Communication system and techniques for transmission from source to destination

• US 8,306,058 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Group, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bai, Junfeng, Sivakumar, Raghupathy, Jayant, Nikil
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US12/489,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20100020823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/27 Evaluation or update of window size, e.g. using information derived from acknowledged [ACK] packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 : Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 : Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 : for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6375 : for requesting retransmission , e.g. of data packets lost or corrupted during transmission from serverARQ protocols H04L1/18; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 : directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64769 : for rate control flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64776 : for requesting retransmission, e.g. of data packets lost or corrupted during transmission from server ARQ protocols H04L1/18; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 : Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A system and method for transmitting and presenting streaming digital information signals that optimizes performance in the context of goodput, throughput, delay, receiver buffer requirements and tolerance to loss and jitter. The method provides ordering packets of information based on a priority associated with each of the packets; managing the flow of the packets into and out of a buffer; adjusting the rate at which the packets are provided to a communication medium; and transmitting and retransmitting the packets as needed.

Claims

1. A method for sharing over-provisioned bandwidth, the method comprising:

establishing a plurality of network paths between a single source and a plurality of destinations, the plurality of network paths including at least one shared network link;

determining an individual over-provisioned bandwidth needed for each of said plurality of network paths, wherein determining the individual over-provisioned bandwidth comprises setting the individual over-provisioned bandwidth to the maximum number of retransmission requests received from a destination in any period of time T;

determining a shared over-provisioned bandwidth for the at least one shared network link.

2. A method for sharing over-provisioned bandwidth, the method comprising:

establishing a plurality of network paths between a single source and a plurality of destinations, the plurality of network paths including at least one shared network link;

determining an individual over-provisioned bandwidth needed for each of said plurality of network paths; and

determining a shared over-provisioned bandwidth for the at least one shared network link, wherein determining the shared over-provision bandwidth comprises setting the shared over-provisioned bandwidth equal to the maximum of the individual over-provisioned bandwidths.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the individual over-provisioned bandwidths are based on traffic trace history.

4. A method for sharing over-provisioned bandwidth, the method comprising:

establishing a plurality of network paths between a single source and a plurality of destinations, the plurality of network paths including at least one shared network link;

determining an individual over-provisioned bandwidth needed for each of said plurality of network paths;

determining a shared over-provisioned bandwidth for the at least one shared network link;

monitoring retransmission requests from each of said plurality of destinations;

updating the individual over-provisioned bandwidths based on said monitoring; and

updating the shared over-provisioned bandwidth, said updating occurring periodically during a transmission stream.

5. A method, comprising:

establishing a plurality of network paths between a single source and a plurality of destinations, the plurality of network paths including at least one shared network link;

determining an individual over-provisioned bandwidth needed for each of said plurality of network paths, wherein determining the individual over-provisioned bandwidth comprises setting the individual over-provisioned bandwidth to the maximum number of retransmission requests received from a destination in any period of time T; and

determining a shared over-provisioned bandwidth for the at least one shared network link.

6. One or more non-transitory computer readable media operable which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

establish a plurality of network paths between a single source and a plurality of destinations, the plurality of network paths including at least one shared network link;

determine an individual over-provisioned bandwidth needed for each of said plurality of network paths; and

determine a shared over-provisioned bandwidth for the at least one shared network link, wherein determining the shared over-provision bandwidth comprises setting the shared over-provisioned bandwidth equal to the maximum of the individual over-provisioned bandwidths.

7. The computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the individual over-provisioned bandwidths are based on traffic trace history.

8. One or more non-transitory computer readable media which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

establish a plurality of network paths between a single source and a plurality of destinations, the plurality of network paths including at least one shared network link;

determine an individual over-provisioned bandwidth needed for each of said plurality of network paths;

determine a shared over-provisioned bandwidth for the at least one shared network link;

monitor retransmission requests from each of said plurality of destinations;

update the individual over-provisioned bandwidths based on said monitoring; and

update the shared over-provisioned bandwidth, said updating occurring periodically during a transmission stream.

9. A system, comprising:

means for establishing a plurality of network paths between a single source and a plurality of destinations, the plurality of network paths including at least one shared network link;

means for determining an individual over-provisioned bandwidth needed for each of said plurality of network paths, wherein determining the individual over-provisioned bandwidth comprises setting the individual over-provisioned bandwidth to the maximum number of retransmission requests received from a destination in any period of time T; and

means for determining a shared over-provisioned bandwidth for the at least one shared network link.

10. A system, comprising:

means for establishing a plurality of network paths between a single source and a plurality of destinations, the plurality of network paths including at least one shared network link;

means for determining an individual over-provisioned bandwidth needed for each of said plurality of network paths; and

means for determining a shared over-provisioned bandwidth for the at least one shared network link, wherein determining the shared over-provision bandwidth comprises setting the shared over-provisioned bandwidth equal to the maximum of the individual over-provisioned bandwidths.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the individual over-provisioned bandwidths are based on traffic trace history.