METHODS AND DEVICES FOR MEDIA PROCESSING IN DISTRIBUTED CLOUD

• US 20160182288A1
• Filed: 08/08/2013
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: MENP, Jouni
• Granted Patent: US 10,608,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• 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 67/1004 Server selection for load balancing

Abstract

The teachings relates to methods for media processing performed in a network node of a distributed cloud 11 comprising two or more virtual machines run in a respective distributed data center. The method comprises: receiving a request for a media service between at least a first and a second user device A, B; creating two or more media virtual nodes for handling the media service, the two or more media virtual nodes being run on a respective virtual machine; configuring, for the first user device A participating in the media service, a communication path to the second user device B for a media stream of the media service, the communication path involving the created two or more media virtual nodes and the communication path comprising at least one redundant path section.

Claims

1. A method for media processing performed in a network node of a distributed cloud comprising two or more virtual machines run in a respective distributed data center, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a media service between at least a first and a second user device;

creating two or more media virtual nodes for handling the media service, the two or more media virtual nodes being run on a respective virtual machine; and

configuring, for the first user device participating in the media service, a communication path to the second user device for a media stream of the media service, the communication path involving the created two or more media virtual nodes and the communication path comprising at least one redundant path section.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one redundant path section comprises one of at least two parallel paths sections originating from any one of the media virtual nodes.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuring further comprises configuring each of the two or more media virtual nodes with configuration information regarding one or more of:

forking of a media stream, stopping of a media stream, number of copies of a media stream to send across parallel path sections, selection of path across the distributed cloud for a media stream, functioning role of the two or more media virtual nodes, placement of the two or more media virtual nodes in the distributed cloud, and number of media virtual nodes to which a same media processing operation is distributed.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuring of a communication path, comprises configuring the communication path between the at least two user devices based on one or more of:

average delay, latency between different possible communication paths, packet losses, jitter, availability of a respective distributed data center, and load of a respective distributed data center.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuring of a communication path, comprises configuring the communication path between one or more of:

the at least two user devices having the lowest latency, the lowest jitter, and the lowest packet losses.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the creating of the two or more media virtual nodes comprises one or more of:

creating at least one core media virtual node handling switching and mixing of the media stream of the media service.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the creating of the two or more media virtual nodes comprises one or more of:

creating at least one micro media virtual node running in a node of a radio access network and handling media stream forking and media stream stopping.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, comprising configuring, in the network node, the micro media virtual node to fork the media stream by copying each data packet of the media stream and sending it to two or more next-hop media virtual nodes.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, comprising configuring, in the network node, the micro media virtual node to stop a media stream based on a quality parameter.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the creating of the two or more media virtual nodes comprises creating at least one edge media virtual node handling media processing, the media processing comprising one or more of:

video bitrate adaptation, audio or video transcoding, audio and video decryption, and video transrating.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, comprising configuring, in the network node, the edge media virtual node to split a media stream and outputting the split media stream to and sending it to two or more next-hop media virtual nodes.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the edge media virtual node is run on a virtual machine, wherein the virtual machine is run in a distributed data center of the distributed cloud located closest to the user device.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuring is performed repeatedly or continuously during the duration of the media service, whereby the communication path for the media stream of the media service is reconfigured dynamically.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the media processing comprises real-time communication and wherein the media service comprises a real-time communication session between two or more user devices, in particular a video conference or an audio conference.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuring of a communication path for a media stream of the media service is repeated for each user device participating in the media service and to each other user device.

16. A network node for media processing of a distributed cloud comprising two or more virtual machines run in a respective distributed data center, the network node comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor, whereby the network node is operative to:

receive a request for a media service between at least a first and a second user device;

create two or more media virtual nodes for handling the media service, the two or more media virtual nodes being run on a respective virtual machine; and

configure, for the first user device participating in the media service, a communication path to the second user device for a media stream of the media service, the communication path involving the created two or more media virtual nodes and the communication path comprising at least one redundant path section.

17. The network node as claimed in claim 16, wherein the redundant path section comprises one of at least two parallel paths sections originating from any one of the media virtual nodes.

18. The network node as claimed in claim 16, wherein the configuring further comprises configuring each of the two or more media virtual nodes with configuration information regarding one or more of:

forking of a media stream, stopping of a media stream, number of copies of a media stream to send across parallel path sections, selection of path across the distributed cloud for a media stream, functioning role of the two or more media virtual nodes, placement of the two or more media virtual nodes in the distributed cloud, and number of media virtual nodes to which a same media processing operation is distributed.

19. The network node as claimed in claim 16, wherein the configuring of a communication path, comprises configuring the communication path between the at least two user devices based on one or more of:

average delay, latency between different possible communication paths, packet losses, jitter, availability of a respective distributed data center, and load of a respective distributed data center.

20. The network node as claimed in claim 16, wherein the configuring of a communication path, comprises one or more of:

configuring the communication path between the at least two user devices having the lowest latency, the lowest jitter, and the lowest packet losses.

21. The network node as claimed in claim 16, wherein the creating of the two or more media virtual nodes comprises one or more of:

creating at least one core media virtual node handling switching and mixing of the media stream of the media service.

22. The network node as claimed in claim 16, wherein the creating of the two or more media virtual nodes comprises one or more of:

creating at least one micro media virtual node running in a node of a radio access network and handling media stream forking and media stream stopping.

23. The network node as claimed in claim 22, wherein the micro media virtual node is configured to fork the media stream by copying each data packet of the media stream and sending it to two or more next-hop media virtual nodes.

24. The network node as claimed in claim 22, wherein the micro media virtual node is configured to stop a media stream based on a quality parameter.

25. The network node as claimed in claim 16, wherein the creating of the two or more media virtual nodes comprises creating at least one edge media virtual node handling media processing, the media processing comprising one or more of:

video bitrate adaptation, audio or video transcoding, audio and video decryption, and video transrating.

26. The network node as claimed in claim 25, wherein the edge media virtual node is configured to split a media stream and outputting the split media stream to and sending it to two or more next-hop media virtual nodes.

27. The network node as claimed in claim 25, wherein the edge media virtual node is run on a virtual machine, wherein the virtual machine is run in a distributed data center of the distributed cloud located closest to the user device.

28. The network node as claimed in claim 16, wherein the configuring is performed repeatedly or continuously during the duration of the media service, whereby the communication path for the media stream of the media service is reconfigured dynamically.

29. A computer program for a network node of a distributed cloud comprising two or more virtual machines run in a respective distributed data center, the computer program comprising computer program code, which, when run on the network node causes the network node to:

receive a request for a media service between at least a first and a second user device;

create two or more media virtual nodes for handling the media service, the two or more media virtual nodes being run on a respective virtual machine; and

configure, for the first user device participating in the media service, a communication path to the second user device for a media stream of the media service, the communication path involving the created two or more media virtual nodes and the communication path comprising at least one redundant path section.

30. A computer program product comprising a computer program as claimed in claim 29, and a non-transitory computer readable medium on which the computer program is stored.