Multicast distribution system and method

• US 8,510,384 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Yamauchi, Kazushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Lynn
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, BRYAN Y
• Application Number:
  US12/649,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1854 with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2892 characterised by the access multiplexer architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing

Abstract

A network composed of a primary segment, in which a management server, a primary distribution server, and a data storage server are disposed, and a secondary segment, in which a plurality of targets connected to the primary segment via a router which does not support multicast, serves as an object. When a multicast distribution request is received at the management server, a secondary distribution server is temporarily built and operated on a particular target of the secondary segment, data is transmitted by unicast from the data storage server to the secondary distribution server via the router, and the data is transmitted by multicast from the secondary distribution server to the targets on the same segment.

Claims

1. A multicast distribution system distributing data to a plurality of targets, comprises:

a network comprising a primary segment, in which a management server, a first distribution server, a plurality of secondary distribution servers and a data storage server are disposed, and a secondary segment, in which a plurality of targets connected to the primary segment via a router are disposed the plurality of secondary distribution servers disposed in the network and each of the plurality of targets is assigned to one of the plurality of secondary distribution servers, each of the plurality of secondary distribution servers including an agent program that enables each secondary distribution server to process multicast communication by receiving an activation request, the management server configured to receive a multicast distribution request, to transmit the activation request to the plurality of agent programs in the plurality of secondary distribution servers, and to confirm with each of the agent programs whether the each of the plurality of secondary distribution server is activated;

an agent operating unit provided in any one of the plurality of targets disposed in the secondary segment and building and operating an agent;

a distribution server activating unit provided in the agent and building and activating one of the secondary distribution servers on the target based on distribution server activating information, which is requested to and received from the management server, when a distribution server activating command is received from the management server;

a distribution server connection ordering unit provided in the management server and transmitting a distribution server connection command to a plurality of the targets except for the target, in which the agent is built, when an activation completion notification is received from the one of the secondary distribution servers;

a distribution server connecting unit provided in each of the plurality of targets and establishing connection with the one of the secondary distribution servers when the distribution server connection command is received from the management server; and

a multicast distribution unit provided in each of the secondary distribution servers, acquiring and temporarily retaining data from the data storage server when connection of all of the plurality of targets is confirmed, and then distributing the data to the plurality of targets by multicast

wherein when the management server receives the multicast distribution request, the management server transmits the activation request, confirms all of the plurality of secondary distribution server are activated, and requests the first distribution server to distribute date by multicasting.

2. The multicast distribution system according to claim 1, characterized in that the management server registers and manages agent management information representing the target, in which the agent is built, for each of one or a plurality of the secondary segment, recognizes the target, in which the agent is built, according to the agent management information when a multicast distribution request is received, and transmits the distribution server activating command to the target.

3. The multicast distribution system according to claim 2, characterized in that, when the agent is present on a plurality of the targets disposed in the secondary segment, the management server registers and manages the target, which is autonomously determined based on exchange of resource information of the plurality of targets, in the agent management information as a transmission destination target of the distribution server activating command.

4. The multicast distribution system according to claim 3, characterized in that the target having highest CPU performance, the target having a highest memory capacity, or the target having a highest priority set by a user in advance is determined as the transmission destination target of the distribution server activating command.

5. The multicast distribution system according to claim 1, characterized in that the primary distribution server is built and operated on a same computer as the management server.

6. The multicast distribution system according to claim 1, characterized in that the distribution server connecting unit is provided in each of the plurality of targets except for the target in which the agent is provided.

7. The multicast distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the multicast distribution unit repeats, up to last divided data, a process of sequentially acquiring divided data, which is obtained by dividing distribution data, from the data storage server, temporarily retaining the data, and then distributing the data to the plurality of targets by multicast.

8. The multicast distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the multicast distribution unit acquires all the data distributed from the data storage server, temporarily retains the data, and then distributes the data to the plurality of targets by multicast.

9. The multicast distribution system according to claim 1, characterized in that the router is a router not supporting multicast.

