System for transferring data over a network

• US 20050091398A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reus, Edward F., Roberts, Jeffrey S., Zoran, Michael D., Evans, Stephen Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,502,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/232
• 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 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5093 wherein the managed service relates to messaging or chat services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and computer-readable media are provided for transferring data over a network. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the system includes a monitoring component, which monitors the level of actual network bandwidth utilization. The system also includes an identification component, which operates to identify a maximum monitored level of actual utilization. A calculating component then calculates a block size of data to transfer as a function of the maximum monitored level of utilization. The block size may be bounded between a maximum threshold value and a minimum threshold value. A receiving component then operates to receive the block size portion of the set of data over the network at one or more intervals. In another aspect of the invention, the block size is not bounded, and the system includes an interval adjustment component, which increases the size of the intervals when the block size is below a minimum threshold and decreases the size of the intervals when the block size exceeds a maximum threshold.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of transferring a set of data over a network, the method comprising:

monitoring the level of actual network bandwidth utilization;

identifying a maximum monitored level of actual utilization;

calculating a block size to transfer as a function of the maximum monitored level of utilization, wherein said block size is adjusted according to said maximum level of actual utilization and said block size is bounded between a maximum threshold value and a minimum threshold value; and

receiving said block size portion of the set of data over the network at one or more intervals.

2. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein said maximum threshold is a function of available memory in the receiving device, and wherein said minimum threshold is determined based on network packet header size.

3. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein a client receives the data over the network from a server.

4. The computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein said monitoring occurs at the interface between the client and the network.

5. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet.

6. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the set of data includes a software update.

7. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of transferring a set of data over a network, the method comprising:

monitoring the level of actual network bandwidth utilization;

identifying a maximum monitored level of actual utilization;

calculating a block size to transfer as a function of the maximum monitored level of utilization;

receiving said block size portion of the set of data over the network at one or more intervals;

increasing the size of the intervals when said block size is below a minimum threshold; and

decreasing the size of the intervals when said block size exceeds a maximum threshold.

8. The computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein a client receives the data over the network from a server.

9. The computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein said monitoring occurs at the interface between the client and the network.

10. The computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the network is the Internet.

11. The computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the set of data includes a software update.

12. A system for transferring a set of data over a network, the system comprising:

a monitoring component operative to monitor the level of actual network bandwidth utilization;

an identification component operative to identify a maximum monitored level of actual utilization;

a calculating component operative to calculate a block size to transfer as a function of the maximum monitored level of utilization, wherein said block size is adjusted according to said maximum level of actual utilization and said block size is bounded between a maximum threshold value and a minimum threshold value; and

a receiving component operative to receive said block size portion of the set of data over the network at one or more intervals.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said maximum threshold is a function of available memory in the receiving device, and wherein said minimum threshold is determined based on network packet header size.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein a client receives the data over the network from a server.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said monitoring occurs at the interface between the client and the network.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the network is the Internet.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the set of data includes a software update.

18. A system for transferring a set of data over a network, the system comprising:

a monitoring component operative to monitor the level of actual network bandwidth utilization;

an identification component operative to identify a maximum monitored level of actual utilization;

a calculating component operative to calculate a block size to transfer as a function of the maximum monitored level of utilization;

a receiving component operative to receive said block size portion of the set of data over the network at one or more intervals; and

an interval adjustment component operative to increase the size of the intervals when said block size is below a minimum threshold and decrease the size of the intervals when said block size exceeds a maximum threshold.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein a client receives the data over the network from a server.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said monitoring occurs at the interface between the client and the network.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the network is the Internet.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the set of data includes a software update.

23. A system for transferring a set of data over a network, the system comprising:

means for monitoring the level of actual network bandwidth utilization;

means for identifying a maximum monitored level of actual utilization;

means for calculating a block size to transfer as a function of the maximum monitored level of utilization, wherein said block size is adjusted according to said maximum level of actual utilization and said block size is bounded between a maximum threshold value and a minimum threshold value; and

means for receiving said block size portion of the set of data over the network at one or more intervals.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said maximum threshold is a function of available memory in the receiving device, and wherein said minimum threshold is determined based on network packet header size.

25. A system for transferring a set of data over a network, the system comprising:

means for monitoring the level of actual network bandwidth utilization;

means for identifying a maximum monitored level of actual utilization;

means for calculating a block size to transfer as a function of the maximum monitored level of utilization;

means for receiving said block size portion of the set of data over the network at one or more intervals; and

means for increasing the size of the intervals when said block size is below a minimum threshold and decreasing the size of the intervals when said block size exceeds a maximum threshold.