Optimization of multimedia service over an IMS network

• US 9,906,464 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2014
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Attanasio, Luisa, Carbone, Giancarlo, Ciano, Giuseppe, Lecciso, Francesco, Pichetti, Luigi, Sidoti, Stefano
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thuong
• Application Number:
  US14/560,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20150089070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 709226, 709227, 717138, 717168, 463 43, 463 42, 463 31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/783 Distributed allocation of resources, e.g. bandwidth brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Predetermined multimedia services are provided to a plurality of users through a IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). A request is received at a placement server of a multimedia service by at least one user, and the placement server retrieves on a presence server information about the at least one user. The placement server identifies application servers including a multimedia application capable of providing the requested multimedia service, and the placement server selects an application server that is located a minimum average distance from at least one user. In response to the minimum average distance being greater than a predetermined threshold, a local application server is selected with an average distance from the user that is less than the predetermined threshold. A virtual image of the multimedia application is created on the selected local application server, and a connection is established between the user and the selected local application server.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a notification of a modification in a networked system of computing devices providing a gaming service to at least one user device, wherein the networked system of computing devices comprises a plurality of application servers associated with a plurality of respective server locations;

identifying within the networked system of computing devices, one or more application servers with a gaming application providing the gaming service;

querying a presence server for presence information about the at least one user device, the presence information including a location of the at least one user device and a network connection capability of the at least one user device;

determining a connection speed between each of the one or more identified application servers with the gaming application and the at least one user device;

selecting a local application server within the networked system of computing devices based on the presence information of the at least one user device and the plurality of respective server locations;

responsive to a determination that the networked system of computing devices provides the gaming service to the at least one user device at a higher connection speed from the local application server that does not have the gaming application, creating a virtual image of the gaming application on the local application server; and

directing the at least one user device to obtain the gaming service from the virtual image of the gaming application on the local application server.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising calculating an average distance between each of the plurality of application servers and the at least one user device based upon a number of proxy servers on a communication network between each of the plurality of application servers and the at least one user device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a parameter indicative of communication characteristics to the at least one user device, and adjusting the average distance according to the assigned parameter.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising calculating an average distance between each of the application servers and the user device based on a physical distance between each of the application servers and the user device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising calculating an average distance between each of the plurality of application servers and the at least one user device, and selecting the local application server with a lowest average distance between the at least one user device and the selected local application server.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising repeating the selecting of the local application server so that the average distance between the at least one user device and the selected local application server is minimized each time a configuration in a communication network between the plurality of application servers and the at least one user device changes and, responsive to a different local application server being selected, modifying an existing connection for the at least one user device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising repeating the selecting of the local application server each time a new request from the at least one user device is received for a new gaming service and, responsive to a different local application server being selected, modifying an existing connection for the at least one user device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the presence information about the at least one user device further comprises one or more from a group of an audio capability, a video capability, a messaging capability, a connection characteristic of the at least one user device, a connection speed of the at least one user device, a bandwidth of the at least one user device, and a route from the at least one user device to plurality of application servers including intermediate proxy servers.

9. A system comprising:

a repository that includes information about a plurality of application servers associated with a gaming service, wherein the information about the plurality of application servers and the associated gaming service includes a position of each application server; and

a placement server that has access to the repository and a presence server that maintains presence information about a plurality of user devices including information that indicates location of each of the plurality of user devices and information that indicates a network connection capability of each of the plurality of user devices and, upon receipt of a notification of a modification in the plurality of application servers associated with the gaming service, the placement server;

identifies application servers that include a gaming application that provides the gaming service;

determines a connection speed between each of the identified application servers with the gaming application and each of the plurality of user devices;

selects a local application server based on the position of each of the plurality of application servers and based on the presence information of each of the plurality of user devices;

responsive to a determination that the selected local application server does not include the gaming application and provides the gaming service to the plurality of user devices at a higher connection speed, creates a virtual image of the gaming application;

stores the virtual image on the local application server; and

directs at least one user device of the plurality of user devices to establish a connection between the at least one user device and the local application server, wherein the connection provides the gaming service to the at least one user device based on the virtual image of the gaming application.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the placement server further calculates an average distance between each of the plurality of application servers and each of the plurality of user devices based upon a number of proxy servers on a communication network between each of the application servers and each of the plurality of user devices.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the placement server assigns a parameter indicative of communication characteristics to each of the plurality of user devices, and adjusts the average distance according to the assigned parameter.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the placement server further calculates an average distance between each of the plurality of application servers and each of the plurality of user devices based on a physical distance between each of the application servers and each of the plurality of user devices.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the placement server further calculates an average distance between each of the plurality of application servers and each of the plurality of user devices, and selects the local application server with a lowest average distance between the plurality of user devices and the selected local application server.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the placement server repeats the selection of the local application server each time a configuration in the network changes and, responsive to a different local application server being selected, modifying the connection for the at least one user device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the placement server repeats the selection of the local application server each time a new request from the at least one user device is received for a new gaming service and, responsive to a different local application server being selected, modifying the connection for the at least one user device.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein presence information about the plurality of user devices further comprises one or more from a group of an audio capability of each user device, a video capability of each user device, a messaging capability of each user device, a connection characteristic of each user device, a connection speed of each user device, a bandwidth of each user device, and a route from each user device to each of the plurality of application servers including intermediate proxy servers.

17. A computer readable storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code configured to execute a method on a data processing system, the method comprising:

receiving a notification of a modification in a networked system of computing devices providing a gaming service to at least one user device, wherein the networked system of computing devices comprises a plurality of application servers associated with a plurality of respective server locations;

identifying within the networked system of computing devices, one or more application servers with a gaming application providing the gaming service;

querying a presence server for presence information about the at least one user device, the presence information including a location of the at least one user device and a network connection capability of the at least one user device;

determining a connection speed between each of the one or more identified application servers with the gaming application and the at least one user device;

selecting a local application server within the networked system of computing devices based on the presence information of the at least one user device and the plurality of respective server locations;

responsive to a determination that the networked system of computing devices provides the gaming service to the at least one user device at a higher connection speed from the local application server that does not have the gaming application, creating a virtual image of the gaming application on the local application server; and

directing the at least one user device to obtain the gaming service from the virtual image of the gaming application on the local application server.

18. The computer readable storage device of claim 17, the method executed on the data processing system further comprising calculating an average distance between each of the plurality of application servers and the at least one user device, and selecting the local application server with a lowest average distance between the at least one user device and the selected local application server.

19. The computer readable storage device of claim 18, the method executed on the data processing system further comprising repeating the selecting of the local application server so that the average distance between the at least one user device and the selected local application server is minimized each time a configuration in a communication network between the plurality of application servers and the at least one user device changes and, responsive to a different local application server being selected, modifying an existing connection for the at least one user device.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 18, the method executed on the data processing system further comprising repeating the selecting of the local application server each time a new request from the at least one user device is received for a new gaming service and, responsive to a different local application server being selected, modifying an existing connection for the at least one user device.