DYNAMIC CONNECTION MANAGEMENT ON MOBILE PEER DEVICES

• US 20110264812A1
• Filed: 04/22/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bergman, Joel Robert, Al Sayed Hassan, Fadi, Bane, Ryan, Haridasyam, Pavani, Lin, Jyh-Han
• Granted Patent: US 8,990,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels

Abstract

Dynamically evaluating candidate connections as alternatives to an active connection between a first computing device and a second computing device. The first computing device transitions to one of the candidate connections to replace the active connection based on the evaluation. The evaluation and transition occurs based on time intervals, events, or conditions. Maintaining the candidate connections enables mobile devices, for example, to be resilient to and tolerant of topology changes affecting the active connection.

Claims

1. A system for maintaining alternative connections for dynamic transition during communication between a first computing device and a second computing device, said system comprising:

a memory area for storing data defining an active connection and a set of candidate connections, said memory area being associated with a mobile computing device, wherein the data includes a protocol and address for the active connection and each of the candidate connections; and

a processor programmed to;

establish communication between the mobile computing device and another computing device via the protocol and address of the active connection;

determine performance of at least one of the candidate connections during transit of the mobile computing device and during communication with the other computing device;

compare, by the mobile computing device, the determined performance with performance of the active connection;

select one of the candidate connections based on the comparison; and

transition communication between the mobile computing device and the other computing device from the active connection to the selected candidate connection via the protocol and address of the selected candidate connection during transit of the mobile computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory area further stores a set of non-candidate connections, and wherein the processor is further programmed to evaluate the non-candidate connections for inclusion in the set of candidate connections.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further programmed to move at least one of the candidate connections from the set of candidate connections to the set of non-candidate connections based on the determined performance of said at least one of the candidate connections.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to move the active connection to the set of candidate connections.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to determine the performance by determining one or more of the following:

latency, throughput, and packet loss.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein transit of the mobile computing device results in a topology change affecting communication between the mobile computing device and the other computing device.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for maintaining and selecting alternative connections for dynamic transition during communication between the first computing device and the second computing device.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for continuously evaluating the active connection and searching for candidate connections contemporaneously.

9. A method comprising:

defining, by a first computing device, a connection between the first computing device and a second computing device as an active connection;

evaluating, as the first computing device changes location, one or more candidate connections between the first computing device and the second computing device as alternatives to the active connection; and

transitioning, by the first computing device, the active connection from the defined connection to one of the candidate connections based on said evaluating, wherein said evaluating occurs during data transmission over the defined connection between the first computing device and the second computing device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein evaluating the one or more candidate connections comprises determining one or more of the following:

bandwidth, latency, and error rate.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating, by the first computing device based on said evaluating, a score value for each of the evaluated candidate connections;

generating a score value for the active connection; and

comparing the score value for each of the evaluated candidate connections to the score value for the active connection, wherein transitioning the active connection comprises transitioning the active connection from the defined connection to one of the candidate connections based on said comparing.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting a failure of the active connection, and wherein transitioning the active connection comprises transitioning the active connection responsive to the detected failure.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein evaluating the one or more candidate connections comprises ranking the one or more candidate connections.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein evaluating the one or more candidate connections comprises evaluating the one or more candidate connections after a topology change in a network supporting the active connection.

15. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components, said components comprising:

a communication component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to define, by a first computing device, a connection between the first computing device and a second computing device as an active connection;

an analysis component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to evaluate, as the first computing device changes location, one or more candidate connections between the first computing device and the second computing device as alternatives to the active connection, wherein the communication component further executes to transition the active connection from the defined connection to one of the candidate connections based on said evaluating, wherein said evaluating occurs during data transmission over the defined connection between the first computing device and the second computing device; and

a memory component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to store the defined connection with the candidate connections.

16. The computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the analysis component evaluates the candidate connections by determining one or more of the following for each of the candidate connections:

bandwidth, latency, and error rate.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are connected via a network, and wherein the analysis component evaluates the candidate connections after a topology change in the network.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the analysis component evaluates the candidate connections at time-based intervals.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the analysis component ranks the candidate connections.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the communication component transitions the active connection responsive to one or more of the following:

a failure of a network component supporting the active connection, and a determination by the analysis component that said one of the candidate connections has a higher ranking than the active connection.