METHOD OF MANAGING MULTI-STREAM SESSIONS BETWEEN A TERMINAL AND A SERVER

• US 20100179968A1
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Barbaron, Denis, Ayari, Narjess
• Granted Patent: US 8,949,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for managing sessions during which a terminal and a server exchange information blocks organized as a plurality of streams. The method includes storing in a data structure first data determined on the basis of an information block dedicated to signaling and coming from the terminal, the first data identifying the stream that transports the information block, the stream belonging to a session. The method further includes storing second data linked to the first data, the second data being determined on the basis of at least one other information block dedicated to signaling and transported by the same stream, the second data identifying the other stream or streams of the session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

managing sessions during which a terminal and a server exchange information blocks organized as a plurality of streams; and

storing in a data structure;

first data determined on the basis of an information block dedicated to signaling and coming from the terminal, said first data identifying a stream that transports said information block, said stream belonging to a session; and

second data linked to said first data, said second data being determined on the basis of at least one other information block dedicated to signaling and transported by the same stream, said second data identifying another stream or streams of the session.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first data and said second data are stored in the data structure by an equipment between the terminal and the server.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said server forms part of a set comprising at least one server and said method includes determining a load on the set, and wherein storage of the first data in said structure is conditioned by said load.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said server forms part of a set comprising at least one server and said method includes:

selecting a server in the set of servers for said session; and

storing in said data structure third data linked to said first data and identifying the selected server.

5. A storage medium containing a data structure produced by executing a method according to claim 1.

9. Use of a data structure produced by a method according to claim 1 to process information blocks received from a terminal and to go to a server.

6. Network equipment for managing sessions during which a terminal and a server exchange information blocks organized as a plurality of streams, said equipment including:

means for storing first data determined on the basis of an information block dedicated to signaling and coming from the terminal, said first data identifying a stream that transports said information block, said stream belonging to a session;

means for storing second data linked to said first data, said second data being determined on the basis of at least one other information block dedicated to signaling and transported by the same stream, said second data identifying another stream or streams of the session.

7. The network equipment according to claim 6, wherein the network equipment includes means for determining the first data identifying the stream that transports said information block.

8. The network equipment according to claim 7, wherein the network equipment includes means for determining the second data identifying the other stream or streams of the session.

10. A system for providing at least one service to a terminal, said system comprising:

at least one terminal and at least one server exchanging information blocks organized as a plurality of streams;

network equipment between said at least one server and said at least one terminal and comprising;

means for storing first data determined on the basis of an information block dedicated to signaling and coming from the terminal, said first data identifying a stream that transports said information block, said stream belonging to a session; and

means for storing second data linked to said first data, said second data being determined on the basis of at least one other information block dedicated to signaling and transported by the same stream, said second data identifying another stream or streams of the session.

11. (canceled)

12. An information medium containing a computer program including instructions adapted to execute a method when said program is executed by a processor, wherein the method comprises:

managing sessions during which a terminal and a server exchange information blocks organized as a plurality of streams; and

storing in a data structure;

first data determined on the basis of an information block dedicated to signaling and coming from the terminal, said first data identifying a stream that transports said information block, said stream belonging to a session; and

second data linked to said first data, said second data being determined on the basis of at least one other information block dedicated to signaling and transported by the same stream, said second data identifying another stream or streams of the session.