Optimal provisioning and management of bandwidth in a video-on-demand services architecture

• US 20050039213A1
• Filed: 08/11/2003
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pinson, George Scott, Poole, Andrew, Matarese, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,807,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A method for provisioning a Video-On-Demand server with enough bandwidth to stream videos to subscribers such that the probability of the Video-On-Demand server not having enough bandwidth to stream video to a subscriber is less than a set value.

Claims

1. A Video-On-Demand system including a server for generating VOD services for subscribers and a delivery network coupled to the server for delivering the VOD services to the subscribers, wherein a bandwidth of the server for providing Video-On-Demand services to the subscribers is less than a bandwidth of the delivery network for providing the Video-On-Demand services to the subscribers, and wherein the system flexibly selects a path in the delivery network by which a requested VOD service is provided.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the the links in the paths in the delivery network are monitored.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein when a failure in a particular path between the subscriber and the server is detected an alert is sent to an operator and the particular path is de-prioritized such that one or more alternative paths are selected between the subscriber and the server.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the particular path remains de-prioritized and the alternative paths are selected until the bandwidth in all the alternative paths between the server and the subscriber is consumed or the operator intervenes to resolve the underlying failure in the particular path and re-prioritizes that particular data path.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the status of the particular path is checked and the particular path is re-prioritized if the underlying failure in the particular path is corrected.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein utilization of the links and the server is monitored.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the system ensures that the utilization of a link does not exceed the bandwidth of the link.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the system denies service to a subscriber to ensure that the utilization of the link does not exceed the bandwidth of the link.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the system assigns a service to a different link to ensure that the utilization of the link does not exceed the bandwidth of the link.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein the system uses a past record of the utilization of the links and the server to compute a probability that the demand for Video-On-Demand services will exceed the bandwidth of an individual link to deliver said services or a probability that the demand for the services will exceed the bandwidth of the server to deliver said services.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the server is provisioned with enough bandwidth to ensure that the probability that demand for the Video-On-Demand services exceeds bandwidth of the server to deliver said services does not exceed a set value.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the set value is greater than zero.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the set value is such that the probability that the demand from the subscriber is denied for any reason does not significantly decrease if the set value decreases.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the probability is further determined from a past record of behavior of viewers that are not subscribers of the Video-On-Demand services.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the probability is further determined from a mathematical model of the subscribers behavior.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the probability is further determined by forecasting future behavior of the subscribers.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system monitors the utilization of elements of the delivery network;

and assigns paths in the delivery network to deliver the Video-On-Demand services in response to the monitoring.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the server reprovisions the delivery network in response to a historic record of the monitoring.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the system updates its knowledge of topology and available bandwidth of the delivery network in response to additions, deletions or other changes of the elements of the delivery network that are subject to monitoring.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein monitoring of the links further includes monitoring of failures in the delivery of the Video-On-Demand services to the subscribers.

21. A Video-On-Demand system including a server for generating VOD services for subscribers and a delivery network coupled to the server for delivering the VOD services to the subscribers, wherein a bandwidth of the server for providing Video-On-Demand services to the subscribers is less than a bandwidth of the delivery network for providing the Video-On-Demand services to the subscribers, and wherein the server is provisioned with enough bandwidth such that the probability that the server will not have enough bandwidth to deliver the services to the subscribers is less than a set value.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the system flexibly selects a path in the delivery network that connects the server to the subscribers.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the system monitors links in the paths in the delivery network.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein when a failure in a particular path between the subscriber and the server is detected an alert is sent to an operator and the particular path is de-prioritized such that one or more alternative paths are selected between the subscriber and the server wherein other subscribers share the same path between themselves and the server.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the particular path remains de-prioritized and the alternative paths are selected until the bandwidth in all the alternative paths between the server and the subscriber is consumed or the operator intervenes to resolve the underlying failure in the particular path and re-prioritizes that particular data path.

26. The system according to claim 24, wherein the status of the particular path is checked and the particular path is re-prioritized if the underlying failure in the particular path is corrected.

27. The system according to claim 23, wherein utilization of the links and the server is monitored.

28. The system according to claim 27, wherein the system ensures that the utilization of a link does not exceed the bandwidth of the link.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein the system denies service to a subscriber to ensure that the utilization of the link does not exceed the bandwidth of the link.

30. The system according to claim 28, wherein the system assigns a service to a different link to ensure that the utilization of the link does not exceed the bandwidth of the link.

31. The system according to claim 27, wherein the system uses a past record of the utilization of the links and the server to compute the probability that the demand for Video-On-Demand services will exceed the bandwidth of an individual link to deliver said services.

32. The system according to claim 21, wherein the set value is greater than zero.

33. The system according to claim 21, wherein the set value is such that the probability that the demand from the subscriber is denied for any reason does not significantly decrease if the set value decreases.

34. The system according to claim 21, wherein the probability is further determined from a past record of behavior of viewers that are not subscribers of the Video-On-Demand services.

35. The system according to claim 21, wherein the probability is further determined from a theoretical model of the subscribers behavior.

36. The system according to claim 21, wherein the probability is further determined by forecasting future behavior of the subscribers.

37. The system according to claim 21, wherein the system monitors the utilization of elements of the delivery network;

and assigns paths in the delivery network to deliver the Video-On-Demand services in response to the monitoring.

38. The system according to claim 37, wherein the server reprovisions the delivery network in response to a historic record of the monitoring.

39. The system according to claim 37, wherein the system updates its knowledge of topology and available bandwidth of the delivery network in response to additions, deletions or other changes of the elements of the delivery network that are subject to monitoring.

40. The system according to claim 37, wherein monitoring of the links further includes monitoring of failures in the delivery of the Video-On-Demand services to the subscribers.

41. A method for monitoring utilization in a delivery network between a server providing Video-On-Demand services and subscribers, comprising:

monitoring the utilization of elements of the delivery network; and

assigning paths in the delivery network to deliver the Video-On-Demand services in response to the monitoring.

42. The method according to claim 41, further comprising reprovisioning the delivery network in response to a historic record of the monitoring.

43. The method according to claim 41, further comprising updating the knowledge of topology and available bandwidth of the delivery network in response to additions, deletions or other changes of the elements of the delivery network that are subject to monitoring.

44. The method according to claim 41, wherein the monitoring of the links further includes monitoring of failures in the delivery of the Video-On-Demand services to the subscribers.