Method and system for remote Java audio server in a heterogeneous distributed environment

• US 6,889,100 B1
• Filed: 09/09/1999
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Broussard, Scott J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): Qureshi, Shabana
• Application Number:
  US09/392,841
• Time in Patent Office: 2,063 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/230, 709/231, 700/94, 395/600
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A method and system for an audio server in a heterogeneous distributed environment is provided. A Java application executes on a host machine under X Windows or RAWT (Remote Abstract Window Toolkit), and the Java application generates audio data and graphic data. The graphic data is sent to a display server on a client machine specified by a display environment variable. Although neither X Windows nor RAWT have audio support, a Java audio driver on the host machine determines whether an audio environment variable or an audio command line parameter is specified on the host machine. In parallel to the graphic data, the audio data is then sent to a Java audio server on the client machine specified by the audio environment variable or the audio command line parameter, and played using the local audio support, in Java, on the client machine on which the user can hear the audio.

Claims

1. A method for a distributed audio server, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

generating audio data and graphic data in a platform-independent application;

sending the graphic data to a display server on a client machine specified by a display environment variable;

sending the audio data to a platform-independent audio server on the client machine specified by an audio environment variable or by an audio command line parameter; and

synchronizing the graphic data and the audio data, wherein the synchronizing includes sending information back to the platform-independent application that generated the audio data and the graphic data, and wherein the information provides an estimate of a delay time between a first time point when an audio packet is sent and a second time point when the audio packet is played.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the platform-independent application and the platform-independent audio server are implemented in the Java programming language.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the display server is an X Windows display serer.

4. A method for a distributed audio server, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

generating audio data in a platform-independent application;

in response to receiving the audio data at an audio driver, determining whether an audio environment variable or an audio command line parameter is defined;

if an audio environment variable or an audio command line parameter is defined, sending the audio data to a platform-independent audio server on a client machine specified by the audio environment variable or by the audio command line parameter;

generating graphic data in the platform-independent application;

sending the graphic data to a display server on the client machine specified by a display environment variable; and

synchronizing the graphic data and the audio data, wherein the synchronizing includes sending information back to the platform-independent application that generated the audio data and the graphic data, and wherein the information provides an estimate of a delay time between a first time point when an audio packet is sent and a second time point when the audio packet is played.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the platform-independent application and the platform-independent audio server are implemented in the Java programming language.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the display server is an X Windows display server.

7. A data processing system for a distributed audio server, the data processing system comprising:

first generating means for generating audio data in a platform-independent application;

determining means for determining, in response to receiving the audio data at an audio driver, whether an audio environment variable or an audio command line parameter is defined;

first sending means for sending, in response to a determination that an audio environment variable or an audio command line parameter is defined, the audio data to a platform-independent audio server on a client machine specified by the audio environment variable or by the command line parameter;

second generating means for generating graphic data in the platform-independent application;

second sending means for sending the graphic data to a display server on the client machine specified by a display environment variable; and

first synchronizing means for synchronizing the graphic data and the audio data, wherein the synchronizing includes sending information back to the platform-independent application that generated the audio data and the graphic data, and wherein audio packet is sent and a second time point when the audio packet is played.

8. The data processing system of claim 7 wherein the platform-independent application and the platform-independent audio server are implemented in the Java programming language.

9. The data processing system of claim 7 wherein the display server is an X Windows display server.

10. A computer program product on a computer-readable medium for use in a data processing system for a distributed audio server, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for generating audio data and graphic data in a platform-independent application;

instructions for sending the graphic data to a display server on a client machine specified by a display environment variable;

instructions for sending the audio data to a platform-independent audio server on the client machine specified by an audio environment variable or by an audio command line parameter; and

instructions for synchronizing the graphic data and the audio data wherein the synchronizing includes sending information back to the platform-independent application that generated the audio data and the graphic data, and wherein the information provides an estimate of a delay time between a first time point when an audio packet is sent and a second time point when the audio packet is played.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the platform-independent application and the platform-independent audio server are implemented in the Java programming language.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the display server is an X Windows display server.