IP MULTICAST MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE PROVISION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20130205357A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bahnck, Thomas J., Jost, Arthur P., Mack, Robert E., Vince, Lawrence D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/116
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18

Abstract

A system (10), method (90) and apparatus (14) are provided for provisioning a multicast stream, such as an IP multicast stream, in a network. The system includes a first tier (12), such as a national backbone, with a first Multicast Address Discovery (MCAD) directory (34), and at least one second tier having a headend, such as a regional headend (14), with a second MCAD directory (36, 38). The system (10) includes a tiered MCAD directory network that allows the assignment of multicast addresses to multicast streams received from an upper tier MCAD directory. The tiered MCAD directory structure allows for requesting and storing stream descriptors and delivering stream descriptors on-demand to MCAD-enabled devices throughout the system. The system (10) also allows for stream provisioning maintenance and validation at lower tier headends via MCAD-enabled device queries or re-queries of upper tier MCAD directories.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning a multicast stream in a network, wherein the network includes a first tier having a first Multicast Address Discovery (MCAD) directory and a second tier having a headend that includes a second MCAD directory and at least one MCAD-enabled device, wherein the first MCAD directory is coupled to the second level MCAD directory, comprising:

the at least one MCAD-enabled device initiating a provisioning request, wherein the MCAD-enabled device queries the second MCAD directory for a first stream descriptor for a first multicast stream;

if the second MCAD directory includes the first stream descriptor,

the second MCAD directory transmitting the first stream descriptor to the MCAD-enabled device;

if the second MCAD directory does not include the first stream descriptor,

the second MCAD directory querying the first MCAD directory for the first stream descriptor,

the first MCAD directory transmitting the first stream descriptor to the second MCAD directory,

the second MCAD directory storing the first stream descriptor, and

the second MCAD directory transmitting the first stream descriptor to the MCAD-enabled device; and

the MCAD-enabled device parsing the first stream descriptor to obtain at least one set of video stream information therefrom; and

the MCAD-enabled device provisioning the first multicast stream using the at least one set of video stream information parsed from the first stream descriptor.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first stream descriptor has associated therewith an alias, and wherein the MCAD-enabled device queries the second MCAD directory for a first stream descriptor by requesting the first stream descriptor by the alias of the first stream descriptor.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein, once the MCAD-enabled device has the first stream descriptor, if the alias associated with the first stream descriptor changes, the method further comprises:

the MCAD-enabled device recognizing changes in the portion of the first stream descriptor; and

the MCAD-enabled device initiating a second provisioning request for a second stream descriptor.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the MCAD-enabled device validates the content of the provisioned stream if the MCAD-enabled device detects a change in the content of a portion of the provisioned stream.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the MCAD-enabled device validates the content of the provisioned stream by querying the second MCAD directory for a video stream descriptor.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, if the MCAD-enabled device detects a change in a portion of the provisioned stream, the MCAD-enabled device checks for a stream redundant to the first stream, and wherein,

if a redundant stream is present, the MCAD-enabled device switches to the redundant stream,

if a redundant stream is not present, the MCAD-enabled device checks for any legitimate cause to interrupt the stream, and

if the MCAD-enabled device does not find any legitimate cause for the first stream to be interrupted, the MCAD-enabled device initiates an alarm.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the MCAD-enabled device queries the first MCAD directory for the first stream descriptor.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first MCAD directory and the second MCAD directory transmit the first stream descriptor according to a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) transmission protocol.

9. A system for provisioning a multicast stream in a network, comprising:

a primary tier having a primary Multicast Address Discovery (MCAD) directory, wherein the primary tier produces at least one multicast video stream that includes an in-stream alias descriptor, wherein the in-stream alias descriptor has associated therewith a stream descriptor, wherein the stream descriptor has assigned thereto at least one set of video stream information; and

a secondary tier having a headend that includes a secondary MCAD directory and at least one MCAD-enabled device,

wherein the primary MCAD directory is coupled to the secondary MCAD directory,

wherein the at least one MCAD-enabled device is configured to query the secondary MCAD directory for the stream descriptor for the at least one multicast video stream,

wherein the secondary MCAD directory is configured to query the primary MCAD directory for the stream descriptor for the at least one multicast video stream if the secondary MCAD directory does not have a current version of the stream descriptor for the at least one multicast video stream,

wherein the MCAD-enabled device parses the stream descriptor to obtain the at least one set of video stream information, and

wherein the MCAD-enabled device provisions the multicast video stream for the MCAD-enabled device using the at least one set of video stream information.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the primary tier further comprises a national network backbone and the headend further comprises a regional headend.

11. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the primary tier further comprises a regional tier and the secondary tier further comprises a local tier.

12. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the MCAD-enabled device queries at least one of the first and second MCAD directories based on the MCAD-enabled device detecting a change in the contents of a portion of the in-stream alias descriptor.

13. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the MCAD-enabled device switches from the multicast video stream to a redundant multicast video stream, if available, based on the MCAD-enabled device detecting a change in the contents of a portion of the in-stream alias descriptor.

14. An apparatus for provisioning a multicast stream, wherein the multicast stream has associated therewith a stream descriptor that has assigned thereto at least one set of video stream information, the apparatus comprising:

a Multicast Address Discovery (MCAD) directory; and

at least one MCAD-enabled querying device coupled to the MCAD directory,

wherein the MCAD-enabled querying device, in response to a provisioning request, queries the MCAD directory for the stream descriptor,

wherein the MCAD-enabled querying device parses the stream descriptor to obtain the at least one set of video stream information, and

wherein the MCAD-enabled querying device provisions the multicast stream using the at least one set of video stream information.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the stream descriptor has associated therewith an alias, and wherein the MCAD-enabled querying device queries the MCAD directory for the stream descriptor by requesting the stream descriptor by the alias of the stream descriptor.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the MCAD-enabled querying device further comprises a component selected from the group consisting of a SmartStream Device Modulator (SDM), a SmartStream Encryptor Modulator (SEM), a set-top box, an encoder, a splicer, an ad splicer, a groomer, and an edge decoder.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein at least one of the MCAD address directory and the MCAD-enabled querying device are contained in a single headend device.