METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING MULTIMEDIA INFORMATION ON DEMAND OVER WIDE AREA NETWORKS

• US 20070233893A1
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yotta Yotta Incorporated (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Karpoff, Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 8,260,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/36 by determining packet size, e.g. maximum transfer unit [MTU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/43 Assembling or disassembling of packets, e.g. segmentation and reassembly [SAR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/226 Characteristics of the server or Internal components of the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/232 Content retrieval operation locally within server, e.g. reading video streams from disk arrays storage management G06F3/0604; details of querying and searching of video data from a database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612

Abstract

Systems and methods for delivering streaming data content to a client device over a data communication network in response to a request for the data content from the client device. The client request is received by a server or a controller device that is typically located on a network switch device. If received by a server, the server sends a request to the controller device to control the transfer of the requested data to the client. The controller device includes the processing capability required for retrieving the streaming data and delivering the streaming data directly to the client device without involving the server system. In some cases, the controller device mirrors the data request to another controller device to handle the data processing and delivery functions. In other cases, the controller device coordinates the delivery of the requested data using one or more other similar controller devices in a pipelined fashion.

Claims

1. A method of delivering streaming data content to a client device over a data communication network in response to a request for the data content from the client device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a request from a first client device over the data communication network, the request identifying streaming data content stored on a storage system;

identifying a first controller device associated with the storage system on which the data content is stored;

transmitting a data request message from the server to the first controller device, the data request message identifying the first client device and the data content requested by the first client device;

retrieving, by the first controller device, the streaming data content from the storage system; and

transferring the retrieved data content directly to the first client device over the data communication network from the first controller device through a communication port for communicably coupling the first controller device to the data communication network.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first controller device includes a bus port that provides for communication with one or more other controller devices over a bus.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the bus port is a PCI port.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication port is one of a fibre channel port, an Infiniband port, and a Gigabit Ethernet port.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the streaming data content transferred to the client device includes a plurality of packets, each packet having headers and trailers of a network protocol stack and a data payload.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data request message further identifies a messaging protocol.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the messaging protocol includes one of a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), HTTP and FTP.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first controller device is located in a network switch device coupled to the data communication network.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the server is remote from the network switch device.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the first controller device is located in a network switch device coupled to the data communication network.

10-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A method of delivering streaming data content to a client device over a data communication network in response to a request for the data content from the client device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a request from a first client device over the data communication network, the request identifying streaming data content stored on a storage system;

transmitting a data request message over the data communication network from the server to a first controller device, wherein the data request message identifies the first client device and the data content requested by the first client device, and wherein the first controller is coupled to the storage system over a storage area network (SAN);

retrieving, by the first controller device, the streaming data content from the storage system over the SAN; and

transferring the retrieved data content directly to the first client device over the data communication network from the first controller device.

39. A method of delivering streaming data content to a client device over a data communication network in response to a request for the data content from the client device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first controller device, a request sent by a first client device to a server over the data communication network, the request identifying streaming data content stored on a storage system, wherein the first controller device and the server are coupled by the data communication network;

processing the request by the first controller device; and

controlling, by the first controller device, the delivery of the requested streaming data directly to the first client device over the data communication network by one of the first controller device and a second controller device.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the first controller device is coupled to the storage system over a storage area network (SAN), wherein controlling includes:

retrieving, by the first controller device, the streaming data content from the storage system over the SAN; and

transferring the retrieved data content directly to the first client device over the data communication network from the first controller device.

41. The method of claim 39, further including sending the request to the server.

42. The method of claim 41, further including notifying the server that the request is being processed by the first controller device.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein controlling includes:

transmitting a data request message from the first controller device to the second controller device, wherein the data request message identifies the first client device and the data content requested by the first client device, and wherein the second controller device is coupled to the storage system over a storage area network (SAN);

retrieving, by the second controller device, the streaming data content from the storage system over the SAN; and

transferring the retrieved data content directly to the first client device over the data communication network from the second controller device.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the first and second controller devices are coupled by a communication bus.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the communication bus is a PCI bus.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein the first controller device is located in a first network switch device coupled to the data communication network and wherein the second controller device is located in a second network switch device coupled to the data communication network.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the first and second controller devices communicate over one of the data communication network and a back end network.