SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING PEER-TO-PEER CONNECTIONS

• US 20110153835A1
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Magharei, Nazanin, Hilt, Volker F., Rimac, Ivica
• Granted Patent: US 8,949,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1051 Group master selection mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1059 Inter-group management mechanisms, e.g. splitting, merging or interconnection of groups
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1093 Some peer nodes performing special functions

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for controlling peer-to-peer connections in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) streaming application for individual Internet Service Provider (ISP) networks over a localized overlay. The system may include a tracker local to a first ISP network configured to select edge peers among local peers of the first ISP network. The selected edge peers have external connections to peers outside the first ISP network in order to transfer sub-streams to or from the first ISP network, and the local peers not selected as edge peers have internal connections to other local peers within the first ISP network to transfer the sub-streams over the localized overlay.

Claims

1. A system for controlling peer-to-peer connections in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) streaming application for individual Internet Service Provider (ISP) networks over a localized overlay, the system comprising:

a tracker local to a first ISP network configured to select edge peers among local peers of the first ISP network, wherein the selected edge peers have external connections to peers outside the first ISP network in order to transfer sub-streams to or from the first ISP network, and the local peers not selected as edge peers have internal connections to other local peers within the first ISP network to transfer the sub-streams over the localized overlay.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracker selects the edge peers based on bandwidth.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracker is further configured to select an edge peer when an existing edge peer departs from the P2P streaming application.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracker selects an edge peer based on whether a number of edge peers is below a first threshold.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracker is configured to select edge peers of a first type and edge peers of a second type, wherein the edge peers of the first type manage incoming external connections and the edge peers of the second type manage outgoing external connections.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a session-level tracker configured to provide a list of potential external peers to the edge peers to establish the external connections in response to an announce message from the edge peers, wherein the edge peers are the only local peers visible to external peers outside the first ISP network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the session-level tracker is further configured to provide a list of local trackers.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracker is further configured to schedule the transfer of the sub-streams via the external connections between the external peers and the edge peers of the first ISP network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the tracker schedules the transfer of the sub-streams based on available sub-streams at the external peers and an ISP Hop Count (ICH) for each sub-stream, the ICH indicating a number of ISP networks that a sub-stream traversed.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the local peers of the first ISP network schedule the transfer of the sub-streams via the internal connections based on available sub-streams at internal parent peers and a Peer Hop Count (PHC), the PHC indicating a number of internal peers that a respective sub-stream traversed within a single ISP network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the local peers schedule the transfer of sub-streams which have a minimum PHC count value.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each sub-stream includes:

(1) ISP Hop Count (ICH) indicating a number of ISP networks that a respective sub-stream traversed, (2) Peer Hop Count (PHC) indicating a number of internal peers that a respective sub-stream traversed within a single ISP network, and (3) Overall Hop Count (OHC) indicating a total number of peers that a respective sub-stream traversed regardless of an ISP network.

13. A method for controlling peer-to-peer connections in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) streaming application for individual Internet Service Provider (ISP) networks over a localized overlay, the method comprising:

selecting, by a tracker local to a first ISP network, edge peers among local peers of the first ISP network, wherein the selected edge peers have external connections to peers outside the first ISP network in order to transfer sub-streams to or from the first ISP network, and the local peers not selected as edge peers have internal connections to other local peers within the first ISP network to transfer the sub-streams over the localized overlay.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting step selects the edge peers based on bandwidth.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting step selects an edge peer when an existing edge peer departs from the P2P streaming application.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting step selects an edge peer based on whether a number of edge peers is below a first threshold.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting step selects edge peers of a first type and edge peers of a second type, wherein the edge peers of the first type manage incoming external connections and the edge peers of the second type manage outgoing external connections.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing, by a session-level tracker, a list of potential external peers to the edge peers to establish the external connections in response to an announce message from the edge peers, wherein the edge peers are the only local peers visible to external peers outside the first ISP network.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

scheduling, by the tracker, the transfer of the sub-streams via the external connections between the external peers and the edge peers of the first ISP network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the scheduling step schedules the transfer of the sub-streams based on available sub-streams at the external peers and an ISP Hop Count (ICH) for each sub-stream, the ICH indicating a number of ISP networks that a sub-stream traversed.