System, apparatus for content delivery for internet traffic and methods thereof

• US 9,723,096 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Li, Sanqi, Qian, Tao, Han, Houxiao, Tian, Hongbo, Lin, Kui
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGA, SORI A
• Application Number:
  US14/623,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1489 dependent on congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/306 intercepting packet switched data communications, e.g. Web, Internet or IMS communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/143 Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 : in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 : in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 : Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 : Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/844 : Message, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 : characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/852 : Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 : Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/888 : severing connection after predetermined time or data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/80 : Arrangements enabling lawful interception [LI]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method of serving media includes receiving a request to serve media content to an user equipment, and receiving caching information regarding the media content. The caching information includes information regarding whether the media content requested by the user equipment is cacheable. A first media server is assigned from a hierarchical set of media servers to serve the user equipment if the media content to be served is cacheable. The hierarchical set of media servers includes a plurality of first type of media servers deployed in a plurality of layer2 (L2) access networks. The user equipment is coupled to the content delivery network through a layer2 access network of the plurality of L2 access networks.

Claims

1. A method of serving media, the method comprising:

at a first media server deployed in a layer2 (L2) access network, receiving a request to serve a cacheable media content to a user equipment, the user equipment being coupled to a content delivery network through the layer2 access network;

determining if the cacheable media content is stored in a cache of the first media server, wherein the first media server does not determine if the cacheable media content is cacheable content;

serving the cacheable media content from the cache to the user equipment if the media content is stored in the cache of the first media server;

determining if the cacheable media content is stored in a cache of any other media server in a hierarchical set of media servers if the media content is not stored in the cache of the first media server; and

retrieving from the other media server and serving the cacheable media content to the user equipment if the cacheable media content is stored in the cache of any other media server under the control of the content delivery network,

wherein the first media server is configured to interface with L2 nodes in the L2 access networks via an inter working function unit (IWF) and with L3 nodes in layer3 (L3) networks via a separately routable internet protocol (IP) address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the layer2 access network is part of a mobile broad band network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the layer2 access network is part of a fixed broad band network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media server is coupled to the content delivery network through an internet protocol (IP) transport network, the first media server identified by a unique routable IP address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical set of media servers comprises:

a plurality of first type of media servers deployed in the plurality of L2 access networks;

a plurality of second type of media servers deployed in a plurality of L3 networks;

a plurality of third type of media servers deployed in border gateway; and

a plurality of fourth type of media servers deployed in a peering point.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving cacheable media content from a media portal server having a destination address of the cacheable media content request if the cacheable media content is not stored in the cache of any other media server in the hierarchical set of media servers; and

serving the retrieved cacheable media content to the user equipment, wherein serving the cacheable media content comprises caching the media content being served.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an index to represent the media content at the first media server; and

generating a file name to store the index at the first media server.

8. A method of media streaming, the method comprising:

receiving a request to serve a cacheable media content to a user equipment;

determining a destination internet protocol (IP) address of the request;

repackaging the received request into a TCP/IP message if the destination IP address matches an entry in a stored list of destination IP addresses; and

transmitting the TCP/IP message to the first media server in a layer2 (L2) access network, wherein the first media server is configured to interface with L2 nodes in the L2 access networks via an inter working function unit (IWF) and with layer3 (L3) nodes in L3 networks via a separately routable internet protocol (IP) address.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the repackaging is performed at a inter working function unit (IWF) deployed in the layer2 access network, and wherein the IWF is integrated with a radio network controller serving the user equipment.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising a radio network controller serving the user equipment, wherein the repackaging is performed at a inter working function unit (IWF) deployed in the layer2 access network, and wherein the IWF and the radio network controller are separate units.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the layer2 access network is part of a mobile broad band network.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile broad band network comprises a WiMAX or higher wireless network, 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 4G or higher cellular wireless network.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the layer2 access network is part of a fixed broad band network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the fixed broad band network comprises a cable broad band network, a XDSL network, a fiber to x (FTTX) network, or a power line communication network.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the received request comprises a GPRS tunneling protocol user (GTP-U) message.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a first GPRS tunneling protocol control (GTP-C) message; and

forwarding the first GTP-C message without repackaging.

