Management of service-oriented resources across heterogeneous media servers using homogenous service units and service signatures to configure the media servers

• US 6,460,082 B1
• Filed: 06/17/1999
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sandpiper CDN, LLC (Theseus LF Asset Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lumelsky, Leon L., Manohar, Nelson R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): EL HADY, NABIL M
• Application Number:
  US09/335,274
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/328
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5011 Pool
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5014 Reservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

A system and method for configuring service-oriented resources suitable for the resource management in a media server and more particularly, for resource configuration across distributed media servers. Heterogeneous media serves are configured in terms of homogeneous service-oriented resource units each used to represent a resource allocation commitment from a participating server for provisioning a particular media service on demand. A service unit associated with each different service supported by a media server represents an envelope of resource requirements as needed for provisioning a service. The method includes generating a resource envelope, and additionally compensating, at a media server, for differences between true resource utilization and resource envelope projected by a service unit. Each service unit also comprises a signature representing metadata used to control access to a service unit by defining rights, privileges, and characteristics of services that may use that particular server unit.

Claims

1. A system for administering resources in heterogeneous server devices included in a distributed wide area computer network, said resources including media content and service resources for providing said media content to clients, said system comprising:

a) for each of said server devices, a first resource pool comprising resources for providing media services and capable of being locally administered; and

a second resource pool comprising resources for providing media services, and capable of being remotely administered;

each of said media services having an associated homogeneous service unit comprising a resource envelop representing a commitment of resources for provisioning a media service by a particular server device, and a metadata construct providing information for characterizing types of services that may make use of the service unit and for customizing said commitment of resources when provisioning a media service; and

b) an administrator device for receiving client requests and determining a server device to provide a requested service, said administrator device accessing said homogeneous service units and comparing said homogeneous service units of associated server devices according to a predetermined criteria provided in an associated metadata construct to determine said server device, whereby said homogeneous server units provide a basis for integrating management of services and resources of heterogeneous server devices in said distributed wide area network.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each service unit associated with a media service projects an envelope of resource requirements as needed for provisioning a media service.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each service unit associated with a media service includes an associated service signature comprising metadata for enabling access to a service unit, each said server device including means for enforcing said service signatures.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein a service signature includes metadata representing rights, privileges and characteristics of services that may use a particular service unit.

5. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said server device further comprises:

a) means for monitoring resource utilization when provisioning a media service; and

b) means for compensating for differences between true resource utilization when providing a media service and its resource envelope as projected in its associated service unit.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said service signature further includes one or more run-time compensation strategies for updating a projected resource envelope associated with a service unit at different network loads.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a projected resource envelope includes data indicating one or more resource allocations selected from the group comprising:

memory usage;

disk storage;

disk bandwidth;

CPU resources; and

network bandwidth.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein one or more said resource allocations includes a time-variant profile.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined criteria includes a cost metric.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, whereby allocation of resources in said first and second resource pools is determined by a local administrator for said server device.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said first and second resource pools comprises one or more service bins allocated according to service units and one or more storage bins allocated according to media content objects.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, further including a capabilities bank for downloading capabilities to said server device for configuring said service and storage bins thereof according to a determined administration.

13. The system as claimed in claim 10, further including means for generating a streaming connection comprising a media service, said generating means including binding a storage bin to a service bin, the binding being evaluated at a quality of service.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein a storage bin may be bound to a service bin from a same or different resource pool.

15. A method for administering resources included in heterogeneous server devices comprising a distributed wide area computer network, said server devices including media content and service resources for providing said media content to clients, said method comprising:

a) receiving a request for provisioning a media service to a client;

b) accessing homogeneous service units associated with the requested service, each of said homogeneous service units comprising a resource envelop representing a commitment of resources for provisioning a requested media service to said client from a particular server device, and a metadata construct providing information for characterizing types of services that may make use of the service unit and for customizing said commitment of resources when provisioning a media service; and

c) determining a server device having resources capable of provisioning said requested media service according to requirements specified in its associated service unit and said metadata construct, whereby homogeneous service units provide basis for integrating management of services and resources of said heterogeneous server devices in said distributed wide area network.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said determining step c) includes comparing different service units associated with a requested service according to a predetermined cost metric.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said method further including step d) of allocating resources at a server device according to a service unit in order to provision a media service.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein each service unit associated with a media service includes an associated service signature comprising metadata used to enable access to a service unit, said accessing step b) further including the step of enforcing said service signatures at a media server device.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17, further including the steps of:

e) monitoring true resource utilization at a server device when providing said media service; and

f) real-time compensating for differences between true resource utilization when providing said media service and its resource envelope as projected in its associated service unit.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein resources are allocated at a server device from a first resource pool, said method including transferring remaining resources not being used for provisioning a service in a second pool of resources.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said compensating step f) includes allocating resources from said second pool of resources for supporting real-time compensations.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said first resource pool comprises one-or more service bins allocated according to service units and one or more storage bins allocated according to media content objects.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, further including the step of downloading capabilities from a remote capabilities bank to said server device for configuring said service and storage bins thereof according to a determined administration.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said step of provisioning said media service further includes generating a streaming connection between a server device and a client by binding a storage bin to a service bin, the binding being evaluated at a quality of service.