Real-time, low memory estimation of unique client computers communicating with a server computer

• US 9,893,973 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brightcove Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ooyala, Inc.
• Inventors: Buenrostro, Issac
• Primary Examiner(s): Katsikis, Kostas
• Application Number:
  US14/854,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20160080239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session

Abstract

Computer systems and methods for estimating the number of client computers actively coupled to a server computer system in real-time are discussed herein. Specifically, systems and methods are discussed for a server computer system receiving heartbeat messages from a plurality of client computers and generating an estimate of the number of client computers actively coupled to the server computer system in real-time without locks, such as a database table lock. A heartbeat message from a client computer need not include a client or user identifier. In an embodiment, the memory footprint/overhead is O(l), and may be a single whole number greater than zero, such as a 64-bit unsigned integer. Systems and methods are also discussed herein to calculate and reduce the expected error of the estimated number of active clients.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors coupled to the memory and configured to;

receive, from a plurality of client computers, a first plurality of heartbeat messages;

wherein each heartbeat message of the first plurality of heartbeat messages;

is sent by a client computer of the plurality of client computers, and

includes a delta value that indicates an amount of time that has elapsed since a previous heartbeat message sent from the client computer;

wherein each heartbeat message in a first subset of heartbeat messages of the first plurality of heartbeat messages includes a first attribute;

wherein each heartbeat message in a second subset of heartbeat messages of the first plurality of heartbeat messages includes a second attribute;

determine a first subtotal based, at least in part, on the delta value in each heartbeat message of the first subset of heartbeat messages;

determine a second subtotal based, at least in part, on the delta value in each heartbeat message of the second subset of heartbeat messages;

receive a first query that identifies the first attribute, and in response, determine a first total number of active client computers based, at least in part, on the first subtotal and a defined amount of time in a first window, but not the second subtotal; and

receive a second query that identifies the second attribute, and in response, determine a second total number of active client computers based, at least in part, on the second subtotal and the defined amount of time in the first window, but not the first subtotal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each heartbeat message of the one or more heartbeat messages does not include a client identifier.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a first heartbeat message of the first plurality of heartbeat messages includes a first delta value;

a second heartbeat message of the first plurality of heartbeat messages includes a second delta value that is different than the first delta value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the delta value in a first heartbeat message of the first plurality of heartbeat messages is different than the delta value in a second heartbeat message of the first plurality of heartbeat messages.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more processors are further configured to;

receive a third query that identifies the first attribute and the second attribute, and in response, determine a third total number of active client computers based, at least in part, on the first subtotal, the second subtotal, and the defined amount of time in the first window.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

send, to one or more first client computers of the plurality of client computers, a first frequency;

receive, from the one or more first client computers, a second plurality of heartbeat messages according to the first frequency.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a second frequency based, at least in part, on one or more factors, wherein the second frequency is different than the first frequency;

send, to one or more second client computers of the plurality of client computers, the second frequency;

receive, from the one or more second client computers, a second plurality of heartbeat messages according to the second frequency.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a load on one or more server computers;

determine the load exceeds a threshold, and in response;

send, to one or more second client computers of the plurality of client computers, a second frequency that is less than the first frequency based on one or more factors; and

receive, from the one or more second client computers, a second plurality of heartbeat messages according to the second frequency.

9. The system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of server computers that comprise the one or more processors and the memory, wherein:

the first plurality of heartbeat messages are collectively received by the plurality of server computers;

each server computer of the plurality of server computers is configured to;

determine a subtotal amount of time based, at least in part, on the delta value from each heartbeat message received by the server computer;

send the subtotal amount of time to a particular server computer;

the particular server computer is configured to determine a first total amount of time based, at least in part, on the subtotal amount of time received from each server computer of the plurality of server computers.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

for each sub-window of a plurality of sub-windows;

receive a plurality of heartbeat messages during the sub-window;

determine a subtotal amount of time based, at least in part, on the delta value from each heartbeat message of the plurality of heartbeat messages received during the sub-window;

determine the first window comprises a first set of sub-windows of the plurality of sub-windows;

determine a first total amount of time based, at least in part, on the subtotal amount of time of each sub-window in the first set of sub-windows;

determine a total number of active client computers based, at least in part, on the first total amount of time and the defined amount of time in the first window;

wherein the total number of active client computers is a first total number of active client computers;

