Method and system for implementing relay channel, and edge node

• US 8,699,336 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2009
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Huo, Jing
• Primary Examiner(s): Mered, Habte
• Assistant Examiner(s): ISMAIL, MAHMOUD S
• Application Number:
  US13/132,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20110283308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/390, 370/230.1, 725/95, 725/120
• US Class Current: 370/230.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23103 using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and system for implementing a relay channel, and an edge node, in which a media location service system monitors the number of orders of all nodes in an IPTV system, and, when monitoring that the number of orders of the central node of the IPTV system is more than a predetermined first threshold, searches edge nodes with the number of orders less than a predetermined second threshold, and sends a relay channel establishing request message to one of the edge nodes; the edge node which receives the message sends an RTSP link establishing request message to the central node, reserves a media distribute unit (MDU) resource for the link, and notifies the central node of the IP address of the reserved MDU resource; and the edge node enables the MDU resource, sends a media stream requesting message to the central node, and stores data of the relay channel. The invention can better balance the load of each node in the network, thereby allocating and using the system resource more properly.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a relay channel, in which a media location service system (MLSS) monitors the number of orders of all nodes of an Internet Protocol television (IPTV) system, wherein when the MLSS monitors that the number of orders of a central node is more than a predetermined first threshold, the following steps are executed:

step 1;

the MLSS searching for edge nodes with the number of orders less than a predetermined second threshold, and sending a relay channel establishing request message to one of the edge nodes;

step 2;

the edge node which receives the relay channel establishing request message sending an RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) link establishing request message to the central node, reserving a media distribute unit (MDU) resource for the link after receiving an acknowledgement message returned by the central node, and notifying the central node of an IP address of the reserved MDU resource; and

Step 3;

the edge node enabling the MDU resource, sending a media stream requesting message to the central node, and storing data of the relay channel after receiving an acknowledgement message returned by the central node, then the relay channel being successfully established;

wherein in step 3, the edge node enables the MDU resource by the following steps;

step a;

a service module of the edge node sending an MDU resource enabling request message to an adaptation module of the edge node;

step b;

the adaptation module enabling the MDU resource, and an MDU to which the MDU resource belongs returning an acknowledgement message to notify the adaptation module of successful enabling of the corresponding resource; and

step c;

the adaptation module returning an acknowledgement message to the service module to notify the service module of successful enabling of the corresponding MDU resource.

2. The method for implementing a relay channel according to claim 1, wherein in step 2, after receiving the acknowledgement message returned by the central node, the edge node applies to a database module of the edge node for reserving the MDU resource, and the database module reserves the MDU resource for the edge node and returns an acknowledgement message carrying the IP address of the reserved MDU resource.

3. The method for implementing a relay channel according to claim 1, wherein between steps 2 and 3, the method further comprises:

the central node returns the acknowledgement message to the edge node after receiving the notification from the edge node.

4. The method for implementing a relay channel according to claim 3, wherein in step 3, after receiving the media stream requesting message from the edge node, the central node returns the acknowledgement message, and at the same time, starts to send a media stream to an MDU corresponding to the IP address notified by the edge node.