System and method of routing video data

• US 20080168510A1
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ou, Canhui, Small, David
• Application Number:
  US11/651,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168510A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]

Abstract

A method of routing video data includes receiving data from a Video on Demand (VoD) content source at a network management system, the data indicating a first set-top box device requesting VoD content. The method also includes identifying an end node group associated with the first set-top box device. The end node group includes a plurality of set-top box devices that share a resource at the VoD content source. Further, the method includes selecting a network path between the VoD content source and the first set-top box device from a set of prospective network paths associated with the first set-top box device. The set of prospective network paths associated with the first set-top box device and network path sets associated with other set-top box devices of the end node group simultaneously satisfy a plurality of constraints related to network path delay and jitter.

Claims

1. A method of routing video data, the method comprising:

receiving data from a Video on Demand (VoD) content source at a network management system, the data indicating a first set-top box device requesting VoD content;

identifying an end node group associated with the first set-top box device, wherein the end node group includes a plurality of set-top box devices that share a resource at the VoD content source; and

selecting a network path between the VoD content source and the first set-top box device from a set of prospective network paths associated with the first set-top box device, wherein the set of prospective network paths associated with the first set-top box device and network path sets associated with other set-top box devices of the end node group simultaneously satisfy a plurality of constraints related to network path delay and jitter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the VoD content is sent from the VoD content source to the first set-top box device via the selected network path.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of constraints includes a delay constraint requiring that an expected network path delay for each network path associated with a set-top box device of the end node group does not exceed a pre-defined delay threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of constraints includes a differential delay constraint requiring that a differential path delay for all pairs of network paths associated with the plurality of set-top box devices of the end node group does not exceed a pre-defined differential delay threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of constraints includes a jitter constraint requiring that a jitter for each network path associated with one of the plurality of set-top box devices of the end node group does not exceed a pre-defined jitter threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each network path set associated with one of the plurality of set-top box devices of the end node group includes one or more shortest network paths connecting the set-top box device with the content source.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of constraints includes an aggregated delay constraint requiring that a sum of expected network path delays of all network paths associated with the plurality of set-top box devices of the end node group is less than a sum of expected delays of a plurality of alternate network paths;

each alternate network path connects one of the set-top box devices of the end node group to the content source; and

each set-top box device of the end node group terminates a pre-defined number of alternate network paths.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the network paths associated with the plurality of set-top box devices of the end node group includes at least one link and wherein the plurality of constraints includes a path diversity constraint requiring that each network link is included in fewer than a pre-defined number of network paths.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a relative importance of a constraint and applying a weighting factor to the constraint.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising provisioning a plurality of Multi-Protocol Label Switching Label Switch Paths (MPLS LSP) based on the network paths associated with the set-top box devices of the end node group.

11. A system to route data, the system comprising:

a network management system having a processor and a memory device accessible to the processor, wherein the memory device includes instructions executable by the processor to;

receive data from a Video on Demand (VoD) content source at a network management system, the data indicating a first set-top box device requesting VoD content;

identify an end node group associated with the first set-top box device, wherein the end node group includes a plurality of set-top box devices that share a resource at the VoD content source; and

select a network path between the VoD content source and the first set-top box device from a set of prospective network paths associated with the first set-top box device, wherein the set of prospective network paths associated with the first set-top box device and network path sets associated with other set-top box devices of the end node group simultaneously satisfy a plurality of constraints related to network path delay and jitter.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a differential path delay related to all pairs of network paths associated with the plurality of set-top box devices of the end node group is less than a differential delay threshold.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein an expected network path delay of each network path associated with a set-top box device of the end node group is less than a network path delay threshold.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein a jitter parameter of each network path associated with a set-top box device of the end node group is less than a jitter threshold.

15. A processor-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions executable by a processor to:

receive data from a Video on Demand (VoD) content source at a network management system, the data indicating a first set-top box device requesting VoD content;

identify an end node group associated with the first set-top box device, wherein the end node group includes a plurality of set-top box devices that share a resource at the VoD content source; and

select a network path between the VoD content source and the first set-top box device from a set of prospective network paths associated with the first set-top box device, wherein the set of prospective network paths associated with the first set-top box device and network path sets associated with other set-top box devices of the end node group simultaneously satisfy a plurality of constraints related to network path delay and jitter.

16. The processor-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions executable by the processor to associate each of the plurality of set-top box devices with at least one end node group, wherein each end node group shares a resource at a video content source.

17. The processor-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions executable by the processor to select a group of network path sets for each end node group, wherein each network path set is associated with one of the plurality of set-top box devices.

18. The processor-readable medium of claim 17, wherein each network path set is distinct from the other network path sets in the group of network path sets.

19. The processor-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions to:

associate the plurality of set-top box devices with a first end node group and a second end node group, wherein the first end node group shares a first resource at the video content source and the second end node group shares a second resource at the video content source; and

select a first group of network path sets associated with the first end node group and a second group of network path sets associated with the second end node group.

20. The processor-readable medium of claim 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of set-top box devices is associated with the first end node group and with the second end node group.