17. A network component for serving media, comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver;

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to;

receive a request to serve a cacheable media content to a user equipment, the user equipment being coupled to a content delivery network through a layer2 (L2) access network, wherein the network component comprises a first media server deployed in the L2 access network;

determine if the cacheable media content is stored in a cache of the first media server, wherein the first media server does not determine if the cacheable media content is cacheable content;

serve the cacheable media content from the cache to the user equipment if the media content is stored in the cache of the first media server

determining if the cacheable media content is stored in a cache of any other media server in a hierarchical set of media servers if the media content is not stored in the cache of the first media server; and

retrieving from the other media server and serving the cacheable media content to the user equipment if the cacheable media content is stored in the cache of any other media server under the control of the content delivery network,

wherein the first media server is configured to interface with L2 nodes in the L2 access networks via an inter working function unit (IWF) and with layer3 (L3) nodes in L3 networks via a separately routable internet protocol (IP) address.

18. The network component of claim 17, wherein the layer2 access network is part of a mobile broad band network.

19. The network component of claim 17, wherein the layer2 access network is part of a fixed broad band network.

20. The network component of claim 17, wherein the first media server is coupled to the content delivery network through an internet protocol (IP) transport network, the first media server identified by a unique routable IP address.

21. The network component of claim 17, wherein the hierarchical set of media servers comprises:

a plurality of first type of media servers deployed in the plurality of L2 access networks;

a plurality of second type of media servers deployed in a plurality of L3 networks;

a plurality of third type of media servers deployed in border gateway; and

a plurality of fourth type of media servers deployed in a peering point.

22. The network component of claim 17, wherein the programming further comprises instructions to:

retrieve cacheable media content from a media portal server having a destination address of the cacheable media content request if the cacheable media content is not stored in the cache of any other media server in the hierarchical set of media servers; and

serve the retrieved cacheable media content to the user equipment, wherein serving the cacheable media content comprises caching the media content being served.

23. A network component for media streaming, comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver;

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to;

receive a request to serve a cacheable media content to a user equipment;

determine a destination internet protocol (IP) address of the request;

repackage the received request into a TCP/IP message if the destination IP address matches an entry in a stored list of destination IP addresses; and

transmitting the TCP/IP message to the first media server in a layer2 (L2) access network, wherein the first media server is configured to interface with L2 nodes in the L2 access networks via an inter working function unit (IWF) and with layer3 (L3) nodes in L3 networks via a separately routable internet protocol (IP) address.

24. The network component of claim 23, wherein the repackaging is performed at a inter working function unit (IWF) deployed in the layer2 access network, and wherein the IWF is integrated with a radio network controller serving the user equipment.

25. The network component of claim 23, wherein the network component comprises an inter working function unit (IWF) deployed in the layer2 access network, wherein the IWF is a separate unit from a radio network controller configured to serve the user equipment.

26. The network component of claim 23, wherein the layer2 access network is part of a mobile broad band network.

27. The network component of claim 23, wherein the mobile broad band network comprises a WiMAX or higher wireless network, 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 4G or higher cellular wireless network.

28. The network component of claim 23, wherein the layer2 access network is part of a fixed broad band network.

29. The network component of claim 28, wherein the fixed broad band network comprises a cable broad band network, a XDSL network, a fiber to x (FTTX) network, or a power line communication network.

30. The network component of claim 23, wherein the received request comprises a GPRS tunneling protocol user (GTP-U) message.

31. The network component of claim 23, wherein the programming further comprises instructions to:

receive a first GPRS tunneling protocol control (GTP-C) message; and

forward the first GTP-C message without repackaging.