Dynamic connection management on mobile peer devices

• US 8,990,411 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2010
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bergman, Joel Robert, Lin, Jyh-Han, Al Sayed Hassan, Fadi, Haridasyam, Pavani, Bane, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US12/765,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/227, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels

Abstract

Dynamically evaluating candidate connections as alternatives to an active connection between a first computing device and a second computing device. The first computing device transitions to one of the candidate connections to replace the active connection based on the evaluation. The evaluation and transition occurs based on time intervals, events, or conditions. Maintaining the candidate connections enables mobile devices, for example, to be resilient to and tolerant of topology changes affecting the active connection.

Claims

1. A system for maintaining alternative connections for dynamic transition during communication between a first computing device and a second computing device, said system comprising:

a memory area for storing data defining an active connection representing a currently in-use connection, a set of candidate connections representing a plurality of available connections not currently in use, and a set of non-candidate connections representing a plurality of connections that are currently unavailable for establishing communication between a mobile computing device and another computing device, said memory area being associated with the mobile computing device, wherein the data includes a protocol and address for the active connection and each of the candidate connections; and

a processor programmed to;

establish communication between the mobile computing device and the other computing device via the protocol and address of the active connection, the mobile computing device and the another computing device being peer devices;

evaluate at least one of the non-candidate connections before establishing the communication with one of the candidate connections, the evaluation comprising updating the set of candidate connections to include the at least one of the non-candidate connections in the set of candidate connections based on the connectivity between the mobile computing device and the other computing device using the at least one of the non-candidate connections;

determine performance of at least one of the candidate connections, after both the communication has been established with the active connection and the evaluation of the at least one of the non-candidate connections, during transit of the mobile computing device and during communication with the other computing device using the active connection;

compare, by the mobile computing device, the determined performance with performance of the active connection;

select one of the candidate connections after evaluating the at least one of the non-candidate connections, based on the comparison, wherein the selection is performed without failure of the active connection; and

transition communication between the mobile computing device and the other computing device, dynamically without input from a user, from the active connection to the selected candidate connection via the protocol and address of the selected candidate connection during transit of the mobile computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to move, after the evaluation of all the non-candidate connections, at least one of the candidate connections from the set of candidate connections to the set of non-candidate connections based on the determined performance of said at least one of the candidate connections.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to move the active connection to the set of candidate connections.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to determine the performance by determining one or more of the following:

latency, throughput, and packet loss.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein transit of the mobile computing device results in a topology change affecting communication between the mobile computing device and the other computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for maintaining and selecting alternative connections for dynamic transition during communication between the first computing device and the second computing device.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for continuously evaluating the active connection and searching for candidate connections contemporaneously.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory area further stores at least one previous active connection, the at least one previous active connection being included in the one or more candidate connections when performance of the at least previous active connection exceeds performance of the defined active connection, wherein during a subsequent evaluation of the one or more candidate connection, the at least one previous active connection is selected to replace the defined active connection.

9. A method comprising:

defining, by a first computing device, a connection between the first computing device and a second computing device as an active connection;

evaluating, as the first computing device changes location, a set of one or more candidate connections between the first computing device and the second computing device, the evaluation of the one or more candidate connections being performed after evaluating one or more non-candidate connections, wherein the evaluation of the one or more non-candidate connections comprises, for each of the one or more non-candidate connections, determining whether a connection can be established with the non-candidate connection and determining whether performance of the non-candidate connection is above a predefined threshold level, wherein the set of the one or more candidate connections is updated based on the evaluation of the one or more non-candidate connections; and

transitioning, after updating the set of the one or more candidate connections with at least one of the one or more non-candidate connections, by the first computing device, the active connection from the defined connection to one of the candidate connections based on the evaluation of the one or more candidate connections and the evaluation of the one or more non-candidate connections.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein evaluating the one or more candidate connections comprises determining one or more of the following:

bandwidth, latency, and error rate.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating, by the first computing device based on said evaluating, a score value for each of the evaluated candidate connections;

generating a score value for the active connection; and

comparing the score value for each of the evaluated candidate connections to the score value for the active connection, wherein transitioning the active connection comprises transitioning the active connection from the defined connection to one of the candidate connections based on said comparing.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting a failure of the active connection, and wherein transitioning the active connection comprises transitioning the active connection responsive to the detected failure.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein evaluating the one or more candidate connections comprises ranking the one or more candidate connections after testing connectivity and performance of the one or more candidate connections and the one or more non-candidate connections.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein evaluating the one or more candidate connections comprises evaluating the one or more candidate connections after a topology change in a network supporting the active connection.

15. One or more computer memories storing computer executable components, said components comprising:

a communication component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to define, by a first computing device, a connection between the first computing device and a second computing device as an active connection, the connection being defined by identifying, by the first computing device, available connections and selecting one of the available connections to establish communication;

an analysis component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to evaluate, as the first computing device changes location, a set of one or more candidate connections between the first computing device and the second computing device as alternatives to the active connection after evaluating performance of one or more non-candidate connections, wherein evaluating the performance of the one or more non-candidate connections comprises determining whether to update the set of the one or more candidate connections by including the one or more non-candidate connections in the set, wherein the communication component further executes to transition the active connection from the defined connection to one of the candidate connections based on the evaluation of the one or more candidate connections, wherein said evaluating the one or more non-candidate connections occurs, before transitioning the active connection from the connection to one of the candidate connections, during data transmission over the active connection between the first computing device and the second computing device; and

a memory component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to store the defined connection with the candidate connections and the one or more non-candidate connections, the one or more non-candidate connections representing connections that are currently unavailable due to performance.

16. The computer memories of claim 15, wherein the analysis component evaluates the candidate connections by determining one or more of the following for each of the candidate connections:

bandwidth, latency, and error rate.

17. The computer memories of claim 15, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are connected after registering with a shared service.

18. The computer memories of claim 15, wherein the analysis component evaluates the candidate connections at time-based intervals and/or after a topology change in a network connecting the first computing device and the second computing device.

19. The computer memories of claim 15, wherein the analysis component ranks the candidate connections after evaluating the one or more non-candidate connections and when the active connection is active.

20. The computer memories of claim 15, wherein the communication component transitions the active connection responsive to one or more of the following:

a failure of a network component supporting the active connection, and a determination by the analysis component that said one of the candidate connections has a higher ranking than the active connection.