Policy-based multivariate application-level QoS negotiation for multimedia services

• US 6,529,950 B1
• Filed: 06/17/1999
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wood, Stephen P., Lumelsky, Leon L., Manohar, Nelson R.
• Primary Examiner(s): VOELTZ, EMANUEL T
• Application Number:
  US09/335,275
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217-219
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

A Resource Management Framework (RMF) comprises an extensible, distributed, policy-based, object-oriented system and method for resource discovery and negotiation during the setup and control of a media session between one or more media servers and end users. The scope of the RMF framework is the management of multimedia resources used during simple, non-interactive as well as composite, complex, interactive multimedia sessions. The RMF enables iterative negotiated mapping over the requirements of an RMF-compliant application onto the offerings of one or more RMF-compliant media servers. It is an open-services architecture providing the ability to insert and apply services to enhance the suitability of offerings to requirements and vice versa, during a negotiated mapping session. Moreover, the RMF negotiated mapping algorithm itself is customizable via the use of policies (herein referred to as per-flow policies). The policies used to drive management decisions and service selections during these negotiated mapping are ‘pluggable’. New or updated policies may be added, to augment or replace an existing policy so as to realize new behavior or refine existing behavior.

Claims

1. A system for provisioning a media flow between a media server and a client of multimedia services in a distributed computer network comprising a plurality of media servers having media content and a plurality of clients, said system comprising:

service requestor means for receiving a request for media service from a client application, said service requestor means implementing a directory means comprising a list of potential,negotiator means and their corresponding capabilities/specialties for determining a negotiator means to which to forward said request;

negotiator means for receiving a request for media service from said service requestor means, said request including a service identifier indicating request for a media service;

said negotiator means applying pre-conditions to said request, as necessary, according to preferences of a requestor and generating a modified request set; and

mapping means for receiving said modified request set and locating possible media server devices capable of offering a requested media service, said mapping means returning a media server match set comprising said possible media server devices to said negotiator means for forwarding to a client application, whereby a possible media server is selected for providing a requested media service flow to said client application.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, further including a service directory means including a list of one or more media server devices capable of provided a requested media service, said mapping means including means for performing look-up in said service directory means to determine said match set.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said service requester means is interposed between said client application and said negotiator means for receiving a message containing said request for media service, validating the contents of said message to ensure conformity to a system standard request format, converting from one format to said standard request format if required, and passing the request to said negotiator means.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mapping means generates a set of possible mappings according to load distribution policies.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said negotiator means further includes means for generating a new set of possible mappings from said media server match set according to additional criteria, said additional criteria includes one or more selected from the group consisting of:

user preferences, rights to access the service(s), quality and cost preferences for services.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said means for generating new set of possible mappings from said media server match set according to additional criteria, further includes a profile database containing user preferences and user registration information.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for caching sets of mapping matches for subsequent use given a similar service request set.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

means for providing said media service flow to said client application according to a negotiated level of service contract; and

means for monitoring performance of said provided service flow according to said level of service contact, whereby quality of delivered media service flow as requested is ensured.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, further including one or more service interface means for providing authentication services.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said one or more service interface means provides authorization services.

11. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said one or more service interface means provides pricing services whereby media services may be offered to a client requester at a variety of cost according to a pricing policy.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said one or more service interface means provides billing services whereby media services may be billed to the client.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11, whereby said media server comprises a controller for a media server cluster including a plurality of interconnected media servers.

14. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said one or more service interface means provides insertion points for services to enable bridging of an unfeasible mapping between application requirements and a media server offering into a feasible mapping via an insertion of added-value or subsidizing services onto a resultant media service flow.

15. A method for provisioning a media flow between a media server and a client of multimedia services in a distributed computer network comprising a plurality of media servers having media content and a plurality of clients, said method comprising:

receiving a request for media service at a service requestor from said client application, said service requestor implementing a directory means comprising a list of potential negotiators and their corresponding capabilities/specialties for determining a negotiator to which to forward said request;

receiving a request for media service from said service requestor at a negotiator, said request including a service identifier indicating request for a media service, said negotiator applying pre-conditions to the request, as necessary, according to preferences of a requestor and generating a modified request set;

receiving said modified request set at a service mapper and locating possible media server devices capable of offering said requested media service, said service mapper returning a media server match set comprising possible media server devices to said negotiator for forwarding to said client application; and

selecting a possible media server from said server match set for providing a requested media service flow to said client application.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein prior to said selecting step, the step of generating new set of possible mappings from said media server match set according to additional criteria, said additional criteria including one or more selected from the group comprising:

user preferences, rights to access the service(s), quality and cost preferences for services.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said step of locating possible media server devices capable of offering a requested media service includes accessing a service directory means having list of one or more media server devices capable of provided a requested media service for determining said server match set.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said step of applying pre-conditions to a request further includes steps of:

validating the contents of a request message to ensure conformity to a method standard request format;

converting from one format to said standard format if required; and

passing the request to said negotiator.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said step of locating possible media server devices includes applying system load distribution policies.

20. The method as claimed in claim 15, further including the step of caching sets of mapping matches for subsequent use given a similar service request set.

21. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said step of providing a requested media service flow to said client application further includes the steps of:

negotiating a level of service contract for ensuring quality of said media service flow; and

monitoring performance of said provided service flow according to said level of service contract, whereby quality of delivered media service flow as requested is ensured.

22. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein prior to said locating step, the steps of authorizing and authenticating the client requester of said requested service.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, further including the step of offering to a client requester the requested service at a variety of costs according to one or more pricing policies.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, further including the step of billing media services to the client requestor.

25. The method as claimed in claim 15, further including the step bridging of an unfeasible mapping between application requirements and a media server offering into a feasible mapping by inserting an added-value or subsidized service onto a media service flow.

26. A system for provisioning a media flow between a media server and a client of multimedia services in a distributed computer network comprising a plurality of media servers having media content and a plurality of clients, said system comprising:

negotiator means for receiving a request for media service from a client application, said request including a service identifier indicating request for a media service, said negotiator means applying pre-conditions to a request, as necessary, according to preferences of a requester and generating a modified request set;

service requestor means interposed between a client application and one or more negotiator means for receiving a request for media service from a client application, and determining a negotiator means to which to forward said request based on its corresponding capabilities/specialties;

mapping means for receiving said request set and locating possible media server devices capable of offering a requested media service, said mapping means returning a media server match set comprising said possible media server devices to said negotiator means for forwarding to a client application; and

,

service interface means for providing insertion points for services to enable bridging of an unfeasible mapping between application requirements and a media server offering into a feasible mapping via an insertion of added-value or subsidizing services onto a resultant media service flow.

27. An apparatus for searching multimedia content in a distributed network of heterogeneous servers comprising;

negotiator objects for receiving a generic request for media service from a client application, said request including one or more delivery constraints, and generating a request set including keywords indicating requested content and delivery constraint;

service requester means interposed between a client application and one or more negotiator means for receiving a request for media service from a client application, and determining a negotiator means to which to forward said request based on its corresponding capabilities/specialties;

mapping objects responsive to said request set for navigating organizational media server repositories and searching for content in terms of said keywords as well as delivery constraints and locating possible media server devices capable of offering said requested media service in accordance with said delivery constraints, said mapping objects returning a media server match set comprising said possible media server offerings to said negotiator objects for forwarding to a client application; and

means for bridging an unfeasible mapping between application requirements and a media server offering into a feasible mapping via an insertion of added-value or subsidizing services onto a resultant media service flow.

28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein said delivery constraints includes static constraints comprising format, resolution, and access rights to said media content as well as qualifying dynamic constraints including cost and quality of service.