AUTO-CONFIGURATION OF NETWORK PARAMETERS FOR MULTIMEDIA TRAFFIC USING SESSION DESCRIPTION PROTOCOL

• US 20120158948A1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: PANG, Tak Ming, Sonakiya, Shobhit, Ning, Jianxia, Rangarajan, Hari
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

In an example embodiment, a wireless distribution system obtains data for advertised data flows, such as multimedia traffic flows, by snooping attribute details of session description protocol (SDP) announcements. The wireless distribution system can use the data for functions such as admissions control, load balancing, and/or multicast to unicast conversion decisions.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first interface configured to communicate with a distribution network;

a second interface configured to communicate wirelessly with a client;

processing logic coupled with the first interface and the second interface;

wherein the processing logic obtains data representative of a bandwidth for a session from an advertisement received via the first interface;

wherein the processing logic receives a request from a client for the session via the second interlace;

wherein the processing logic determines whether sufficient bandwidth is available for the session based on the data representative of the bandwidth; and

wherein the processing logic admits the request from the client for the session responsive to determining sufficient bandwidth is available for the session based on the data representative of the bandwidth.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is received via a Session Description Protocol compatible packet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request from the client further comprises data representative of a requested amount of bandwidth, a session start time and a duration;

wherein the processing logic verifies the requested amount of bandwidth with the data representative of a bandwidth received in the advertisement; and

wherein the processing logic verifies the session start time and duration.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing logic limits the bandwidth for the session to the bandwidth specified in the advertisement responsive to determining the bandwidth in the request exceeds the bandwidth specified in the advertisement.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request from the client further comprises data representative of a priority of the session;

wherein the processing logic prioritizes session traffic over non-session traffic having a lower priority;

the processing logic shapes non-session traffic having a lower priority to allow more session traffic; and

wherein the session comprises a plurality of streams having an associated priority, the data representative of the priority of the session further comprises data representative of a priority for individual streams belonging to the plurality of streams, and the processing logic processing logic prioritizes session traffic based on the associated priority.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing logic is further configured to receive a second request for the multicast stream from a second wireless device, the second request comprising data representative of a requested amount of bandwidth;

and

wherein the processing logic denies the second request responsive to determining the data representative of a requested amount of bandwidth exceeds the data representative of a bandwidth received in the advertisement.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the advertisement further comprises data representative of a specified feature for the session;

and

wherein the processing logic determines the specified feature from the advertisement.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the specified feature is a member of a group consisting of data compression, data decompression, transcoding, packet aggregation, packet fragmentation, data conversion, and multicast to unicast conversion;

and

wherein the processing logic performs the specified feature for the session.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the advertisement further comprises data representative of a type of session;

and

wherein the processing logic determines the type of session from the advertisement.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the type of session is selected from a group consisting of audio, video, audio and video, application, and data.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the session comprises a multicast video stream;

wherein the processing logic receives a second request from a second client for the multicast session via the second interface;

wherein the processing logic determines whether sufficient bandwidth is available for the second multicast session based on the data representative of the bandwidth;

wherein the processing logic determines a resolution for the multicast stream for the first client and the second client;

to wherein the processing logic admits the second request from the client for the second multicast session responsive to determining sufficient bandwidth is available for the second multicast session based on the data representative of the bandwidth;

wherein the processing logic converts the video stream to a first unicast stream for the first client having a first resolution;

wherein the processing logic converts the video stream to a second unicast stream for the second client having a second resolution;

wherein the processing logic forwards the first and second unicast streams to the first and second clients respectively via the second interface.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving data representative of a bandwidth for a multicast session from a session description protocol advertisement received from a first interface;

receiving a request from a client for the multicast session via a second interface, wherein the second interface comprises a wireless link;

determining whether sufficient bandwidth is available for the multicast session based on the data representative of the bandwidth; and

granting the request for the multicast session responsive to determining sufficient bandwidth is available for the multicast session based on the data representative of the bandwidth.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the request further comprises a traffic specification (TSpec) having data representative of a requested amount of bandwidth;

and

verifying the requested amount of bandwidth with the data representative of a bandwidth received in the advertisement.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising limiting the bandwidth for the multicast session to the bandwidth specified in the advertisement responsive to determining the bandwidth in the request does not match the bandwidth specified in the advertisement.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a second request for the multicast stream from a second wireless device, the second request comprising a TSpec having data representative of a requested amount of bandwidth; and

denying the second request responsive to determining the data representative of a requested amount of bandwidth in the TSpec does not match the data representative of a bandwidth received in the advertisement.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the session description protocol advertisement further comprises data representative of a specified process to be performed for the multicast session, the method further comprises performing the specified process.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the session description protocol advertisement further comprises data representative of a type of data stream associated with multicast session.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a second request from a second client for the multicast session via the second interface;

determining a resolution for providing the multicast stream to the first client and the second client;

converting the video stream to a first unicast stream for the first client having a first resolution;

converting the video stream to a second unicast stream for the second client having a second resolution;

sending the first unicast stream to the first client via the second interface; and

sending the second unicast stream to the second client via the second interface.

19. Logic encoded in at least one tangible media and when executed by a processor operable to:

obtain data representative of a bandwidth for a multicast session from an advertisement received via a first interface;

receive a request from a client for the multicast session via a second interface, wherein the second interface comprises a wireless link;

determine whether sufficient bandwidth is available for the multicast session based on the data representative of the bandwidth; and

admit the request from the client for the multicast session responsive to determining sufficient bandwidth is available for the multicast session based on the data representative of the bandwidth.

20. The logic of claim 19, wherein the request from the client further comprises data representative of a requested amount of bandwidth;

and

the logic is further operable to verify the requested amount of bandwidth with the data representative of a bandwidth received in the advertisement.

21. The logic of claim 19, wherein the multicast session comprises a video stream, the logic is further operable to:

receive a second request from a second client for the multicast session via the second interface;

determine a resolution for the multicast stream for the first client and the second client;

provide a first unicast stream having a first resolution from the video stream to the first client via the second interface; and

provide a second unicast stream having a second resolution from the video stream to the second client via the second interface.