Media Session Between Network Endpoints

• US 20160094586A1
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gunnalan, Rajesh, Khan, Humayun Mukhtar, Moore, Timothy M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,244,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/256 NAT traversal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]

Abstract

A media session between an initiating endpoint and a responding endpoint is effected, there being a plurality of available paths through a communication network via which the media session could be established. Type metrics associated with the available paths convey the directness of the available paths and are for making a selection of an available path for the media session. Network information indicative of the quality of the available paths and collected from a plurality of network nodes comprises contributions from network nodes other than the initiating and receiving endpoints which have current and/or have had past visibility of at least parts of the available paths. Said selection is influenced so as to cause the endpoints to select for the media session a higher quality but less direct available path in favour of a more direct but lower quality available path.

Claims

1. A method for effecting a media session between an initiating endpoint and a responding endpoint connected via a communication network which includes network nodes, there being a plurality of available paths through the network via which the media session could be established, wherein the endpoints have access to type metrics associated with the available paths which convey the directness of the available paths, the type metrics for making a selection of an available path for the media session, the method comprising:

accessing network information indicative of the quality of the available paths, the network information collected from a plurality of network nodes and comprising contributions from network nodes other than the initiating and receiving endpoints which have current and/or have had past visibility of at least parts of the available paths;

generating selection data based on the network information, the selection data for influencing said selection; and

transmitting the selection data to at least one of the endpoints so as to cause the endpoints to select for the media session a higher quality but less direct available path in favour of a more direct but lower quality available path.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the network information comprises telemetry gathered from previously established media sessions, the telemetry comprising contributions from endpoints other than the initiating and receiving endpoints.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein part of the telemetry has been gathered from a media session that was previously established via a path which overlaps one of the available paths, the selection data generated based on the part of the telemetry.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein a first part of the telemetry has been gathered from a first media session previously established via a first path which overlaps part of one of the available paths, and a second part of the telemetry has been gathered from a second media session previously established via a second path which overlaps a different part of that available path, the selection data generated based on both the first and second parts of the telemetry.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the network is an internet in which data is routed between individual networks of the internet, and the network information comprises topology information which conveys, for at least one of the available paths, the nature of the routing decisions that would be made were data to be transmitted along that path.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the internet includes MPLS links, and the topology information identifies that available path as involving an MPLS link, the selection data for biasing said selection towards that available path.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein data is routed between the individual networks in accordance with ISP peering agreements, and the topology information pertains to an ISP peering agreement that is determinative of the nature of the routing decisions that would be made were data to be transmitted along that available path.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network information comprises topology information that has been manually configured.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the network information pertains to a current state of at least one network node that forms part of at least one of the available paths.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the network information comprises a measure of current resource availability for the at least one network node;

and/or a performance metric indicative of the current performance of the at least one network node; and

/or an indicator indicating whether or not the at least one network node is currently functioning correctly.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the type metrics are assigned to network addresses associated with the available paths in accordance with the ICE protocol.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the higher quality available path selected for the media session includes a media relay server and the lower quality available path does not include any media relay servers.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein the media relay server is a TURN server and the lower quality path does not include any TURN servers.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein the higher quality available path selected for the media session includes a network address translator and the lower quality available path does not include any network address translators.

15. A computer program product comprising code stored on a computer-readable storage medium configured when executed to implement a method for effecting a media session between an initiating endpoint and a responding endpoint connected via a communication network which includes network nodes, there being a plurality of available paths through the network via which the media session could be established, the method comprising:

accessing type metrics associated with the available paths which convey the directness of the available paths, the type metrics for making a selection of an available path for the media session;

receiving selection data for influencing said selection, the selection data generated based on network information indicative of the quality of the available paths, the network information collected from a plurality of network nodes and comprising contributions from network nodes other than the initiating and receiving endpoints which have current and/or have had past visibility of at least parts of the available paths;

based on the selection data, selecting for the media session a higher quality but less direct available path in favour of a lower quality but more direct available path, wherein the media session is established via the selected path.

16. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, during the media session, a reduction in the quality of the selected path; and

selecting a new available path in response, the media session continued via the newly selected path.

17. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the selection data is generated further based on local telemetry information held at at least one of the initiating and responding endpoints, the local telemetry information gathered for at least one previous media session in which that endpoint has previously participated.

18. A computer program product according to claim 15, the method comprising assigning priorities to the available paths based on the type metrics and the selection data, wherein the higher quality available path has a higher priority than the lower quality available path and is selected on that basis.

19. A computer program product according to claim 15, the method comprising assigning priorities to the available paths based at least on the type metrics and generating a set of available paths based on the selection data, wherein the step of selecting is restricted to selection from that set, and the lower quality available path is removed from that set prior to the step of selecting so as to cause the higher quality available path to be selected instead.

20. A user device for effecting a media session between the user device and another endpoint via a communication network, there being a plurality of available paths through the network via which the media session could be established, the user device comprising:

an access component configured to access type metrics associated with the available paths which convey the directness of the available paths, the type metrics for making a selection of an available path for the media session;

an input configured to receive selection data for influencing said selection, the selection data generated based on network information indicative of the quality of the available paths, the network information collected from a plurality of network nodes and comprising contributions from network nodes other than the user device and the other endpoint which have current and/or have had past visibility of at least parts of the available paths;

a path selection component configured, based on the selection data, to select for the media session a higher quality available but less direct path in favour of a more direct but lower quality available path, wherein the media session is established via the selected path.