Managing access to streams hosted on duplicating switches

• US 20020161900A1
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Biderman, David, Pepper, Thomas, Brown, Scott K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,430,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64 Addressing network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00; support for multicast or broadcast of one-way stream services H04L65/611

Abstract

A source accessed by a terminal may be changed by enabling a terminal to access a stream of data units on a first duplicating switch, determining that the terminal should access the stream from a second duplicating switch, and transitioning the terminal to the second duplicating switch to access the stream.

Claims

1. A method of changing a stream source accessed by a terminal, the method comprising:

enabling a terminal to access a stream of data units from a first duplicating switch;

determining that the terminal should access the stream from a second duplicating switch; and

enabling the terminal to access the stream from the second duplicating switch.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising causing the second duplicating switch to transmit the stream upon determining that the terminal should access the stream from the second duplicating switch.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining that the terminal should access the stream from the second duplicating switch includes determining that enabling the terminal to access the second duplicating switch will consume less bandwidth than having the terminal access the first duplicating switch.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising disabling the terminal from accessing the stream of data units from the first duplicating switch.

5. A method of managing access to streams on duplicating switches, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a terminal to receive a stream of data units;

identifying a duplicating switch to host the stream; and

enabling the duplicating switch to transmit the stream to the terminal.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the request on a stream manager.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the request on a duplicating switch.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the stream of data units is one of a video stream, an audio stream, an image stream, or a text stream.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the duplicating switch receives the stream after receiving the request from the terminal for the stream of data units.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein the duplicating switch receives the stream after identifying the duplicating switch.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the duplicating switch receives the stream after enabling the duplicating switch to transmit the stream of data units.

12. The method of claim 5 further comprising transmitting the identity of the switch to the terminal.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the duplicating switch receives the stream after transmitting the identity of the duplicating switch to the terminal.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein transmitting the identity of the duplicating switch includes transmitting the identity of the duplicating switch from a duplicating switch already transmitting the stream.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein transmitting the identity of the duplicating switch includes transmitting the identity of the duplicating switch from a stream manager.

16. The method of claim 5 wherein identifying the duplicating switch includes identifying a duplicating switch closest to the terminal.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying the duplicating switch closest to the terminal includes identifying a duplicating switch with a lowest latency between the duplicating switch and the terminal.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying the duplicating switch closest to the terminal includes identifying a duplicating switch with a fewest number of links between the duplicating switch and the terminal.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying the duplicating switch closest to the terminal includes identifying a duplicating switch with the most bandwidth between the duplicating switch and the terminal.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying the duplicating switch closest to the terminal includes identifying a duplicating switch with the most available bandwidth between the duplicating switch and the terminal.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying the duplicating switch closest to the terminal includes identifying a duplicating switch that is the closest geographically to the terminal.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying the duplicating switch closest to the terminal includes identifying a duplicating switch based on a status of a link between a stream source and the terminal.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying the duplicating switch closest to the terminal includes identifying a duplicating switch based on a status of a link between the duplicating switch and the terminal.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying the duplicating switch closest to the terminal includes identifying a duplicating switch based on a status of a link between the duplicating switch and a stream source.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying the duplicating switch includes identifying a duplicating switch capable of hosting an additional stream.

26. The method of claim 5 wherein enabling the duplicating switch to host the stream of data units includes authenticating the hosting of the stream on the duplicating switch.

27. The method of claim 5 wherein enabling the duplicating switch includes transmitting the stream to the duplicating switch.

28. The method of claim 5 wherein enabling the duplicating switch includes forwarding a list of terminals that are stream recipients to the duplicating switch.

29. The method of claim 5 wherein enabling the duplicating switch includes enabling the duplicating switch to receive the stream, duplicate content portions of the stream, and transmit the content of portions to the terminal.

30. The method of claim 5 further comprising enabling a terminal already receiving the stream to receive the stream from the identified duplicating switch.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein enabling the terminal already receiving the stream to receive the stream from the identified duplicating switch includes ceasing transmission of the stream from a duplicating switch previously transmitting the stream.

32. A method of changing a source accessed by a terminal from a stream of data units receiving from a first duplicating switch to a stream of data units receiving from a second duplicating switch, the method comprising:

receiving a first stream of data units from a first duplicating switch;

determining that the terminal should receive a second stream of data units from a second duplicating switch during the transmission of the first stream to the terminal;

transitioning to the second stream of data units in response to the determination; and

synchronizing the first and second streams.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising ceasing reception of the first stream.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the reception is ceased in response to receiving a cease message.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein determining that the terminal should receive the second stream from the second duplicating switch includes determining that transitioning the terminal to the second duplicating switch would consume less bandwidth.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein determining that the terminal should receive the second stream from the duplicating switch includes determining that transitioning the terminal to the second duplicating switch would decrease resources required by the terminal.

37. The method of claim 32 wherein determining that the terminal should transition includes determining that the first duplicating switch will experience a loss of service.

38. The method of claim 32 wherein determining that the terminal should transition includes determining that a network between the terminal and the second duplicating switch has more bandwidth.

39. The method of claim 32 wherein determining that the terminal should transition includes determining that a network between the terminal and the second duplicating switch has more available bandwidth.

40. The method of claim 32 wherein determining that the terminal should transition includes determining that a network between the terminal and the second duplicating switch has less latency.

41. The method of claim 32 wherein determining that the terminal should transition includes determining that a network between the terminal and the second duplicating switch has better quality of service characteristics.

42. The method of claim 32 wherein determining that the terminal should transition includes determining that a network between the terminal and the second duplicating switch has better time variation characteristics.

43. The method of claim 32 wherein synchronizing the first and second streams includes determining that content received in the first stream is temporally related to content received in the second stream.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the content is identical.

45. The method of claim 43 wherein the content of the first stream and the second stream is temporally related such that the terminal may use the second stream in place of the first stream without a user of the terminal perceiving the transition.

46. The method of claim 32 wherein synchronizing the first and second streams includes using a buffer.

47. The method of claim 32 wherein using the buffer includes determining that content exists in the buffer such that the terminal may transition from using the first stream to using the second stream without a user of the terminal perceiving the transition.

48. The method of claim 32 further comprising ceasing reception of the first stream when it is determined that content in the buffer temporally overlaps content in the second stream.

49. The method of claim 32 wherein content in the buffer is provided by the first stream.

50. The method of claim 32 wherein content in the buffer is provided by the second stream.

51. A stream manager comprising:

first processing means structured and arranged to enable a terminal to access a stream of data units from a first duplicating switch;

second processing means structured and arranged to determine that the terminal should access the stream from a second duplicating switch; and

third processing means structured and arranged to enable the terminal to access the stream from the second duplicating switch.

52. A stream manager comprising:

first processing means structured and arranged to receive a request from a terminal to receive a stream of data units;

second processing means structured and arranged to identify a duplicating switch to host the stream; and

third processing means structured and arranged to enable the duplicating switch to transmit the stream to the terminal.

53. A method of changing a source accessed by a terminal from receiving a stream of data units from a first duplicating switch to receiving the stream of data units from a second duplicating switch, the method comprising:

receiving a first stream of data units from a first duplicating switch;

determining that the terminal should receive a second stream of data units from a second duplicating switch during the transmission of the first stream to the terminal;

transitioning to the second stream of data units in response to the determination; and

synchronizing the first and second streams.