Media Session between Network Endpoints

• US 20160094591A1
• Filed: 11/18/2015
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Moore, Timothy Mark, Qian, Tin, Gunnalan, Rajesh
• Granted Patent: US 10,171,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2589 over a relay server, e.g. traversal using relay for network address translation [TURN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]

Abstract

A media session is established between a first endpoint and a second endpoint via a communication network based on connectivity checks performed by the endpoints. A set of candidate pairs, each comprising a first network address available to the first endpoint and a second network address available to the second endpoint, is generated. To each candidate pair of the candidate pair set, a respective priority is assigned. If none of the criteria is determined to be met by the first endpoint, the priorities are assigned by the first endpoint according to a standardized networking protocol as specified by the standardized networking protocol, and if any of the criteria is determined to be met by the first endpoint, at least one of the priorities assigned by the first endpoint is different from that specified by the standardized networking protocol.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of establishing a media session between a first endpoint and a second endpoint via a communication network based on connectivity checks performed by the endpoints, the method comprising implementing on a computer of the first endpoint the following steps:

determining by at least the first endpoint whether any of a set of one or more connectivity check modification criteria is met;

generating at the first endpoint a set of candidate pairs for connectivity checks, each comprising a first network address available to the first endpoint and a second network address available to the second endpoint, by exchanging network addresses between the first and second endpoints;

assigning, by the first endpoint to each candidate pair of the candidate pair set, a respective priority, wherein;

if none of the connectivity check modification criteria is determined to be met by the first endpoint, the priorities are assigned by the first endpoint according to a standardized networking protocol as specified by the standardized networking protocol, and if any of the connectivity check modification criteria is determined to be met by the first endpoint, at least one of the priorities assigned by the first endpoint is different from that specified by the standardized networking protocol; and

establishing the media session using a candidate pair of the generated set determined to be valid by the endpoints performing connectivity checks for at least two of candidate pairs of the generated set in turn, in order of their determined priorities.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more connectivity check modification criteria is:

a network topology criterion that is met only if at least one of the endpoints is behind a firewall or network address translator, a historical network usage criterion pertaining to at least one of the candidate pairs, or a network capability criterion pertaining to the networking capabilities of at least one of the endpoints.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the standardized networking protocol is the ICE protocol.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the criteria is a network topology criterion that is met only if at least one of the endpoints is behind a firewall or network address translator.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein one of the criteria is a first network topology criterion that is met only if the first endpoint is configured to operate as a server and is behind a firewall or network address translator.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein if the first network topology criterion is determined to be met, at least one candidate pair of the full candidate pair set whose first candidate network address is a host candidate network address of the first endpoint is assigned a lower priority than that specified by the standardized protocol.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein one of criteria is a second network topology criterion that is met only if both of the endpoints are behind respective firewalls or network address translators.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein if the second network topology criterion is determined to be met, at least one candidate pair of the full candidate pair set whose first or second candidate network address is a host candidate network address of the first endpoint or a host candidate network address of the second endpoint respectively is assigned a lower priority than that specified by the standardized protocol.

9. A method according to claim 4, wherein one of the criteria is a third network topology criterion that is met only if the first endpoint is configured to operate as a publically reachable server of the public Internet, wherein if the third network topology criterion is determined to be met, at least one candidate pair of the full set whose first candidate network address is a relay candidate network address available to the first endpoint is assigned a lower priority than that specified by the standardized protocol.

10. A method according to claim 2, wherein one of the criteria is a first historical network usage criterion that is met only if a historical usage metric determined for at least one of the candidate pairs is below a historical usage threshold, wherein that candidate pair is assigned a lower priority if the first historical usage criterion is determined to be met than that specified by the standardized protocol.

