Method of processing data of at least one data stream, data storage system and method of use thereof

• US 20050204076A1
• Filed: 04/22/2003
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ozcan Mesut, Stephen Rodney Cumpson
• Original Assignee: Ozcan Mesut, Stephen Rodney Cumpson
• Inventors: Mesut, Ozcan, Cumpson, Stephen Rodney
• Granted Patent: US 8,069,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware

Abstract

Method of processing data of at lease one data stream, data processing module for processing at a of at least one data stream, data processing system comprising such module, computer program product, data storage system ID and it is proposed to dynamically distribute available stream IDs. The proposed concept provides for indicating a type of data stream, providing and/or handling a set a stream ID from the set of stream IDs to the data stream depending on the type of data stream. In a preferred embodiment, it is proposed to reserve one stream ID for an audio-video request, characterized by having no error handling time available. A further stream ID may be reserved for best effort requests. Still further streams IDs may not be reserved but are freely available for pending error handling procedures, such as time-sliced error handling procedures.

Claims

1. Method of processing data of at least one data stream, the method comprising the steps of:

indicating (M1, M2, M3) a type of data stream with regard to requirements of real-time data processing,

providing and/or handling a set of stream IDs comprising a number of logical stream IDs, wherein a logical stream ID is assignable to a physical stream ID and wherein the number of logical stream IDs exceeds or is equal to a number of physical stream IDs,

issuing a logical stream ID to the data stream dependent on the type of data stream.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the type of data stream implies a ranking of the data stream with regard to real-time data processing requirements and a stream ID from the set of stream IDs is issued to the data stream dependent on the ranking of the data stream.

3. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that preferably a logical stream ID, which is assigned to an available physical stream ID, is issued to a data stream of a high priority ranking.

4. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least three types of data streams are available, in particular the type of data stream is selected from the group consisting of:

audio/video, best effort, error handling.

5. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the ranking of the data stream is selected from the group consisting of:

first priority for audio/video type, second priority for best effort type, third priority for error handling type.

6. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a first physical stream ID is reserved to be available and a first logical stream ID of the set is assigned to the first physical stream ID such that the first logical stream ID of the set can be issued to an audio/video type of data stream if necessary.

7. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a second physical stream ID is reserved to be available and a second logical stream ID of the set is assigned to the second physical stream ID, such that the second logical stream ID of the set can be issued to a best effort type of data stream if necessary.

8. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that one or more third physical stream IDs are freely available and one or more third logical stream IDs of the set can each be assigned to each of the one or more third physical stream IDs, such that one or more third logical stream IDs of the set can be issued dynamically to an error handling type of data stream

9. Method as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that one or more of the third logical stream IDs of the set are applied to handle multiple errors simultaneously in a time-sliced manner.

10. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a number of data streams of the audio/video type and/or best effort type are collected and a single logical stream ID of the set is issued to the collection.

19. Computer program product storable on a medium readable out by a computer system, comprising a software code section which induces the computer system to execute the method as claimed in claim 1, when the product is executed on the computer system.

11. Data processing module for processing data of at least one data stream, the module having:

a software layer in which a scheduler means is provided for;

receiving an indication (M1, M2, M3) of the type of data stream with regard to real-time data processing requirements,

handling a set of stream IDs comprising a number of logical stream IDs, wherein a logical stream ID is assignable to a physical stream ID and wherein the number of logical stream IDs exceeds or is equal to a number of physical stream IDs,

issuing a logical stream ID to the data stream dependent on the type of data stream.

12. Data processing module as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the type of data stream implies a ranking of the data stream with regard to real-time data processing requirements and a logical stream ID from the set of stream IDs is issued to the data stream dependent on the ranking of the data stream.

13. Data processing module as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that it comprises a scheduler means for issuing preferably a stream ID, which is assigned to an available physical stream ID, to a data stream of high priority ranking.

14. Data processing module as claimed in claim 11, characterized by comprising a file system layer for receiving the indication (M1, M2, M3) of the type of data stream and handling the set of stream IDs.

15. Data processing system comprising a module as claimed in claim 11, characterized by comprising an application layer on top of the module layer and a device layer below the module layer, wherein the module layer is capable of processing the data stream between the application layer and the device layer.

16. Data processing system as claimed in claim 15, characterized by comprising a coding means for providing a marker for indication (M1, M2, M3) of the type and/or indication of the ranking of the data stream.

17. Data processing system as claimed in claim 15, characterized by comprising a host for providing the set of stream IDs to be handled by a feature set contained in a device layer.

18. Data processing system as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the number of logical stream IDs of the set amounts to twelve and the number of physical stream IDs amounts to eight.

20. Data storage system comprising a device layer containing a feature set adapted for the processing of a data stream with regard to real-time data processing requirements and adapted for the handling of a set of stream IDs in the feature set, the set of stream IDs, comprising a number of logical stream IDs, wherein a logical stream ID is assignable to a physical stream ID and wherein the number of logical stream IDs exceeds the number of physical stream IDs, wherein a logical stream ID can be issued to the data stream dependent on the type of data stream.

21. Method of use of a data processing module, a data processing system, a computer program product or a data storage system for an audio-video application, in particular in an audio-video server.