Distributing information over a network

• US 10,091,285 B1
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conviva Inc.
• Original Assignee: Conviva Inc.
• Inventors: Stoica, Ion, Zhang, Hui, Mccanne, Steven R., Zhan, Jibin, Ganjam, Aditya Ravikumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Randy A
• Application Number:
  US15/046,291
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 709204, 709206, 709230, 709238, 709205, 709241, 370235, 370252, 370329
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• 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 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1042 using topology management mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1085 involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

Distributing information over a network is disclosed. Nodes are grouped into regions. Preferred nodes are designated. A source of content to be delivered to a preferred node using a preferred algorithm is indicated to at least one preferred node. At least one common node is assigned the preferred node as a relay of information.

Claims

1. A system, including:

one or more hardware processors configured to;

group a plurality of nodes into regions;

designate a first node in the plurality as a preferred node;

indicate to the preferred node a source of content, wherein the content is to be delivered from the indicated source to the preferred node using a preferred algorithm, and

wherein the preferred algorithm optimizes for robustness over efficiency;

assign the preferred node as a relay of information to a second node in the plurality of nodes, wherein the second node is designated as a common node; and

detect a failure of a first delivery coordinator manager and reassociate nodes associated with the failed delivery coordinator manager with a second delivery coordinator manager, wherein the second delivery coordinator manager is configured to reconstruct state information from heartbeats provided by nodes; and

a memory coupled to the one or more hardware processors and configured to provide the one or more hardware processors with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the information relayed from the preferred node to the common node is relayed using an algorithm other than the preferred algorithm.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein an algorithm used to relay information from the preferred node to the common node is based at least in part on the region into which the common node is grouped.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein information is relayed to the common node using an algorithm optimized for efficiency over robustness.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the preferred node is of a first type, and wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to designate preferred nodes of a second type.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein a delivery coordinator manager is configured to select a delivery algorithm to be used between two nodes.

7. The system of claim 1 further including a relay configured to associate one of the regions into which nodes are grouped with a delivery coordinator manager.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein each region into which nodes are grouped is associated with a delivery coordinator manager.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein nodes are designated as preferred nodes based at least in part on their historical performance.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the nodes are reassociated with the second delivery coordinator manager unobtrusively.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of nodes are configured to transmit a heartbeat that includes state information.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of nodes that have been grouped into a region are in possession of a logical identifier of a delivery coordinator manager.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of nodes is grouped into prespecified regions based on policies and the last known characteristics of the nodes.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the preferred node is owned by a third party.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to evaluate nodes for selection as preferred nodes on a recurring basis.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the preferred node is a client.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the preferred node is a server.

18. A method, comprising:

grouping a plurality of nodes into regions;

designating, using one or more processors a first node in the plurality as a preferred node;

indicating to the preferred node a source of content, wherein the content is to be delivered from the indicated source to the preferred node using a preferred algorithm, and wherein the preferred algorithm optimizes for robustness over efficiency;

assigning the preferred node as a relay of information to a second node in the plurality of nodes, wherein the second node is designated as a common node; and

detecting a failure of a first delivery coordinator manager and reassociating nodes associated with the failed delivery coordinator manager with a second delivery coordinator manager, wherein the second delivery coordinator manager is configured to reconstruct state information from heartbeats provided by nodes.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the information relayed from the preferred node to the common node is relayed using an algorithm other than the preferred algorithm.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein an algorithm used to relay information from the preferred node to the common node is based at least in part on the region into which the common node is grouped.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein information is relayed to the common node using an algorithm optimized for efficiency over robustness.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the preferred node is of a first type, and further comprising designating preferred nodes of a second type.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein a delivery coordinator manager is configured to select a delivery algorithm to be used between two nodes.

25. The method of claim 18 further including a relay configured to associate one of the regions into which nodes are grouped with a delivery coordinator manager.

26. The method of claim 18 wherein each region into which nodes are grouped is associated with a delivery coordinator manager.

27. The method of claim 18 wherein nodes are designated as preferred nodes based at least in part on their historical performance.

28. The method of claim 18 wherein the nodes are reassociated with the second delivery coordinator manager unobtrusively.

29. The method of claim 18 wherein the plurality of nodes are configured to transmit a heartbeat that includes state information.

30. The method of claim 18 wherein the plurality of nodes that have been grouped into a region are in possession of a logical identifier of a delivery coordinator manager.

31. The method of claim 18 wherein the plurality of nodes is grouped into prespecified regions based on policies and the last known characteristics of the nodes.

32. The method of claim 18 wherein the preferred node is owned by a third party.

33. The method of claim 18 further comprising evaluating nodes for selection as preferred nodes on a recurring basis.

34. The method of claim 18 wherein the preferred node is a client.

35. The method of claim 18 wherein the preferred node is a server.

19. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

grouping a plurality of nodes into regions;

designating a first node in the plurality as a preferred node;

indicating to the preferred node a source of content, wherein the content is to be delivered from the indicated source to the preferred node using a preferred algorithm, and wherein the preferred algorithm optimizes for robustness over efficiency;

assigning the preferred node as a relay of information to a second node in the plurality of nodes, wherein the second node is designated as a common node; and

detecting a failure of a first delivery coordinator manager and reassociating nodes associated with the failed delivery coordinator manager with a second delivery coordinator manager, wherein the second delivery coordinator manager is configured to reconstruct state information from heartbeats provided by nodes.