RELIABLE NETWORK STREAMING OF A SINGLE DATA STREAM OVER MULTIPLE PHYSICAL INTERFACES

• US 20100284275A1
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Riggert, Eric, Martinez, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

Sending a single data stream from a sending endpoint to a receiving endpoint, wherein both of the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint each have multiple physical interfaces connecting the sending and receiving endpoint to multiple networks, respectively, is provided. The single data stream is partitioned into multiple data packets. A physical interface is designated on the sending side and the receiving side in accordance with a data capacity throughput of each of the multiple physical interfaces. Different portions of the partitioned data packets are then sent over different ones of the multiple physical interfaces in accordance with the designation. The single data stream is then reconstructed by combining received partitioned data packets into the single data stream in accordance with header information. An acknowledgment is sent to the sending endpoint indicating an amount of data received on each multiple physical interface, including any changes in the data capacity throughput.

Claims

1. A method for sending a single data stream from a sending endpoint to a receiving endpoint, wherein both of the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint each have multiple physical interfaces connecting the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint to multiple networks, respectively, the method comprising:

determining a data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces;

partitioning the single data stream into multiple data packets, wherein each of the multiple data packets has header information which identifies a sequence identifier indicating an in-sequence position of the data packet in the single data stream;

designating on the sending side, for each data packet, a send-side physical interface and a receive-side physical interface, wherein the designation depends at least partly on the data capacity throughput;

sending different portions of the partitioned data packets over different ones of the multiple physical interfaces in accordance with the designation;

receiving the different portions of the partitioned data packets at the receiving endpoint;

reconstructing the single data stream at the receiving endpoint by combining the received partitioned data packets into the single data stream in accordance with the header information of the multiple data packets; and

sending an acknowledgment over each of the multiple physical interfaces from the receiving endpoint to the sending endpoint indicating an amount of data received on each of the different ones of the multiple physical interfaces, wherein the acknowledgment includes an indication of any changes in the data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces on the recipient side.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of determining a data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces, the indication of any changes in the data capacity throughput for the physical interface on the recipient side, included in the sent acknowledgment, is used in making the determination.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if the acknowledgment indicates that an amount of a portion of data packets was not received over one of the multiple physical interfaces, then, depending on the data capacity throughput of the multiple physical interfaces, the sending endpoint either resends the portion of not received data packets over the same multiple physical interface, or repartitions the portion of not received data packets, and sends the repartitioned data packets over one or more of available ones of the multiple physical interfaces.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the receiving endpoint sends another acknowledgment over each of the multiple physical interfaces to the sending endpoint indicating an amount of data received on each of the different ones of the multiple physical interfaces, and wherein, if the acknowledgment indicates that a portion of the re-sent data packets was not received, then the sending endpoint continues to resend any portion of the not received data packets, and the receiving endpoint continues to send acknowledgments indicating an amount of data received, until the portion of partitioned data packets is entirely received by the receiving endpoint.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein if the acknowledgment indicates that a portion of the re-sent data packets was not received, then the re-sent portion of data packets not received is repartitioned and sent over one or more available ones of the multiple physical interfaces.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint each have a single physical interface connected to each of the multiple networks, and wherein, for each data packet, the designated receive-side physical interface is a physical interface connected to a same network as the designated send-side physical interface.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint each have multiple physical interfaces connected to each of the multiple networks, and wherein, for each data packet, when designating a send-side physical interface, one of the multiple physical interfaces of the sending endpoint connected to one of the multiple networks is designated as the send-side physical interface, and when designating a receive-side physical interface, one of the multiple physical interfaces of the receiving endpoint connected to a same network as the designated send-side physical interface is designated.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the designated receive-side physical interface is automatically selected according to the designation of the send-side physical interface.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the designated receive-side physical interface is designated based on a data capacity throughput of the multiple physical interfaces of the receiving endpoint connected to a same network as the designated send-side physical interface, and a data capacity throughput of the designated send-side physical interface.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data capacity throughput of each of the multiple physical interfaces is determined using a TCP/IP window size of each of the multiple physical interfaces.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein, for ones of the multiple physical interfaces using a UDP connection, TCP/IP is used as a control channel, and the data capacity throughput of the physical interfaces is determined using a TCP/IP window size of the physical interface provided by the TCP/IP control channel.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the amount of data received on each of the multiple physical interfaces is indicated by identifying a byte index that is expected to be received on each of the multiple physical interfaces.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, for ones of the multiple physical interfaces using a non-TCP connection, in a case where the acknowledgment is not received by the sending endpoint, or the acknowledgment is a negative acknowledgment, the different portions of the partitioned data packets sent over different ones of the multiple physical interfaces are re-sent in their entirety over different ones of the multiple physical interfaces.

14. A method for sending a single data stream from a sending endpoint to a receiving endpoint, wherein both of the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint each have multiple physical interfaces connecting the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint to multiple networks, respectively, and wherein in said method the sending endpoint performs the steps of:

determining a data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces;

partitioning the single data stream into multiple data packets, wherein each of the multiple data packets has header information which identifies a sequence identifier indicating an in-sequence position of the data packet in the single data stream;

designating for each data packet, a send-side physical interface and a receive-side physical interface, wherein the designation depends at least partly on the data capacity throughput;

sending different portions of the partitioned data packets over different ones of the multiple physical interfaces in accordance with the designation; and

receiving an acknowledgment over each of the multiple physical interfaces sent from the receiving endpoint, wherein the acknowledgment indicates an amount of data received by the receiving endpoint on each of the different ones of the multiple physical interfaces, and wherein the acknowledgment includes an indication of any changes in the data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces on the recipient side.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the step of determining a data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces, the indication of any changes in the data capacity throughput for the physical interface on the recipient side, included in the sent acknowledgment, is used in making the determination.