determine a second window comprises a second set of sub-windows of the plurality of sub-windows;

determine a second total amount of time based, at least in part, on the subtotal amount of time of each sub-window in the second set of sub-windows;

determine a second total number of active client computers based, at least in part, on the second total amount of time and a defined amount of time in the second window.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the first window comprises a first sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-windows and a second sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-windows, but not a third sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-windows;

the second window comprises the second sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-windows and the third sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-windows, but not the first sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-window.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, from a plurality of client computers, a first plurality of heartbeat messages;

wherein each heartbeat message of the first plurality of heartbeat messages;

is sent by a client computer of the plurality of client computers, and

includes a delta value that indicates an amount of time that has elapsed since a previous heartbeat message sent from the client computer;

wherein each heartbeat message in a first subset of heartbeat messages of the first plurality of heartbeat messages includes a first attribute;

wherein each heartbeat message in a second subset of heartbeat messages of the first plurality of heartbeat messages includes a second attribute;

determining a first subtotal based, at least in part, on the delta value in each heartbeat message of the first subset of heartbeat messages;

determining a second subtotal based, at least in part, on the delta value in each heartbeat message of the second subset of heartbeat messages;

receiving a first query that identifies the first attribute, and in response, determine a first total number of active client computers based, at least in part, on the first subtotal and a defined amount of time in a first window, but not the second subtotal; and

receiving a second query that identifies the second attribute, and in response, determine a second total number of active client computers based, at least in part, on the second subtotal and the defined amount of time in the first window, but not the first subtotal;

wherein the method is performed by one or more processors.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the delta value in a first heartbeat message of the first plurality of heartbeat messages is different than the delta value in a second heartbeat message of the first plurality of heartbeat messages.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein each heartbeat message of the one or more heartbeat messages does not include a client identifier.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein:

a first heartbeat message of the first plurality of heartbeat messages includes a first delta value;

a second heartbeat message of the first plurality of heartbeat messages includes a second delta value that is different than the first delta value.

16. The method of claim 12 comprising:

for each sub-window of a plurality of sub-windows;

receiving a plurality of heartbeat messages during the sub-window;

determining a subtotal amount of time based, at least in part, on the delta value from each heartbeat message of the plurality of heartbeat messages received during the sub-window;

determining the first window comprises a first set of sub-windows of the plurality of sub-windows;

determining a first total amount of time based, at least in part, on the subtotal amount of time of each sub-window in the first set of sub-windows;

wherein the total number of active client computers is a first total number of active client computers;

determining a total number of active client computers based, at least in part, on the first total amount of time and the defined amount of time in the first window;

determining a second window comprises a second set of sub-windows of the plurality of sub-windows;

determining a second total amount of time based, at least in part, on the subtotal amount of time of each sub-window in the second set of sub-windows;

determining a second total number of active client computers based, at least in part, on the second total amount of time and a defined amount of time in the second window.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

receiving a third query that identifies the first attribute and the second attribute, and in response, determining a third total number of active client computers based, at least in part, on the first subtotal, the second subtotal, and the defined amount of time in the first window.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

sending, to one or more first client computers of the plurality of client computers, a first frequency;

receiving, from the one or more first client computers, a second plurality of heartbeat messages according to the first frequency.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

determining a second frequency based, at least in part, on one or more factors, wherein the second frequency is different than the first frequency;

sending, to one or more second client computers of the plurality of client computers, the second frequency;

receiving, from the one or more second client computers, a second plurality of heartbeat messages according to the second frequency.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

determining a load on one or more server computers;

determining the load exceeds a threshold, and in response;

sending, to one or more second client computers of the plurality of client computers, a second frequency that is less than the first frequency based on one or more factors; and

receiving, from the one or more second client computers, a second plurality of heartbeat messages according to the second frequency.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the first plurality of heartbeat messages are collectively received by a plurality of server computers, and the method further comprising:

each server computer of the plurality of server computers;

determining a subtotal amount of time based, at least in part, on the delta value from each heartbeat message received by the server computer;

sending the subtotal amount of time to a particular server computer;

wherein the particular server computer determines a first total amount of time based, at least in part, on the subtotal amount of time received from each server computer of the plurality of server computers.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the first window comprises a first sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-windows and a second sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-windows, but not a third sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-windows;

the second window comprises the second sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-windows and the third sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-windows, but not the first sub-window of the plurality the plurality of sub-window.