System and method for automatic and adaptive use of active network performance measurement techniques to find the fastest source

• US 20020194310A1
• Filed: 06/19/2001
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hady, Frank T., Chu, Jim
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided through which automatic and adaptive use of active network performance measurement techniques identifies a fastest download source. Before a download source is selected, empirical measurements of the download speed are performed. For small files, the first source to acknowledge an open socket connection is used as an indication of the fastest download source. For large files, a download test is performed as the empirical measurement to determine the fastest download source.

Claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of sources comprising:

determining an empirical measurement of a performance of each of the plurality of sources; and

selecting a source in reference to the empirical measurement of the performance of each of the plurality of sources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises:

obtaining an empirical measurement of a throughput speed of each of the plurality of sources from at least one third-party source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises:

obtaining an empirical measurement of a throughput speed of each of the plurality of sources from a local source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance further comprises a throughput speed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance comprises latency.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the measuring further comprises:

measuring the elapsed time of a transmission involving each of the plurality of sources.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the measuring further comprises for each of the plurality of sources.

recording transmission time from the current time and date;

initiating a transmission to a download source of the plurality of sources;

receiving a response to the transmission from the source;

recording the receipt time from the current date and time; and

determining the throughput speed of the source from the difference between the receipt time and the transmission time.

8. A computer-accessible medium having executable instructions for managing a plurality of sources, said executable instructions capable of directing a processor to perform:

determining an empirical measurement of a throughput speed of each of the plurality of sources; and

selecting a source in reference to the empirical measurement of the throughput speed of each of the plurality of sources.

9. The medium of claim 8, wherein the throughput speed further comprises a download speed.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein said instruction for determining further comprises an instruction capable of directing the processor to perform:

measuring a throughput speed of each of the plurality of sources.

11. The medium of claim 1O, wherein said instruction for measuring further comprises instructions capable of directing the processor to perform for each of the plurality of sources:

recording transmission time from the current time and date;

initiating a transmission to a download source of the plurality of sources;

receiving a response to the transmission from the source;

recording the receipt time from the current date and time; and

determining the throughput speed of the source from the difference between the receipt time and the transmission time.

13. The computer data signal of claim 12, wherein the determining further comprises for each of the plurality of sources:

recording transmission time from the current time and date;

initiating a transmission to a download source of the plurality of sources;

receiving a response to the transmission from the source;

recording the receipt time from the current date and time; and

determining the throughput speed of the source from the difference between the receipt time and the transmission time.

14. The computer data signal of claim 12, wherein the throughput speed further comprises latency.

16. The computerized method of claim 15, wherein source further comprises a source in a peer-to-peer network.

19. The medium of claim 18, wherein the source further comprises a source in a peer-to-peer network.

20. The medium of claim 18, wherein said instruction for determining further comprises instructions capable of directing the processor to perform:

recording transmission time from the current time and date;

initiating a transmission to a download source of the plurality of sources;

receiving a response to the transmission from the source;

recording the receipt time from the current date and time; and

determining the round-trip timing of the source from the difference between the receipt time and the transmission time.

12. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a sequence of instructions for managing a plurality of sources which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of:

determining an empirical measurement of a download speed of each of the plurality of sources; and

selecting a source in reference to the empirical measurement of the download speed of each of the plurality of sources.

15. A computerized method for managing a plurality of sources comprising:

storing transmission time from the current time and date;

initiating a transmission to a download source of the plurality of sources;

receiving a response to the transmission from the source;

storing the receipt time from the current date and time;

determining the latency of the source from the difference between the receipt time and the transmission time; and

selecting a source in reference to the latency speed of each of the plurality of sources.

17. The computerized method 15, wherein the:

the transmission further comprises a TCP/IP synchronized idle message; and

the response further comprises a TCP/IP acknowledgment message.

18. A computer-accessible medium having executable instructions for managing a plurality of sources, said executable instructions capable of directing a processor to perform:

determining a plurality of round-trip timings of a packet transmission in conjunction with each of a plurality of possible sources; and

selecting a source in reference to the plurality of round-trip timings.

21. A computerized method for managing a plurality of sources comprising:

obtaining a list comprising a plurality of identification of sources;

initiating a plurality of socket connections, the plurality of socket connections further comprising one socket connection for each of the plurality of sources, yielding a plurality of initiated socket connections;

receiving a response for the each of the plurality of initiated socket connections, yielding a plurality of responses; and

selecting the fastest source of the plurality of sources in reference to a predetermined file size and in reference to the response.

22. The computerized method of claim 21, wherein the predetermined file size is less than a predetermined threshold file size and wherein the selecting further comprises:

selecting the source associated with the response that is received first.

23. The computerized method of claim 21, wherein the predetermined file size is greater than a predetermined threshold file size and wherein the selecting further comprises:

measuring the latency of each of the plurality of sources; and

selecting a source in reference to the download speed of each of the plurality of sources.

24. The computerized method of claim 23, wherein measuring the latency further comprises:

storing the time and date of each of the plurality of initiating socket connections;

storing the time and date of each of the plurality of responses; and

determining the download speed of each of the plurality of sources from the differences between the time and date of each of the plurality of responses and the time and date of each of the plurality of initiating socket connections.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the throughput speed further comprises a round-trip time.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the throughput speed further comprises a latency.

29. The computerized system of claim 28, the determiner further comprising:

a transmitter of a message to a download source of the plurality of sources;

a recorder of the time of a transmission of a message, operably coupled to the transmitter;

a receiver of a response to the transmission from the source, operably coupled to the transmitter;

a recorder of the time of receipt of a response; and

a determiner of the throughput speed of the source, from the difference between the receipt time and the transmission time.

30. The computerized system of claim 28, wherein the:

the message further comprises a TCP/IP synchronized idle message; and

the response further comprises a TCP/IP acknowledgment message.

25. A system for managing sources in a peer-to-peer network comprising:

a processor; and

software means operative on the processor for determining an empirical measurement of a throughput speed of each of the plurality of sources and selecting a source in reference to the empirical measurement of the throughput speed of each of the plurality of sources.

28. A computerized system comprising:

a determiner of an empirical measurement of a throughput speed of each of the plurality of download peer-to-peer network sources; and

a selector of a source in reference to the empirical measurement of the throughput speed of each of the plurality of peer-to-peer network sources.