Data distribution system and data distribution method

• US 20020062332A1
• Filed: 10/16/2001
• Published: 05/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Egashira, Toru, Igakura, Tomohiro, Nogami, Kosuke
• Granted Patent: US 6,807,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/103
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs

Abstract

The invention provides a data distribution system and method which can control distribution of data in a network configuration wherein the number of servers used in an initial stage of data distribution is comparatively small but is increased in accordance with a situation so that clients can access impartially. The data distribution system includes a distribution server, a plurality of reception servers, and a plurality of clients. The distribution server includes a distribution control section including an order determination section for calculating an evaluation value between each of the reception servers and the clients based on a predetermined evaluation expression and determining an order of the reception servers to which data are to be transmitted in accordance with the evaluation values. The order determination section executes an ideal solution calculation step, a permutation set production step and a selection order determination step to select the reception servers so as to be accessed impartially from the clients even if a reception server to be used for reception of data is increased.

Claims

1. A data distribution system of a network configuration, comprising:

a distribution server;

a plurality of reception servers for receiving data from said distribution server; and

a plurality of clients which utilize said reception servers;

said distribution server including order determination means for calculating an evaluation value between each of said reception servers and said clients based on a predetermined evaluation expression and determining an order of said reception servers to which data are to be transmitted in accordance with the evaluation values;

said order determination means selecting said reception servers so as to be accessed impartially from said clients even if a reception server to be used is increased.

2. A data distribution system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said order determination means includes:

ideal solution calculation means for selecting combinations of x reception servers from among said reception servers, whose number is n, n being an integer, x being an integer from 1 to n, calculating, for each of the combinations, an evaluation value between each of the reception servers belonging to the combination and the clients connected to the reception server in accordance with the evaluation value, evaluating the evaluation values of the combinations in accordance with an evaluation method determined in advance to select the highest evaluation value from among the evaluation values, determining the selected evaluation value as an ideal solution for the x reception servers, successively determining the ideal solution for x=1 to n to determine a set of n ideal solutions and storing the ideal solutions as evaluation values of the entire network;

permutation set production means for producing a set of permutations of the n reception servers; and

selection order determination means for selecting y reception servers from each of the permutations produced by said permutation set production means, y being an integer successively increasing from 1 to n, calculating evaluation values between the y reception servers and those clients connected to the y reception servers in accordance with the evaluation expression, subtracting the ideal solution for the y reception servers determined by said ideal solution calculation means from the evaluation values to determine differences, adding the differences for y=1 to n to calculate a difference sum for the permutation, determining the difference sum for all of the permutations and selecting the permutation which exhibits the smallest difference sum.

3. A data distribution system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said order determination means includes:

individual evaluation value calculation means for calculating, for each of the n reception servers, an evaluation value between the reception server and those clients connected to the reception server in accordance with the evaluation expression;

all evaluation value calculation means for determining the evaluation value with regard to all of then reception servers and calculating a set of the evaluation values;

selection order determination means for evaluating the set of evaluation values produced by said all evaluation value calculation means in accordance with an evaluation method determined in advance to select that one of the reception servers which corresponds to the highest evaluation value and excepting the selected reception server from the group of n reception servers; and

discrimination means for discriminating whether or not the selection order of all of the reception servers is determined finally.

4. A data distribution system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said order determination means includes:

ideal solution calculation means for selecting combinations of x reception servers from among said reception servers, whose number is n, n being an integer, x being an integer from 1 to n, calculating, for each of the combinations, an evaluation value between each of the reception servers belonging to the combination and the clients connected to the reception server in accordance with the evaluation value, evaluating the evaluation values of the combinations in accordance with an evaluation method determined in advance to select the highest evaluation value from among the evaluation values, determining the selected evaluation value as an ideal solution for the x reception servers, successively determining the ideal solution for x=1 to n to determine a set of n ideal solutions and storing the ideal solutions as evaluation values of the entire network;

permutation set production means for producing a set of permutations of the n reception servers;

first selection order determination means for selecting y reception servers from each of the permutations produced by said permutation set production means, y being an integer successively increasing from 1 to n, calculating evaluation values between the y reception servers and those clients connected to the y reception servers in accordance with the evaluation expression, subtracting the ideal solution for the y reception servers determined by said ideal solution calculation means from the evaluation values to determine differences, adding the differences for y=1 to n to calculate a difference sum for the permutation, determining the difference sum for all of the permutations and selecting the permutation which exhibits the smallest difference sum;

individual evaluation value calculation means for calculating, for each of the n reception servers, an evaluation value between the reception server and those clients connected to the reception server in accordance with the evaluation expression;

all evaluation value calculation means for determining the evaluation value with regard to all of the n reception servers and calculating a set of the evaluation values;

second selection order determination means for evaluating the set of evaluation values produced by said all evaluation value calculation means in accordance with an evaluation method determined in advance to select that one of the reception servers which corresponds to the highest evaluation value and excepting the selected reception server from the group of n reception servers; and

discrimination means for discriminating whether or not the selection order of all of the reception servers is determined finally.

