Media streaming in a database

• US 7,035,874 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2002
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Gold, Kevin K., Frazier, John D., Reed, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Yicun
• Application Number:
  US10/112,335
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24553 of query operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24568 Data stream processing; Continuous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for streaming data from a database system to a client system. In one implementation, a database management system includes: one or more data storage facilities for use in storing data composing records in tables of a database, where the data includes media data stored in one or more media objects; one or more processing modules configured to manage the data stored in the data-storage facilities; one or more quality of service modules configured to manage streaming media data from the data-storage facilities; and a database management component configured to receive stream requests and database queries for data stored in the data-storage facilities, including passing a stream request indicating media data to the processing module that corresponds to the data-storage facility storing the media data indicated by the stream request.

Claims

1. A method of streaming data from a database system to a client system, comprising:

receiving a stream request at a database system from a streaming server to stream a selection of media data where at least part of the media data is stored in a media object;

opening a cursor indicating the media object, where the cursor locks the media object and prevents the media object from being altered;

sending a reference to the media object to the streaming server;

sending a media type of the media data stored in the media object to the streaming server;

opening a media socket, where the media socket is identified by media socket information, and where the media socket is used to establish a media connection between the database system and the client system;

sending the media socket information to the streaming server; and

streaming the media data in the media object across the media connection to the client system using a quality of service module in the database system, where the quality of service module uses one or more dedicated quality of service module tasks to stream data.

2. A method of streaming data from a database system to a client system comprising:

receiving a stream request at a database system from a streaming server to stream a selection of media data, where at least part of the media data is stored in a media object;

assigning a worker task for locating and accessing the media object in response to the stream request;

opening a cursor indicating the media object using the worker task, where the cursor locks the media object and prevents the media object from being altered;

sending a reference to the media object to the streaming server using the worker task;

signaling the QOS module to prepare for streaming using the worker task;

assigning a QOS module task to prepare for streaming;

opening a media socket using the QOS module task, where the media socket is identified by media socket information, and where the media socket is used to establish the media connection;

buffering media data for streaming using the QOS module task;

sending a media type of the media data stored in the media object to the streaming server using the worker task;

requesting the media socket information from the QOS module task using the worker task;

sending the media socket information to the streaming server using the worker task;

receiving a play request from the streaming server;

releasing the worker task after receiving the play request and establishing the media connection between the database system and the client system;

streaming the media data in the media object across the media connection to the client system using a quality of service module in the database system, where the quality of service module uses one or more dedicated quality of service module tasks to stream data;

closing the cursor after completing streaming the media data;

closing the media connection using the QOS module task after completing streaming the media data; and

releasing the QOS module task.

3. A method of requesting data be streamed from a database system to a client system, comprising:

receiving a client stream request at a streaming server from a client system to stream a selection of media data, where at least part of the media data is stored in a media object in a database system;

passing the client stream request to a streaming application plug-in;

generating a streaming server stream request based on the client stream request within the streaming application plug-in;

sending the streaming server stream request to the database system;

receiving a media type of the media data stored in the media object from the database system;

receiving media socket information from the database system, where the media socket information identifies the media socket and the media socket is used to establish a media connection between the client system and the database system;

sending the media type and the media socket information to the client system;

sending an open cursor request to the database system for a cursor indicating the media object;

sending a reference request to the database system for a reference to the media object;

receiving the reference to the media object from the database system;

sending a type request for the media to the database system; and

sending a close cursor request to the database system to close the open cursor;

where the open cursor request, the reference request, the type request, and the close cursor request are generated by the streaming application plug-in based on the client stream request.

4. The method of claim 3, where the open cursor request, the reference request, the type request, and the close cursor request each include one or more SQL statements.

5. A computer program stored on a tangible storage medium, for use in streaming data from a database system to a client system, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

receive a stream request at a database system from a streaming server to stream a selection of media data, where at least part of the media data is stored in a media object;

open a cursor indicating the media object, where the cursor locks the media object and prevents the media object from being altered;

send a reference to the media object to the streaming server;

send a media type of the media data stored in the media object to the streaming server;

open a media socket, where the media socket is identified by media socket information;

send the media socket information to the streaming server;

establish the media connection between the database system and the client system using the media socket; and

stream the media data in the media object across the media connection to the client system using a quality of service module in the database system, where the quality of service module uses one or more dedicated quality of service module tasks to stream data.

6. A computer program, stored on a tangible storage medium, for use in streaming data from a database system to a client system, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

receive a stream request at a database system from a streaming server to stream a selection of media data, where at least part of the media data is stored in a media object;

assign a worker task for locating and accessing the media object in response to the stream request;

open a cursor indicating the media object using the worker task, where the cursor locks the media object and prevents the media object from being altered;

send a reference to the media object to the streaming server using the worker task;

signal the QOS module to prepare for streaming using the worker task;

assign a QOS module task in the database system to prepare for streaming;

open a media socket using the QOS module task, where the media socket is identified by media socket information;

establish a media connection between the database system and the client system using the media socket;

buffer media data for streaming using the QOS module task;

send a media type of the media data stored in the media object to the streaming server using the worker task;

request the media socket information from the QOS module task using the worker task;

send the media socket information to the streaming server using the worker task;

receive a play request from the streaming server;

release the worker task after receiving the play request and establishing the media connection;

stream the media data in the media object across the media connection to the client system using the OS module task;

close the cursor after completing streaming the media data;

close the media connection using the QOS module task after completing streaming the media data; and

release the QOS module task.

7. A computer program, stored on a tangible storage medium, for use in requesting data be streamed from a database system to a client system, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

receive a client stream request at a streaming server from a client system to stream a selection of media data, where at least part of the media data is stored in a media object in a database system;

pass the client stream request to a streaming application plug-in;

generate a streaming server stream request based on the client stream request within the streaming application plug-in;

send the streaming server stream request to the database system;

send an open cursor request to the database system for a cursor indicating the media object;

send a reference request to the database system for a reference to the media object;

receive the reference to the media object from the database system;

send a media type request for the media data stored in the media object to the database system;

receive the media type of the media data stored in the media object from the database system;

receive media socket information from the database system where the media socket information identifies the media socket and the media socket is used to establish a media connection between the client system and the database system;

send the media type and the media socket information to the client system; and

send a close cursor request to the database system to close the open cursor;

where the open cursor request, the reference request, the type request, and the close cursor request are generated by the streaming application plug-in based on the client stream request.

8. The computer program of claim 7, where the open cursor request, the reference request, the type request, and the close cursor request each include one or more SQL statements.