11. A method according to claim 2, wherein each candidate pair additionally denotes a respective one of a plurality of network protocols;

wherein at least one of the criteria is a first network capability criterion that is met only if both of the endpoints are capable of operating according to a preferred one of the network protocols.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein if first network capability criterion is determined to be met, a second candidate pair of the set that does not denote the preferred network protocol is assigned a lower priority than a first candidate pair of the set that comprises the same first and second network addresses as the second candidate pair but does not denote the preferred protocol.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first network capability criterion is met if one of the candidate pairs denotes the preferred protocol and both the first and the second network addresses of that candidate pair are relay candidate network addresses.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein if the first network capability criterion is determined to be met, every candidate pair of the set that does not denote the preferred protocol is assigned a lower priority than any candidate pair of the set that does, whereby connectivity checks are only performed for candidate pairs that do not denote the preferred protocol when they have been performed for every candidate pair that does.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of network protocols comprises UDP and TCP, wherein the preferred network protocol is one of UDP or TCP, wherein at least one candidate pair denoting the other of UDP or TCP is assigned a lower priority if the first network capability criterion is determined to be met than that specified by the standardized protocol.

16. A method according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of network protocols comprises IPv4 and IPv6, wherein the preferred network protocol is one of IPv4 or IPv6, wherein at least one candidate pair denoting the other of IPv4 or IPv6 is assigned a lower priority if the first network capability criterion is determined to be met than that specified by the standardized protocol.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises, for each of the one or more criteria:

instigating by the first endpoint a detection procedure so as to detect whether or not that criterion is satisfied; and

/or

accessing by the first endpoint at least one memory location so as to access one or more stored parameters, which denote whether or not that criterion is satisfied; and

/or

receiving by the first endpoint one or more electronic messages, which denote whether or not that criterion is satisfied.

18. A computer of a first endpoint for establishing a media session between the first endpoint and a second endpoint via a communication network based on connectivity checks performed by the endpoints, the computer comprising:

memory holding executable code;

a processor connected to the memory, wherein the code is configured when executed on the processor to implement the following steps;

determining by at least the first endpoint whether any of a set of one or more connectivity check modification criteria is met;

generating at the first endpoint a set of candidate pairs for connectivity checks, each comprising a first network address available to the first endpoint and a second network address available to the second endpoint, by exchanging network addresses between the first and second endpoints;

assigning, by the first endpoint to each candidate pair of the candidate pair set, a respective priority, wherein;

if none of the connectivity check modification criteria is determined to be met by the first endpoint, the priorities are assigned by the first endpoint according to a standardized networking protocol as specified by the standardized networking protocol, and if any of the connectivity check modification criteria is determined to be met by the first endpoint, at least one of the priorities assigned by the first endpoint is different from that specified by the standardized networking protocol; and

establishing the media session using a candidate pair of the generated set determined to be valid by the endpoints performing connectivity checks for at least two of candidate pairs of the generated set in turn, in order of their determined priorities.

19. A computer according to claim 18, wherein the standardized networking protocol is the ICE protocol.

20. A computer program product comprising executable code stored on a computer readable storage medium, the code for establishing a media session between a first endpoint and a second endpoint via a communication network based on connectivity checks performed by the endpoints and configured when executed on a computer of the first endpoint to implement the following steps:

determining by at least the first endpoint whether any of a set of one or more connectivity check modification criteria is met;

generating at the first endpoint a set of candidate pairs for connectivity checks, each comprising a first network address available to the first endpoint and a second network address available to the second endpoint, by exchanging network addresses between the first and second endpoints;

assigning, by the first endpoint to each candidate pair of the candidate pair set, a respective priority, wherein;

if none of the connectivity check modification criteria is determined to be met by the first endpoint, the priorities are assigned by the first endpoint according to a standardized networking protocol as specified by the standardized networking protocol, and if any of the connectivity check modification criteria is determined to be met by the first endpoint, at least one of the priorities assigned by the first endpoint is different from that specified by the standardized networking protocol; and

establishing the media session using a candidate pair of the generated set determined to be valid by the endpoints performing connectivity checks for at least two of candidate pairs of the generated set in turn, in order of their determined priorities.