Data distribution server

• US 20040230996A1
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Ikuko, Takeuchi, Tadashi, Mine, Hiroshi, Lemoal, Damien
• Granted Patent: US 7,404,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A copy computer includes a storage device which stores a copy of contents from a distribution computer and a module which creates a copy of updated contents based on a copy request and which sends a copy of contents requested by a search computer to a distribution request computer. The search computer includes a module which searches for a copy computer storing the copy of the contents requested by the distribution request computer, a module which forwards a send request to a specified copy computer, and a module which sends the copy request and the copy contents to a predetermined copy computer when the contents are updated. The copy request gives an instruction to create the copy of the updated contents in the storage device of the copy computer.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a distribution computer including a storage device which stores contents;

a distribution request computer which issues a send request to send said contents;

at least one copy computer including a storage device which stores copy contents of said contents stored in said distribution computer; and

a search computer including;

a contents search module which carries out a search for one of said at least one copy computer storing copy contents of said requested contents based on said send request to send said contents from said distribution request computer, and

a distribution request relay module which forwards said send request to a specified one of said at least one copy computer,

wherein said distribution computer further includes a contents registration module which, when said contents are updated, sends a copy request and copy contents of said updated contents to a predetermined one of said at least one copy computer, said copy request giving an instruction to create said copy contents in said storage device of said copy computer, and

said at least one copy computer further includes a contents request receiving module which creates said copy contents of said updated contents based on said copy request and which sends said copy contents of said requested contents to said distribution request computer based on said send request from said search computer.

2. A network system according to claim 1, further comprising a proxy computer including a distribution request relay module which distributes said contents in place of said distribution computer,

wherein said contents request receiving module of said at least one copy computer sends said requested contents to said proxy computer based on said send request.

3. A network system according to claim 1, wherein, when said copy contents of said requested contents are not stored in said storage device of said copy computer as a result of said search, said distribution request relay module of said search computer issues said send request to said distribution computer.

4. A network system according to claim 1, wherein said send request issued by said distribution request computer is based on HTTP or RTSP.

5. A network system according to claim 1, wherein, based on a type of said contents or a state of said network, said contents registration module of said distribution computer specifies at least one of said at least one copy computer to which said copy request and said copy contents are sent.

6. A network system according to claim 1, wherein said contents registration module of said distribution computer controls a time for sending said copy request and said copy contents based on a type of said contents or a state of said network.

7. A network system according to claim 1, wherein said contents search module of said search computer searches for one of said as least one copy computer based on a map indicating said at least one copy computer to which said distribution computer has issued said copy request for each of said at least one copy contents.

8. A network system according to claim 5, wherein said contents search module of said search computer searches for one of said at least one copy computer based on a map indicating said at least one copy computer to which said distribution computer has issued said copy request for each of said at least one copy contents.

9. A network system comprising:

a distribution computer including a storage device which stores contents;

a distribution request computer which issues a send request to send said contents;

at least one copy computer including a storage device which stores copy contents of said contents stored in said distribution computer;

a search computer including;

a contents search module which searches for one of said at least one copy computer storing copy contents of said requested contents based on said send request to send said contents from said distribution request computer, and

a distribution request relay module which forwards said send request to a specified one of said at least one copy computer; and

a distribution protocol-supporting computer including a contents registration module which, when said contents are updated, sends a copy request and copy contents of said updated contents to a predetermined one of said at least one copy computer, said copy request giving an instruction to create said copy contents in said storage device of said copy computer,

wherein said at least one copy computer further includes a contents request receiving module which creates said copy contents of said updated contents in said storage device based on said copy request and which sends said copy contents of said requested contents to said distribution request computer based on said send request from said search computer.

10. A contents distribution computer system which distributes copy contents of contents to at least one copy computer, comprising:

a storage device which stores said contents; and

a contents registration module which sends a copy request and said copy contents to a predetermined one of said at least one copy computer, said copy request giving an instruction to create said copy contents in a storage device of said copy computer.

11. A distribution-supporting computer system which distributes copy contents of contents stored in a contents distribution computer to at least one copy computer, comprising:

a storage device which stores said copy contents of said contents held by said distribution computer; and

a contents registration module which sends a copy request and said copy contents to a predetermined one of said at least one copy computer, said copy request giving an instruction to create said copy contents in a storage device of said copy computer.

12. A search computer connected to at least one copy computer including a storage device which stores copy contents of contents stored in a distribution computer, comprising;

a contents search module which searches for one of said at least one copy computer storing said copy contents based on a send request from a distribution request computer to send said contents; and

a distribution request relay module which forwards said send request to a specified one of said at least one copy computer.

13. A copy computer including a storage device which stores copy contents of contents stored in a contents distribution computer, comprising:

a receiving module which receives a search request from a search request computer to search whether copy contents of contents requested to be sent are stored, based on a send request from a distribution request computer to send said contents; and

a search module which carries out a search as to whether said copy contents of said contents requested to be sent are stored in said storage device, based on said search request,

wherein, when said copy contents of said contents requested to be sent are not stored in said storage device as a result of said search, said search request is forwarded to another copy computer, and

when said copy contents of said contents requested to be sent are stored in said storage device as a result of said search, said contents are sent to said search request computer.

14. A computer-readable medium containing computer program software to cause a computer to execute procedures for distributing copy contents of contents to at least one copy computer, comprising the steps of:

inputting and outputting said contents to and from a storage device; and

sending a copy request and said copy contents to a predetermined one of said at least one copy computer, said copy request giving an instruction to create said copy contents in a storage device of said copy computer.

15. A computer-readable medium containing computer program software to cause a computer to execute procedures for distributing copy contents of contents stored in a contents distribution computer to at least one copy computer, comprising the steps of:

inputting and outputting said copy contents of said contents stored in said distribution computer to and from a storage device; and

sending a copy request and said copy contents to a predetermined one of said at least one copy computer, said copy request giving an instruction to create said copy contents in said storage device of said copy computer.

16. A computer-readable medium containing computer program software executed by a search computer connected to at least one copy computer including a storage device which stores copy contents of contents stored in a distribution computer, comprising the steps of:

searching for one of said at least one copy computer storing said copy contents based on a send request from a distribution request computer to send said contents; and

forwarding said send request to a specified one of said at least one copy computer.

17. A computer-readable medium containing computer program software implementing procedures for storing copy contents of contents stored in a contents distribution computer into a copy computer, comprising the steps of:

receiving a search request from a search request computer to search whether said copy contents of said contents requested to be sent are stored, based on a send request from a distribution request computer to send said contents;

carrying out a search as to whether said copy contents of said contents requested to be sent are stored in a storage device, based on said search request;

forwarding said search request to another copy computer when said copy contents of said contents requested to be sent are not stored in said storage device as a result of said search; and

sending said contents to said search request computer when said copy contents of said contents requested to be sent are stored in said storage device as a result of said search.