US15/672,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20180013820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1053 with pre-configuration of logical or physical connections with a determined number of other peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1076 Resource dissemination mechanisms or network resource keeping policies for optimal resource availability in the overlay network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1093 Some peer nodes performing special functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Systems and methods of the present invention for maintaining network data distribution are provided. Network data may be distributed in such as manner as to allow a network session to weather interrupted communications between host and clients without significant loss of data. Embodiments of the present invention provide for one or more clients to serve as backup host(s) for the network session. When the other clients transmit data to the host, they may also transmit the data to one or more backup hosts if there are any indications of interrupted communication.

Claims

1. A method for migrating hosts in a network game environment, the method comprising:

evaluating backup viability criteria for a plurality of clients within a network game session;

transmitting network information regarding a host responsibility to a group of clients that satisfy the backup viability criteria, the transmitted network information corresponding to host responsibilities assigned to the group of clients to take over when communication with the host regarding those host responsibilities is interrupted, wherein different groups of clients are assigned different host responsibilities;

allocating host responsibilities within the group of clients, wherein allocating the host responsibilities includes identifying an order for performing the host responsibilities based on the evaluated backup viability criteria;

detecting an interruption in communication between the host and the network game session pertaining to a first host responsibility;

replacing the host with a first client within the group of clients allocated the first host responsibility, wherein the first client is instructed to communicate with the network game session and to perform the first host responsibility in place of the host; and

monitoring the network game session for further interruption in communication, wherein a next client within the group of clients is assigned to replace the first client in performing the first host responsibility following the further interruption.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the backup viability criteria is based on characteristics of the network game session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the backup viability criteria comprises at least one of bandwidth, processing power, memory, hardware or software configurations, and quality of service metrics.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the quality of service metrics includes at least one of ping rate, packet loss, available memory, and processor speed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating the host responsibilities includes assigning each of the clients within the group of clients a different host responsibility to be performed when communication with the host is interrupted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the order for performing the host responsibilities is based on at least one of bandwidth or quality of service metrics.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein evaluating the backup viability criteria for the group of clients within the network game session includes:

evaluating network connections between the host and each of the group of clients within the network game session; and

evaluating network connections among each of the plurality of clients within the network game session.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

compiling a database that stores information about the host, the group of clients and the network game session, the stored information including at least one of network name, Internet protocol (IP) address, and firewall information; and

updating the compiled database based on a change to the group of clients within the network game, wherein performance of the host responsibilities is based on the stored information in the updated database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the network game session for further communication interruptions comprises polling, and wherein polling comprises:

sending packets of data to each client of the group of clients in the network game session,

receiving replies from each client that received the data packets, and

identifying one or more clients that did not provide a reply as having a connectivity problem.

10. A system for migrating hosts in a network game environment, the system comprising:

a plurality of client devices communicatively connected to a network game session, wherein one of the client devices is designated a host of the network game session; and

a server comprising;

memory that maintains information regarding backup viability criteria for the plurality of clients within the network game session,

a communication interface that transmits network information regarding a host responsibility to a group of clients that satisfy the backup viability criteria, the transmitted network information corresponding to host responsibilities assigned to the group of clients to take over when communication with the host regarding those host responsibilities is interrupted, wherein different groups of clients are assigned different host responsibilities, and

a processor that executes instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor;

allocates host responsibilities within the group of clients, wherein allocating the host responsibilities includes identifying an order for performing the host responsibilities based on the backup viability criteria,

detects an interruption in communication between the host and the network game session pertaining to a first host responsibility,

replaces the host with a first client within the group of clients allocated the first host responsibility, wherein the first client is instructed to communicate with the network game session and to perform the first host responsibility in place of the host, and

monitors the network game session for further interruption in communication, wherein a next client within the group of clients is assigned to replace the first client in performing the first host responsibility following the further interruption.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the backup viability criteria is based on characteristics of the network game session.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the backup viability criteria comprises at least one of bandwidth, processing power, memory, hardware or software configurations, and quality of service metrics.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the quality of service metrics includes at least one of ping rate, packet loss, available memory, and processor speed.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor allocates the host responsibilities by assigning each of the clients within the group of clients a different host responsibility to be performed when communication with the host is interrupted.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the order for performing the host responsibilities is based on at least one of bandwidth or quality of service metrics.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor evaluates the backup viability criteria for the group of clients within the network game session by:

evaluating network connections between the host and each of the group of clients within the network game session; and

evaluating network connections among each of the plurality of clients within the network game session.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory further:

maintains a compiled database that stores information about the host, the group of clients and the network game session, the stored information including at least one of network name, Internet protocol (IP) address, and firewall information; and

updates the compiled database based on a change to the group of clients within the network game, wherein performance of the host responsibilities is based on the stored information in the updated database.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor monitors the network game session for further communication interruptions by polling, and wherein polling comprises:

sending packets of data to each client of the group of clients in the network game session via the communication interface,

receiving replies from each client that received the data packets via the communication interface, and

identifying one or more clients that did not provide a reply as having a connectivity problem.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for migrating hosts in a network game environment, the method comprising:

evaluating backup viability criteria for a plurality of clients within a network game session;

transmitting network information regarding a host responsibility to a group of clients that satisfy the backup viability criteria, the transmitted network information corresponding to host responsibilities assigned to the group of clients to take over when communication with the host regarding those host responsibilities is interrupted, wherein different groups of clients are assigned different host responsibilities;

allocating host responsibilities within the group of clients, wherein allocating the host responsibilities includes identifying an order for performing the host responsibilities based on the evaluated backup viability criteria;

detecting an interruption in communication between the host and the network game session pertaining to a first host responsibility;

replacing the host with a first client within the group of clients allocated the first host responsibility, wherein the first client is instructed to communicate with the network game session and to perform the first host responsibility in place of the host; and

monitoring the network game session for further interruption in communication, wherein a next client within the group of clients is assigned to replace the first client in performing the first host responsibility following the further interruption.