SWITCHED STREAM SERVER ARCHITECTURE

• US 20090138601A1
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadband Royalty Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Phillips, Matthew D., Hebert, Marc I., Ho, Jonasan C., McGinnis, Christopher E., Duzett, Robert C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• 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 21/23103 using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2396 characterized by admission policies admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for network security using user profiles for access control H04L63/102; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A method for allocating content requests to a server pool includes directing a stream requesting a novel title to one of a least-busy server in a server pool and a least-miss-traffic server in the server pool; setting the server to which the novel title was directed to the requested title'"'"'s preferred server; directing a stream requesting a familiar title to the title'"'"'s preferred server; and directing a stream requesting a crowded title to one of a least-busy server and the least-miss-traffic server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

directing a stream requesting a novel title to one of a least-busy server in a server pool and a least-miss-traffic server in the server pool;

setting the server to which the novel title was directed to the requested title'"'"'s preferred server;

directing a stream requesting a familiar title to the title'"'"'s preferred server;

directing a stream requesting a crowded title to one of a least-busy server and the least-miss-traffic server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the server to which the crowded title is directed does not become the title'"'"'s new preferred server.

3. A method comprising:

choose a server to which to stream title content, the server having a top-tier cache ease-of-entry that is better than that of others in a server pool.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

from servers having equal top-tier cache ease-of-entry, choosing a server whose next-lower-tier cache ease-of-entry is better than that of the others.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

from servers equal in all cache tier ease of entry, choosing a server whose miss traffic is lower in percentage of capacity than that of the others.

6. A method comprising:

directing a stream requesting a novel title to a least-busy server of a server pool;

adding the server to which the novel title was directed to the requested title'"'"'s preferred-servers list;

directing a stream requesting a familiar title to the least-busy server from the requested title'"'"'s preferred-servers list.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

directing a stream requesting a crowded title to the least busy server in the server pool.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

if and only if the title is hot, adding the least-busy server to the title'"'"'s preferred-servers list.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

checking one or more titles periodically for an opportunity to remove some servers from the title'"'"'s preferred list.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

if a title has cooled, and at least one of the servers on its preferred server list is not full, remove the most-busy of the servers on the title'"'"'s preferred-servers list.