Method and computer system for selecting an edge server computer

• US 20040148393A1
• Filed: 03/18/2004
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schmid, Bernard, Breiter, Gerd, Wagner, Hendrik, Bruegmann, Wilfried
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Media Distribution within the Internet is done with the help of Application-Servers, Content-Servers and distributed Edge-Servers where the clients are connected to Media Distribution Services. A computer system is provided comprising client 1, having a Web browser with a media player 2, Web application server 3, content server, edge servers ES1 to ES4 and media request broker 11. After the client 1 has selected a media for streaming the media request broker 11 makes a determination concerning an appropriate edge server to perform the streaming operation. This determination is made based on an extension of the client'"'"'s http request made by the edge server and passed from the application server to the media request broker.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a first server computer (ES1, ES2, ES3, ES4) for sending of media data to a client computer (1), the method comprising the steps of:

sending a http request from the client computer (1) to a second server computer (3) through a path in a computer network, the path comprising a first set of server computers (ES1, ES2, ES3, ES4), the http request having a unique signature which identifies the request as a media request,

in at least one of the server computers of the first set of server computers;

examining the http request for the unique signature, and if the unique signature is identified, adding information being indicative of the at least one server computer of the first set of server computers to the http request; and

selecting the first server computer by the second server computer based on the information which has been added to the http request by the at least one server computer of the first set of server computers.

2. The method of claim 1 the second server computer being a Web application server comprising a Web page with a Hyperlink referencing the data to be send to the client, the hyperlink including a unique signature, the method further comprising the step of selecting the Hyperlink by the client;

subsequently generating an http request out of this hyperlink by a web browser;

this http request containing the unique signature identifying the media request.

3. The method of claims 1 or 2 further comprising the steps of:

at least temporarily storing the information added to said http request on the second server computer,

providing of the information to a Media Request Broker in response to a client'"'"'s selection of the Hyperlink.

4. The method of anyone of claims 1, 2 or 3 the media request broker selecting the first server computer based on the information.

5. The method of anyone of the preceding claims further comprising the steps of:

determining a quality weight of at least one of the server computers in the path,

selecting the first server computer from the first set of server computers based on the quality weight.

6. The method of anyone of the preceding claims further comprising the steps of:

storing of a set of URLs of a second set of server computers being in the same geographical/topological area as a server computer in the first set of server computers, and

determining a quality weight of at least one of the server computers of the second set for selection of the first server computer.

7. The method of anyone of the preceding claims further comprising the steps of:

providing the media request broker with the information, the information being indicative of the server computer of the first set of server computers being the first node in the path,

determining a quality weight based on the information for the first server computer node in the path and for the server computers of the second set of server computers belonging to that server computer node,

selecting one of the server computers from the group comprising the first server computer node in the path and the set of second server computers with a quality weight being greater than a predefined threshold value,

determining a quality weight of a second server computer node in the path in case none of the quality weights of the first group is sufficient.

8. The method of anyone of the preceding claims the quality weights being determined based on one or more of the following criteria:

availability of the data on a server computer, number of transactions in process on the server computer, percentage of processing resources in use on the server computer, communication bandwidth available in the communication link with the client.

9. A system for selecting a first server computer from a plurality of server computers for sending of data to a client, the system comprising means adapted for carrying out the steps of the method according to anyone of the preceding claims 1 to 8.

10. A computer program product comprising a program stored on a machine-readable medium which when loaded in a general purpose computer causes it to carry out the method steps according to anyone of the claims 1 to 8.