Latency server and matchmaker

• US 6,038,599 A
• Filed: 08/13/1997
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mpath Interactive, Inc. (Palktalk.com)
• Inventors: Rothschild, Jeffrey J., Black, Norman R. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US08/915,545
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/218, 709/223, 709/205, 709/209, 709/217, 709/219, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/227, 709/229, 709/239
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions

Abstract

A method and apparatus to efficiently and effectively ensure that the quality of the data communications links are adequate for digital electronic game playing is provided. A number of servers are connected to the Internet. The servers periodically perform communications link quality measurements among themselves. At least one of the servers is designated as a matchmaker. When a game is requested by clients, the matchmaker acts as a game coordinator and compiles the results of the measurements. Based on the compilation and other information from its database, the matchmaker selects a few servers as candidate servers. These candidates perform data communications link quality measurements with the requesting clients. Based on these measurements, the matchmaker selects a server as the server for the requested game.

Claims

1. A method to assign a client computer running an application program to one server computer amongst a plurality of server computers comprising the steps of:

performing communications link quality measurements among the plurality of server computers;

classifying the plurality of servers into a plurality of groups according to the communications link quality measurements, wherein servers belonging to a particular group exhibit the same approximate communications link quality measurements;

designating a plurality of representative servers, wherein at least one server from each server group is selected as a representative server for that particular group;

in response to a request from the client computer, determining a minimum communications link quality criterion required for using the application program;

selecting a qualified server computer from the plurality of representative server computers, wherein the measured communication link quality criterion of the qualified sever meets the minimum communication link quality criterion;

selecting a final server computer from the group of server computers to which the qualified server computer belongs;

establishing data communications between the final server computer and the client computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application software is a game.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data communications is established through an Internet communications network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications link quality measurements involve latency measurement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications link quality measurements involve bandwidth measurements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications link quality measurements involve error rate measurements.

7. In a communications network coupling to a plurality of server computer systems, each of the plurality of server computer systems storing the network addresses of the plurality of server computer systems, at least one of the plurality of server computer systems being designated to a matchmaker, the matchmaker server computer system adapted to ensure that the quality of data communication links are adequate for using an application program over the communications network, the matchmaker server computer system comprising:

a bus;

a processor coupled to the bus;

memory coupled to the bus; and

a data communications device coupled to the bus and the communications network;

wherein the memory storing instruction codes, the instruction codes when executed by the processor performing the following steps;

instructing the server computer systems to perform communications link quality measurements among the plurality of server computers;

classifying the plurality of servers into a plurality of groups according to the communications link quality measurements, wherein servers belonging to a particular group exhibit the same approximate communications link quality measurements;

designating a plurality of representative servers, wherein at least one server from each server group is selected as a representative server for that particular group;

in response to a request from the client computer, determining a minimum communications link quality criterion required for using the application program;

selecting a qualified server computer from the plurality of representative server computers, wherein the measured communication link quality criterion of the qualified server meets the minimum communication link quality criterion selecting a final server computer from the group of server computers to which the qualified server computer belongs;

establishing data communications between the final server computer and the client computer.

8. The matchmaker server computer system of claim 7, wherein the application software is a game.

9. The matchmaker server computer system of claim 7, wherein the data communications is made over the Internet.

10. The matchmaker server computer system of claim 7, wherein the communications link quality measurements involve latency measurement.

11. The matchmaker server computer system of claim 7, wherein the communications link quality measurements involve bandwidth measurements.

12. The matchmaker server computer system of claim 7, wherein the communications link quality measurements involve error rate measurements.

13. A system to match one or more client computers requesting participation in a multi-user application program and an application server, in a computer network having a plurality of application servers and a plurality of client computers, comprising:

means for determining a first group of candidate application servers for running the application program;

means for determining a communication link quality criteria required for using the application for each communication link between each of the one or more client computers requesting the application program and an application server in the first group of candidate application servers;

means for receiving at least one communication link quality measurement of each communication link among the candidate application servers of the first group; and

means for pruning the first group of candidate application servers to form a second group of candidate application servers based on the at least one communication link quality measurement of each communication link among the candidate application servers of the first group and based on the communication link quality criteria.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for instructing the candidate application servers of the first group to take the at least one communication link quality measurement of each communication link among the candidate application servers of said first group.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for determining a qualified server from among the second group of candidate application servers which meets the communication link quality criteria.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for selecting the qualified server, to run the application program requested by the one or more client computers.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for notifying the qualified server, to run the application program requested by the one or more client computers.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for selecting an application server from among the first group of candidate application servers, to run the application requested by the one or more client computers based on at least one communication link quality measurement between said application server and said qualified server and based on the communication link quality criteria.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

means for notifying the application server selected from among the first group of candidate application servers, to run the application program requested by the one or more client computers.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein said means for determining a qualified server includes:

means for instructing the candidate application servers of the second group to take at least one communication link quality measurement for each communication link between each candidate server of said second group and each of the one or more client computers requesting the application program; and

means for compiling the results of said at least one communication link quality measurement for each communication link between each candidate server of said second group and each of the client computers requesting the application program.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said means for determining a qualified server includes:

means for determining a most qualified server from among the second group of candidate application servers.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for selecting the most qualified server to run the application program requested by the one or more client computers.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

means for notifying the most qualified server to run the application program requested by the one or more client computers.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for selecting an application server from among the first group of candidate application servers to run the application program requested by the one or more client computers based on at least one communication link quality measurement between said application server and said most qualified server and based on the communication link quality criteria.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

means for notifying the application server selected from among the first group of candidate application servers to run the application program requested by the one or more client computers.

26. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer network is the Internet.

27. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one communication link quality measurement includes at least one latency measurement.

28. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one communication link quality measurement includes at least one bandwidth measurement.

29. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one communication link quality measurement includes at least one error rate measurement.