Stream distribution system and failure detection method

• US 7,836,330 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Tadashi, Yokota, Daisuke, Hayashi, Yoshihiro, Takada, Aritoki
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNCAN, MARC M
• Application Number:
  US12/140,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4, 714/43
• US Class Current: 714/4.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Provided are a stream distribution system and a failure detection method capable of easily identifying the cause of quality loss in stream distribution. This stream distribution system includes a first server for communicating with a client terminal via a router and sending stream data, and a second server configured as a redundant server of the first server and connected to the first server. The first server has a communication status notification unit for sending a connection management table concerning the communication with the client terminal to the second server. The second server has a packet recording unit for acquiring a mirror packet, which is a copy of a packet sent to the first server, from the router, and a network failure monitoring unit for detecting a failure in a network between the first server and the client terminal based on the connection management table and a packet buffer.

Claims

1. A stream distribution system, comprising:

a first stream distribution server for communicating with a client terminal via a network apparatus and sending stream data; and

a second stream distribution server configured as a redundant server of the first stream distribution server and connected to the first stream distribution server;

wherein the first stream distribution server includes;

a send unit configured to send communication information concerning the communication with the client terminal to the second stream distribution server; and

wherein the second stream distribution server includes;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire mirror data, which is a copy of data sent to the first stream distribution server, from the network apparatus; and

a network failure detection configured to detect a failure in a network between the first stream distribution server and the client terminal based on the communication information and the mirror data,

wherein the second stream distribution server further includes an analysis unit configured to analyze a failure in the network when a failure is detected in the network.

2. The stream distribution system according to claim 1,

wherein the second stream distribution server further includes a storage unit configured to store the mirror data when a failure is detected in the network.

3. The stream distribution system according to claim 1,

wherein the second stream distribution server further includes:

a server failure detection unit configured to detect a failure in the first stream distribution server;

a stream distribution configured to send the stream data to the client terminal when a failure is detected in the first stream distribution server; and

a stop unit configured to stop the server failure detection unit upon sending the stream data to the client terminal.

4. The stream distribution system according to claim 1,

wherein the communication information includes communication status information showing the communication status with the client terminal.

5. The stream distribution system according to claim 1,

wherein the communication information includes reception information showing the reception status of the data sent from the first stream distribution server;

and

wherein the second stream distribution server further includes a reception omission detection unit configured to detect the omission of reception of the data sent to the first stream distribution server based on the communication information and the mirror data.

6. A failure detection method for use in a system including a first stream distribution server for communicating with a client terminal via a network apparatus and sending stream data, and a second stream distribution server configured as a redundant server of the first stream distribution server and connected to the first stream distribution server, comprising:

a send step of the first stream distribution server sending communication information concerning the communication with the client terminal to the second stream distribution server;

an acquisition step of the second stream distribution server acquiring mirror data, which is a copy of data sent to the first stream distribution server, from the network apparatus; and

a network failure detection step of the second stream distribution server detecting a failure in a network between the first stream distribution server and the client terminal based on the communication information and the mirror data,

wherein the network failure detection step further includes an analytical step of the second stream distribution server analyzing a failure in the network when a failure is detected in the network.

7. The failure detection method according to claim 6,

wherein the network failure detection step further includes a storage step of the second stream distribution server storing the mirror data when a failure is detected in the network.

8. The failure detection method according to claim 6,

wherein the acquisition step further includes:

a server failure detection step of the second stream distribution server detecting a failure in the first stream distribution server;

a stream distribution step of the second stream distribution server sending the stream data to the client terminal when a failure is detected in the first stream distribution server; and

a stop step of the second stream distribution server stopping the server failure detection unit upon sending the stream data to the client terminal.

9. The failure detection method according to claim 6,

wherein the communication information includes communication status information showing the communication status with the client terminal.

10. The failure detection method according to claim 6,

wherein the communication information includes reception information showing the reception status of the data sent from the first stream distribution server;

and

wherein the network failure detection step further includes a reception omission detection of the second stream distribution server detecting the omission of reception of the data sent to the first stream distribution server based on the communication information and the mirror data.