Devices And Methods Supporting Content Delivery With Adaptation Services With Feedback

• US 20140173030A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sandpiper CDN, LLC (Theseus LF Asset Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Varney, Lewis Robert, Lipstone, Laurence R., Crowder, William, Swart, Andrew, Newton, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,634,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0808 with cache invalidating means G06F12/0815 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 : Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 : using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 : using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/58 : Caching of addresses or names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 : Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 : specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1078 : Resource delivery mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 : Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 : Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 : Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 : Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/03 : Protocol definition or specification protocol conformance testing H04L1/244

Abstract

A device supporting content delivery is configured to run at least one content delivery (CD) service of a plurality of CD services. The plurality of CD services include adaptation services with feedback.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method,

operable in a system comprising a plurality of computers, each computer comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, each computer configured to run at least two content delivery (CD) services of a plurality of CD services, wherein said CD services include:

adaptation services and control services, and wherein at least some of said plurality of computers run control services, and wherein said CD services further include collector services, and wherein at least some of said CD services produce event output relating to their respective operation; and

wherein at least some of said computers run collector services, and wherein said at least some of said computers running collector services comprise a collector services network;

the method comprising, on a particular computer of said plurality of computers, and using hardware, including memory and at least one processor, of said particular computer;

(a) by a first CD service on said particular computer;

(a)(1) generating first information relating to operation of said first service; and

(a)(2) providing at least some of said first information to at least one collector service in said collector services network; and

(b) by a second CD service on said particular computer;

(b)(1) obtaining service configuration information from said control services;

(b)(2) controlling CD services on said device based on said service configuration information,

wherein said second service controls said first service based on first service configuration information obtained by said second service, wherein said first service configuration information is based on said first information provided by said first service in (a)(2), wherein

(A) at least some of said event output from at least some of said CD services is provided to at least one other CD service, said at least one other CD service comprising at least one collector service in said collector services network; and

wherein (B) said collector services network provides state information to said control services, said state information being based on said event input from said CD services, and wherein (C) at least some of said control services provide control information to said CD services, at least some of said control information being based on state information from the collector services network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said CD services further include reducer services, wherein at least some of said computers run reducer services, said at least some of said computers running reducer services comprise a reducer services network;

and wherein at least some of said reducer services in said reducer services network provide event output to at least some collector services in said collector services network, said event output being based on event output from said at least some of said CD services, and wherein said at least one other service to which event output is provided comprises at least one reducer service from said reducer services network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second service is an adaptation service.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said second service is provisioned on said particular computer in an out-of-band process.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first service configuration information obtained from the control services is generated by said control services.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said first service configuration information is based on

(i) said first information provided by said first service in (a)(2);

and

(ii) at least some event output from at least one other CD service in said to system other than said first service.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said at least one other CD service in said system that produced said at least some event output includes another CD service running on said particular computer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said other CD service running on said particular computer is a third CD service that monitors operational health of the particular computer.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said at least one other CD service in said system that produced said at least some event output includes another CD service running on another computer distinct from said particular computer.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said other CD service running on said another computer is a third CD service that monitors operational health of the other computer.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein each CD service may be in various of a plurality of operating states, and wherein the method further comprises, the second service on the particular computer:

monitoring an operating state of each CD service on said particular computer.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the second CD service monitors an operating state of the first CD service using information in the first service configuration information.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the second CD service on the particular computer obtains operating state information about a CD service on said particular computer using information obtained in (b)(1) from the control services.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the control services determined the operating state of the first CD service using said first information generated by the first CD service and provided to the collector services network.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising, by the second service:

instructing a CD service on said particular computer to be in a specific operating state.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the second service instructs the first CD service on said particular computer to be in a specific operating state based on said first service configuration information obtained by said second service from the control services.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein, the second service causes the first CD service to terminate.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising, by the second service:

(b)(3) generating second information relating to operation of said second service; and

(b)(4) providing at least some of said second information to a second at least one collector service in said collector services network.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the second service provides said at least some of said second information indirectly to a second at least one collector service in said collector services network.

20. The method of claim 2 further comprising, by the second service:

(b)(3) generating second information relating to operation of said second service; and

(b)(4) providing at least some of said second information to a second at least one of (i) at least one collector service in said collector services network, and (ii) at least one reducer in said reducer services network.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the second CD service is selected from:

rendezvous services, collector services, reducer services, control services, and delivery services.