16. A method for sending a single data stream from a sending endpoint to a receiving endpoint, wherein both of the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint each have multiple physical interfaces connecting the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint to multiple networks, respectively, and wherein in said method the receiving endpoint performs the steps of:

receiving different portions of partitioned data packets, wherein the single data stream is partitioned into multiple data packets, and different portions of the partitioned data packets are sent over different ones of the multiple physical interfaces in accordance with a designated send-side physical interface and a designated receive side physical interface, depending at least partly on a data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces;

reconstructing the single data stream by combining the received partitioned data packets into the single data stream, wherein each of the multiple data packets has header information which identifies a sequence identifier indicating an in-sequence position of the data packet in the single data stream, and the single data stream is combined in accordance with the header information of the multiple data packets; and

sending an acknowledgment over each of the multiple physical interfaces to the sending endpoint indicating an amount of data received on each of the different ones of the multiple physical interfaces, wherein the acknowledgment includes an indication of any changes in the data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces on the recipient side.

17. A sending endpoint comprising:

a computer-readable memory constructed to store computer-executable process steps; and

a processor constructed to execute the computer-executable process steps stored in the memory;

wherein the process steps stored in the memory cause the processor to send a single data stream from the sending endpoint to a receiving endpoint, wherein both of the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint each have multiple physical interfaces connecting the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint to multiple networks, respectively, and wherein the process steps stored in the memory include computer-executable process steps to;

determine a data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces;

partition the single data stream into multiple data packets, wherein each of the multiple data packets has header information which identifies a sequence identifier indicating an in-sequence position of the data packet in the single data stream;

designate for each data packet, a send-side physical interface and a receive-side physical interface, wherein the designation depends at least partly on the data capacity throughput;

send different portions of the partitioned data packets over different ones of the multiple physical interfaces in accordance with the designation; and

receive an acknowledgment over each of the multiple physical interfaces sent from the receiving endpoint, wherein the acknowledgment indicates an amount of data received by the receiving endpoint on each of the different ones of the multiple physical interfaces, and wherein the acknowledgment includes an indication of any changes in the data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces on the recipient side.

18. A receiving endpoint comprising:

a computer-readable memory constructed to store computer-executable process steps; and

a processor constructed to execute the computer-executable process steps stored in the memory;

wherein the process steps stored in the memory cause the processor to send a single data stream from a sending endpoint to the receiving endpoint, wherein both of the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint each have multiple physical interfaces connecting the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint to multiple networks, respectively, and wherein the process steps store in the memory include computer-executable process steps to;

receive different portions of partitioned data packets, wherein the single data stream is partitioned into multiple data packets, and different portions of the partitioned data packets are sent over different ones of the multiple physical interfaces in accordance with a designated send-side physical interface and a designated receive side physical interface, depending at least partly on a data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces;

reconstruct the single data stream by combining the received partitioned data packets into the single data stream, wherein each of the multiple data packets has header information which identifies a sequence identifier indicating an in-sequence position of the data packet in the single data stream, and the single data stream is combined in accordance with the header information of the multiple data packets; and

send an acknowledgment over each of the multiple physical interfaces to the sending endpoint indicating an amount of data received on each of the different ones of the multiple physical interfaces, wherein the acknowledgment includes an indication of any changes in the data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces on the recipient side.

19. A computer-readable memory medium on which is stored computer-executable process steps for causing a processor to send a single data stream from a sending endpoint to a receiving endpoint, wherein both of the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint each have multiple physical interfaces connecting the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint to multiple networks, respectively, said process steps comprising:

determining a data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces;

partitioning the single data stream into multiple data packets, wherein each of the multiple data packets has header information which identifies a sequence identifier indicating an in-sequence position of the data packet in the single data stream;

designating for each data packet, a send-side physical interface and a receive-side physical interface, wherein the designation depends at least partly on the data capacity throughput;

sending different portions of the partitioned data packets over different ones of the multiple physical interfaces in accordance with the designation; and

receiving an acknowledgment over each of the multiple physical interfaces sent from the receiving endpoint, wherein the acknowledgment indicates an amount of data received by the receiving endpoint on each of the different ones of the multiple physical interfaces, and wherein the acknowledgment includes an indication of any changes in the data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces on the recipient side.

20. A computer-readable memory medium on which is stored computer-executable process steps for causing a processor to receive a single data stream sent from a sending endpoint to a receiving endpoint, wherein both of the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint each have multiple physical interfaces connecting the sending endpoint and the receiving endpoint to multiple networks, respectively, said process steps comprising:

receiving different portions of partitioned data packets, wherein the single data stream is partitioned into multiple data packets, and different portions of the partitioned data packets are sent over different ones of the multiple physical interfaces in accordance with a designated send-side physical interface and a designated receive side physical interface, depending at least partly on a data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces;

reconstructing the single data stream by combining the received partitioned data packets into the single data stream, wherein each of the multiple data packets has header information which identifies a sequence identifier indicating an in-sequence position of the data packet in the single data stream, and the single data stream is combined in accordance with the header information of the multiple data packets; and

sending an acknowledgment over each of the multiple physical interfaces to the sending endpoint indicating an amount of data received on each of the different ones of the multiple physical interfaces, wherein the acknowledgment includes an indication of any changes in the data capacity throughput for each of the multiple physical interfaces on the recipient side.