5. A data distribution system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the selection order of z ones of the set of n reception servers is determined by said ideal solution calculation means, said permutation set production means and said first selection order determination means, z being an integer equal to or greater than 2 but equal to or smaller than n−

2, and the selection order of the remaining reception servers is determined by said individual evaluation value calculation means, said all evaluation value calculation means and said second selection order determination means.

6. A data distribution system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, where the coordinates of each of said reception servers are represented by (Sx, Sy) and the coordinates of each of said clients are presented by (Cx, Cy), the evaluation value is given by |Sx−

Cx|+|Sy−

Cy|.

7. A data distribution method for a data distribution system of a network configuration which includes a distribution server, a plurality of reception servers for receiving data from said distribution server, and a plurality of clients which utilize said reception servers, comprising:

an order determination step executed by said distribution server of calculating an evaluation value between each of said reception servers and said clients based on a predetermined evaluation expression and determining an order of said reception servers to which data are to be transmitted in accordance with the evaluation values such that said reception servers are selected so as to be accessed impartially from said clients even if a reception server to be used is increased.

8. A data distribution method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the order determination step for selection of said reception servers includes:

an ideal solution calculation step of selecting combinations of x reception servers from among said reception servers, whose number is n, n being an integer, x being an integer from 1 to n, calculating, for each of the combinations, an evaluation value between each of the reception servers belonging to the combination and the clients connected to the reception server in accordance with the evaluation value, evaluating the evaluation values of the combinations in accordance with an evaluation method determined in advance to select the highest evaluation value from among the evaluation values, determining the selected evaluation value as an ideal solution for the x reception servers, successively determining the ideal solution for x=1 ton to determine a set of n ideal solutions and storing the ideal solutions as evaluation values of the entire network;

a permutation set production step of producing a set of permutations of the n reception servers; and

a selection order determination step of selecting y reception servers from each of the permutations produced by the permutation set production step, y being an integer successively increasing from 1 to n, calculating evaluation values between the y reception servers and those clients connected to the y reception servers in accordance with the evaluation expression, subtracting the ideal solution for the y reception servers determined by the ideal solution calculation step from the evaluation values to determine differences, adding the differences for y=1 to n to calculate a difference sum for the permutation, determining the difference sum for all of the permutations and selecting the permutation which exhibits the smallest difference sum.

9. A data distribution method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the order determination step for selection of said reception servers includes:

an individual evaluation value calculation step of calculating, for each of the n reception servers, an evaluation value between the reception server and those clients connected to the reception server in accordance with the evaluation expression;

an all evaluation value calculation step of determining the evaluation value with regard to all of then reception servers and calculating a set of the evaluation values;

a selection order determination step of evaluating the set of evaluation values produced by the all evaluation value calculation step in accordance with an evaluation method determined in advance to select that one of the reception servers which corresponds to the highest evaluation value and excepting the selected reception server from the group of n reception servers; and

a discrimination step of discriminating whether or not the selection order of all of the reception servers is determined finally.

10. A data distribution method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the order determination step for selection of said reception servers includes:

an ideal solution calculation step of selecting combinations of x reception servers from among said reception servers, whose number is n, n being an integer, x being an integer from 1 to n, calculating, for each of the combinations, an evaluation value between each of the reception servers belonging to the combination and the clients connected to the reception server in accordance with the evaluation value, evaluating the evaluation values of the combinations in accordance with an evaluation method determined in advance to select the highest evaluation value from among the evaluation values, determining the selected evaluation value as an ideal solution for the x reception servers, successively determining the ideal solution for x=1 to n to determine a set of n ideal solutions and storing the ideal solutions as evaluation values of the entire network;

a permutation set production step of producing a set of permutations of the n reception servers;

a first selection order determination step of selecting y reception servers from each of the permutations produced by the permutation set production step, y being an integer successively increasing from 1 to n, calculating evaluation values between the y reception servers and those clients connected to the y reception servers in accordance with the evaluation expression, subtracting the ideal solution for the y reception servers determined by the ideal solution calculation step from the evaluation values to determine differences, adding the differences for y=1 to n to calculate a difference sum for the permutation, determining the difference sum for all of the permutations and selecting the permutation which exhibits the smallest difference sum;

an individual evaluation value calculation step of calculating, for each of the n reception servers, an evaluation value between the reception server and those clients connected to the reception server in accordance with the evaluation expression;

an all evaluation value calculation step of determining the evaluation value with regard to all of then reception servers and calculating a set of the evaluation values;

a second selection order determination step of evaluating the set of evaluation values produced by the all evaluation value calculation step in accordance with an evaluation method determined in advance to select that one of the reception servers which corresponds to the highest evaluation value and excepting the selected reception server from the group of n reception servers; and

a discrimination step of discriminating whether or not the selection order of all of the reception servers is determined finally.

11. A data distribution method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the selection order of z ones of the set of n reception servers is determined by the ideal solution calculation step, the permutation set production step and the first selection order determination step, z being an integer equal to or greater than 2 but equal to or smaller than n−

2, and the selection order of the remaining reception servers is determined by the individual evaluation value calculation step, the all evaluation value calculation step and the second selection order determination step.

12. A data distribution method as claimed in claim 7, wherein, where the coordinates of each of said reception servers are represented by (Sx, Sy) and the coordinates of each of said clients are presented the evaluation value is given by |Sx−

Cx|+|Sy−

Cy|.