Reassembling Streaming Data Across Multiple Packetized Communication Channels

• US 20100158048A1
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Arimilli, Ravi K., Chaudhary, Piyush
• Granted Patent: US 8,335,238 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/476
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/106 Correcting systematically all correctable errors, i.e. scrubbing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for processing streaming data at high sustained data rates. These mechanisms receive a plurality of data elements over a plurality of non-sequential communication channels and write the plurality of data elements directly to the file system of the data processing system in an unassembled manner. The mechanisms further perform a data scrubbing operation to determine if there are any missing data elements that are not present in the plurality of data elements written to the file system and assemble the plurality of data elements into a plurality of data streams associated with the plurality of non-sequential communication channels in response to results of the data scrubbing indicating that there are no missing data elements. In addition, the mechanisms release the assembled plurality of data streams for access via the file system.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for processing streaming data at high sustained data rates, comprising:

receiving a plurality of data elements over a plurality of non-sequential communication channels;

writing the plurality of data elements directly to the file system of the data processing system in an unassembled manner;

performing a data scrubbing operation to determine if there are any missing data elements that are not present in the plurality of data elements written to the file system;

assembling the plurality of data elements into a plurality of data streams associated with the plurality of non-sequential communication channels in response to results of the data scrubbing indicating that there are no missing data elements; and

releasing the assembled plurality of data streams for access via the file system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the data scrubbing operation comprises performing the data scrubbing operation on a metadata directory associated with the plurality of data elements to determine if the metadata indicates that metadata for portions of data are missing in the metadata directory.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the data scrubbing operation indicating that there is a missing data element, transmitting a request to a source of the missing data element requesting that the missing data element be retransmitted.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether to perform the data scrubbing operation or not based on history information indicative of whether data elements in the plurality of data elements are being received in a substantially sequential manner, wherein the data scrubbing operation is performed only in response to a determination that the data scrubbing operation should be performed based on the history information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the history information comprises data indicating an identifier of a last received data element.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether to perform data scrubbing or not comprises determining if the plurality of data elements are being received in a substantially sequential manner based on whether a current data element is within a predetermined range of data elements from a last received data element identified by the history information, and wherein the data scrubbing operation is performed only in response to the plurality of data elements not being received in a substantially sequential manner.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the history information is communicated to one or more switches in a data network over which the plurality of data elements are transmitted to the data processing system, and wherein the one or more switches use the history information to select a path through the data network over which to transmit data to the data processing system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data elements comprises portions of data elements, and wherein each portion of data elements is received from a processor in a plurality of processors.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of processors are part of a distributed computing cluster operating on message passing interface (MPI) jobs.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of data elements are transmitted by the plurality of processors in response to the processors encountering an MPI barrier operation.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer recordable medium having a computer readable program recorded thereon, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive a plurality of data elements over a plurality of non-sequential communication channels;

write the plurality of data elements directly to the file system of the data processing system in an unassembled manner;

perform a data scrubbing operation to determine if there are any missing data elements that are not present in the plurality of data elements written to the file system;

assemble the plurality of data elements into a plurality of data streams associated with the plurality of non-sequential communication channels in response to results of the data scrubbing indicating that there are no missing data elements; and

release the assembled plurality of data streams for access via the file system.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to perform the data scrubbing operation by performing the data scrubbing operation on a metadata directory associated with the plurality of data elements to determine if the metadata indicates that metadata for portions of data are missing in the metadata directory.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

transmit, in response to the data scrubbing operation indicating that there is a missing data element, a request to a source of the missing data element requesting that the missing data element be retransmitted.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

determine whether to perform the data scrubbing operation or not based on history information indicative of whether data elements in the plurality of data elements are being received in a substantially sequential manner, wherein the data scrubbing operation is performed only in response to a determination that the data scrubbing operation should be performed based on the history information.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the history information comprises data indicating an identifier of a last received data element.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to determine whether to perform data scrubbing or not by determining if the plurality of data elements are being received in a substantially sequential manner based on whether a current data element is within a predetermined range of data elements from a last received data element identified by the history information, and wherein the data scrubbing operation is performed only in response to the plurality of data elements not being received in a substantially sequential manner.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the history information is communicated to one or more switches in a data network over which the plurality of data elements are transmitted to the data processing system, and wherein the one or more switches use the history information to select a path through the data network over which to transmit data to the data processing system.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the plurality of data elements comprises portions of data elements, and wherein each portion of data elements is received from a processor in a plurality of processors.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the plurality of processors are part of a distributed computing cluster operating on message passing interface (MPI) jobs, and wherein the plurality of data elements are transmitted by the plurality of processors in response to the processors encountering an MPI barrier operation.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a plurality of data elements over a plurality of non-sequential communication channels;

write the plurality of data elements directly to the file system of the data processing system in an unassembled manner;

perform a data scrubbing operation to determine if there are any missing data elements that are not present in the plurality of data elements written to the file system;

assemble the plurality of data elements into a plurality of data streams associated with the plurality of non-sequential communication channels in response to results of the data scrubbing indicating that there are no missing data elements; and

release the assembled plurality of data streams for access via the file system.