Media session between network endpoints

• US 10,244,003 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gunnalan, Rajesh, Khan, Humayun Mukhtar, Moore, Timothy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Application Number:
  US14/497,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20160094586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/256 NAT traversal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]

Abstract

A media session between an initiating endpoint and a responding endpoint is effected, there being a plurality of available paths through a communication network via which the media session could be established. Type metrics associated with the available paths convey the directness of the available paths and are for making a selection of an available path for the media session. Network information indicative of the quality of the available paths and collected from a plurality of network nodes comprises contributions from network nodes other than the initiating and receiving endpoints which have current and/or have had past visibility of at least parts of the available paths. Said selection is influenced so as to cause the endpoints to select for the media session a higher quality but less direct available path in favor of a more direct but lower quality available path.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing network information indicative of the quality of available paths between a first endpoint device and a second endpoint device over a network, the network information collected from a plurality of network nodes and comprising contributions from one or more user devices other than the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device and which have one or more of current or past visibility of at least a portion of the available paths;

generating selection data that indicates a selected path between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint devices for routing a media session, the selected path based on an ordering of the available paths that prioritizes the quality of the available paths over directness of the available paths,

wherein the directness of the available paths is determined based at least in part on whether transmitting media session data on each respective available path includes processing of the transmitted data while in transit between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device below a transport layer at a respective device, and

wherein a respective available path which includes more processing of the transmitted data at or above the transport layer at a respective device is less direct compared to another respective available path which includes less processing of the transmitted data than the respective available path at or above the transport layer at a respective device; and

transmitting the selection data to at least one of the first endpoint device or the second endpoint device to cause the at least one of the first endpoint device or the second endpoint device to attempt use of the selected path for the media session before use of another path of the available paths, wherein the selected path has a higher quality than the another path, but is a less direct path between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device than the another path.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network information comprises telemetry gathered from previously established media sessions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the network information comprises telemetry gathered from previously established media sessions and wherein at least part of the telemetry has been gathered from a media session that was previously established via a path which overlaps one of the available paths.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein a first part of the telemetry has been gathered from a first media session previously established via at least a portion of the first path, and a second part of the telemetry has been gathered from a second media session previously established via at least a portion of the another path.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the network is an internet in which data is routed between individual networks of the internet, and the network information comprises topology information which conveys, for at least one of the available paths, the nature of the routing decisions that would be made were data to be transmitted along that path.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the internet includes a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) link, and the topology information identifies that available path as involving the MPLS link.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein data is routed between the individual networks in accordance with Internet Service Provider (ISP) peering agreements, and the topology information pertains to an ISP peering agreement.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein type metrics indicating the directness of the available paths are assigned to network addresses associated with the available paths in accordance with an Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) protocol.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first path includes a media relay server and the another path does not include a media relay server.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the media relay server is a Traversal Using Relay NAT (TURN) server and the another path does not include a TURN server.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first path includes a network address translator (NAT) and the lower quality available path does not include any network address translators.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the directness of the available paths is received as values generated in accordance with a static priority scheme, and wherein a functionality of the network is organized into hierarchical layers and the values represent an inverse relationship between directness of a respective available path and whether said transmission of data on the respective available path includes said processing of the transmitted data at a higher layer of the network while in transit between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a functionality of the network is organized into hierarchical layers and said processing of the transmitted data while in transit between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device includes causing the transmitted data to traverse a higher layer of the network than a layer of the network at which the transmitted data is sent or received by the first endpoint device or the second endpoint device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the network is a packet-based network and the transmitted data includes data packets comprising a header and payload, and wherein said processing of the transmitted data while in transit between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device includes modifying one or more of the payload of the data packets or the header of the data packets.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first endpoint device or the second endpoint device uses the selection data to establish the selected path to route communications between the first and second endpoint devices, wherein the first endpoint device or the second endpoint device selects the selected path, using the ordering of the available paths, based on the higher quality of the selected path relative to the another path.

16. A computer-readable storage medium excluding a transitory signal including code stored thereon that, responsive to execution by at least one processor of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

accessing type metrics associated with available paths between a first endpoint device and a second endpoint device for establishing a media session between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device over a network, the type metrics indicating directness of the available paths,

wherein the directness of the available paths is determined based at least in part on whether transmitting media session data on each respective available path includes processing of the transmitted data while in transit between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device below a transport layer at a respective device, and

wherein a respective available path which includes more processing of the transmitted data at or above the transport layer at a respective device is less direct compared to another respective available path which includes less processing of the transmitted data than the respective available path at or above the transport layer at a respective device;

receiving selection data that indicates available paths between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device for routing the media session, the selection data indicating quality of the available paths and directness of the available paths, the selection data generated based on;

network information collected from one or more user devices other than the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device, the network information indicative of the quality of the available paths between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device; and

the type metrics indicative of the directness of the available paths between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device;

wherein the available paths in the selection data are ordered to prioritize the quality of the available paths over the directness of the available paths; and

based on the selection data, selecting for establishing the media session a first path that has a higher quality than a second path, but is a less direct path between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device than the second path, wherein the media session is established via the selected first path, and wherein the selected first path is attempted before use of another path of the available paths.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting, during the media session, a reduction in the quality of the selected first path; and

selecting a new available path in response, the media session continued via the newly selected path.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the selection data is generated further based on local telemetry information stored by one or more of the first endpoint device or the second endpoint device, the local telemetry information gathered for at least one previous media session in which the one or more of the first endpoint device or the second endpoint device previously participated.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising assigning priorities to the available paths based on the type metrics and the selection data, wherein the first path has a higher assigned priority than the second path.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

assigning priorities to each of the available paths based at least on the type metrics; and

generating a subset of the available paths based on the selection data, wherein said selecting is restricted to the subset, and the second path is removed from the subset based on the network information indicating that the quality of the second path is below a threshold quality.

21. A system comprising:

at least one processor, and

one or more computer-readable storage media including instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform operations including;

accessing type metrics associated with available paths between a first endpoint device and a second endpoint device for establishing a media session between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device over a network, the type metrics indicating directness of the available paths,

wherein the directness of the available paths is determined based at least in part on whether transmitting media session data on each respective available path includes processing of the transmitted data while in transit between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device below a transport layer at a respective device, and

wherein a respective available path which includes more processing of the transmitted data at or above the transport layer at a respective device is less direct compared to another respective available path which includes less processing of the transmitted data than the respective available path at or above the transport layer at a respective device;

receiving selection data that indicates available paths between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device for routing the media session, the selection data indicating quality of the available paths and directness of the available paths, the selection data generated based at least in part on network information indicating the quality of the available paths between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device and the type metrics indicating the directness of the available paths between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device, wherein the available paths in the selection data are ordered to prioritize the quality of the available paths over the directness of the available paths;

selecting for the media session, based on the selection data, a first path that has a higher quality than a second path but is a less direct path between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device than the second path; and

establishing the media session via the selected first path, wherein the selected first path is attempted before use of another path of the available paths.