System for Consolidating Heterogeneous Data Centers Through Virtualization of Services

• US 20130054804A1
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jana, Rittwik, Gopalakrishnan, Vijay, Ramakrishnan, Kadangode, Aggarwal, Vaneet, Chen, Xu, Vaishampayan, Vinay
• Granted Patent: US 9,516,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/506 Constraint
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23805 Controlling the feeding rate to the network, e.g. by controlling the video pump
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26616 for merging a unicast channel into a multicast channel, e.g. in a VOD application, when a client served by unicast channel catches up a multicast channel to save bandwidth data multicast over packet-switching network H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416

Abstract

A system for resource provisioning for content delivery of multiple services is disclosed. The system may be configured to offer multiple services, wherein at least one first offered service is delivery of prerecorded content and at least one second offered service is content delivered according to a deadline. In at least one embodiment, the first offered service may be video content, and the second offered service may be broadcast television content. The system may also be configured to deliver at least a portion of the first offered service in advance of use of that portion of the first offered service such that resource demand in connection with delivery of service content of the second offered service at peak delivery may be reduced. As such, fewer resources are needed to provide uninterrupted service of the first and second offered services.

Claims

1. A method of resource provisioning for content delivery of multiple services, comprising:

offering multiple services, wherein at least one first offered service is delivery of prerecorded content and at least one second offered service is content delivered according to a deadline; and

delivering at least a portion of the at least one first offered service in advance of use of that portion of the at least one first offered service such that combined resource demand in connection with delivery of service content of the at least one second offered service at peak delivery is reduced.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising temporarily suspending delivery of at least a portion of the at least one first offered service such that demand for resources during delivery of the at least one second offered service at peak delivery is reduced and use of the at least one first offered service goes uninterrupted.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically adjusting resources provided to deliver the at least one second offered service while delaying delivery of the at least one first offered service.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein delaying delivery of the at least one first offered service comprises delaying delivery for less than 30 seconds.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein dynamically adjusting resources provided to the at least one second offered service while delaying delivery of the at least one first offered service comprises dynamically adjusting a number of servers needed to meet demand for delivery of the at least one second offered service while delaying delivery of the at least one first offered service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first offered service is content without a playback deadline, and the at least one second offered service is content with a playback deadline.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one first offered service is video content with lax playback deadline that is later in time than a playback deadline for the second offered service, and the at least one second offered service is broadcast television content with the playback deadline.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing additional virtual machines in anticipation of an increase in demand of the at least one second offered service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing virtual machines in anticipation of an increase in demand of the at least one second offered service comprises establishing virtual machines in anticipation of an increase in demand of the at least one second offered service about 30 seconds before an anticipated demand increase.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a number of servers needed based upon a peak of sums of individual workloads of the delivery of the at least one first offered service and the at least one second offered service.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering at least a portion of the at least one first offered service in advance of use of that portion of the at least one first offered service comprises delivering the at least one first offered service via a unicast stream.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein delivering at least a portion of the at least one first offered service in advance of use of that portion of the at least one first offered service such that combined resource demand in connection with delivery of service content of the at least one second offered service at peak delivery is reduced comprises delivery of service content of the at least one second offered service via a unicast stream.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering at least a portion of the at least one first offered service in advance of use of that portion of the at least one first offered service comprises delivering the portion of the at least one first offered service to a set-top box and storing the portion of the at least one first offered service on the set-top box.

14. A system for resource provisioning for content delivery of multiple services, comprising:

a first device configured to;

offer multiple services, wherein at least one first offered service is delivery of prerecorded content and at least one second offered service is content delivered according to a deadline; and

deliver at least a portion of the at least one first offered service in advance of use of that portion of the at least one first offered service such that combined resource demand in connection with delivery of service content of the at least one second offered service at peak delivery is reduced.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first device is configured to temporarily suspend delivery of at least a portion of the at least one first offered service such that demand for resources during delivery of the at least one second offered service is reduced and use of the at least one first offered service goes uninterrupted.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first device is configured to dynamically adjust resources provided to deliver the at least one second offered service while delaying delivery of the at least one first offered service.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first device is configured to deliver at least a portion of the at least one first offered service in advance of use of that portion of the at least one first offered service such that combined resource demand in connection with delivery of service content of the at least one second offered service at peak delivery is reduced, wherein the at least one first offered service is video content with a lax playback deadline that is later in time than a playback deadline for the second offered service, and the at least one second offered service is broadcast television content with the playback deadline.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the first device is configured to establish virtual machines in anticipation of an increase in demand of the at least one second offered service comprises establishing virtual machines in anticipation of an increase in demand of the at least one second offered service about 30 seconds before an anticipated demand increase.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the first device is configured to determine a number of servers needed based upon a peak of sums of individual workloads of the delivery of the at least one first offered service and the at least one second offered service.

20. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when loaded and executed by an electronic processor, causes the electronic processor to transfer data between devices, comprising:

an electronic data processor configured to offer multiple services, wherein at least one first offered service is delivery of prerecorded content and at least one second offered service is content delivered according to a deadline; and

deliver at least a portion of the at least one first offered service in advance of use of that portion of the at least one first offered service such that combined resource demand in connection with delivery of service content of the at least one second offered service at peak delivery is reduced.