10. A multicast distribution method, comprising:

providing a primary segment, in which a management server, a first distribution server, and a data storage server are disposed, and a secondary segment, in which a plurality of targets connected to the primary segment via a router are disposed;

assigning each of the plurality of targets to a plurality of secondary distribution servers disposed in a network and each of the plurality of targets is assigned to one of the plurality of secondary distribution servers;

providing each of the plurality of secondary distribution servers with an agent program that enables each secondary distribution server to process multicast communication by receiving an activation request;

building and operating an agent in any one of the plurality of targets disposed in the secondary segment;

receiving, by the management server, a multicast distribution request to transmit an activation request to the plurality of agent programs in the plurality of secondary distribution servers;

transmitting a distribution server activating command from the management server to the agent and transmitting a distribution server activating file in response to a request from the agent so as to build and activate one of the secondary distribution servers on the target;

transmitting a command to establish connection with the one of the secondary distribution servers to the plurality of targets except for the target, in which the agent is provided, when the management server receives an activation completion notification from the secondary transmission server;

acquiring and temporarily retaining data from the data storage server when connection to all of the plurality of targets is confirmed by each of the secondary distribution servers and then distributing the data to the plurality of targets by multicast; and

confirming whether each of the agent program of the each of the plurality of secondary distribution server is activated; and

receiving by the management server the multicast distribution request, the management server transmitting the activation request, confirming all of the plurality of secondary distribution servers are activated, and requesting the first distribution server to distribute data by multicasting.

11. The multicast distribution method according to claim 10, wherein the building and activating the one of the secondary distribution servers, the management server registers and manages agent management information representing the target, in which the agent is built, for each of one or a plurality of the secondary segment, recognizes the target, in which the agent is built, according to the agent management information when a multicast distribution request is received, and transmits the distribution server activating command to the target.

12. The multicast distribution method according to claim 11, wherein in the one of the secondary distribution servers activating, when the agent is present on a plurality of the targets disposed in the secondary segment, the target, which is autonomously determined based on exchange of information of the plurality of targets, is registered and managed in the agent management information, which is provided in the management server, as a transmission destination target of the distribution server activating command.

13. The multicast distribution method according to claim 12, wherein in the one of the secondary distribution servers activating, the target having highest CPU performance, the target having a highest memory capacity, or the target having a highest priority set by a user in advance is determined as the transmission destination target of the secondary distribution server activating command.

14. The multicast distribution method according to claim 10, characterized in that the first distribution server is built and operated on a same computer as the management server.

15. The multicast distribution method according to claim 10, wherein the distribution server connection is provided in each of the plurality of targets except for the target in which the agent is provided.

16. The multicast distribution method according to claim 10, wherein sequentially acquiring divided data, which is obtained by dividing distribution data, from the data storage server, temporarily retaining the data, and then distributing the data to the plurality of targets by multicast is repeated up to last divided data.

17. The multicast distribution method according to claim 10, wherein all the data distributed from the data storage server is acquired, temporarily retained, and then distributed to the plurality of targets by multicast.

18. The multicast distribution method according to claim 10, wherein a router is a router not supporting multicast.

19. A network distribution system distributing data to a plurality of targets, comprising:

a network comprising a primary segment, in which a management server, a first distribution server, a plurality of secondary distribution servers and a data storage server are disposed, and a secondary segment, in which the plurality of targets connected to the primary segment via a router are disposed;

a plurality of secondary distribution servers disposed in a network and each of the plurality of targets is assigned to one of the plurality of secondary distribution server, each of the plurality of secondary servers including an agent program that enables each secondary distribution server to process multicast communication by receiving an activation request; and

a management server configured to receive a multicast distribution request, to transmit the activation request to the plurality of agent programs in the plurality of secondary distribution servers, and to confirm with each of the agent programs whether the each of the plurality of secondary distribution server is activated;

a multicast distribution unit provided in each of the secondary distribution servers, acquiring and temporarily retaining data from the data storage server when connection to all of the plurality of targets is confirmed, and then distributing the data to the plurality of targets by multicast,

wherein when the management server receives the multicast distribution request, the management server transmits the activation request, confirms all of the plurality of secondary distribution servers are activated, and requests the first distribution server to distribute data by multicasting.

20. A multicast distribution method, comprising:

providing a primary segment, in which a management server, a first distribution server, and a data storage server are disposed, and a secondary segment, in which a plurality of targets connected to the primary segment via a router are disposed;

assigning each of a plurality of targets to a plurality of secondary distribution servers disposed in a network and each of the plurality of targets is assigned to one of the plurality of secondary distribution servers;

providing each of the plurality of secondary distribution servers with an agent program that enables each secondary distribution server to process multicast communication by receiving an activation request;

receiving, by a management server, a multicast distribution request to transmit an activation request to the plurality of agent programs in the plurality of secondary distribution serves;

acquiring and temporarily retaining data from the data storage server when connection to all of the plurality of targets is confirmed by the secondary distribution servers and then distributing the data to the plurality of targets by multicast;

confirming whether each of the agent program of the each of the plurality of secondary distribution server is activated; and

receiving by the management server the multicast distribution request, the management server transmitting the activation request, confirming all of the plurality of secondary distribution server are activated, and requesting the first distribution server to distribute data by multicasting.