EP0767585A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Video-on-demand systems
Assignee: Cisco Systems Inc
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Filing: 1996-08-12
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-08-12
Abstract
Abstract A system and method for use in a distributed video-on-demand system of a type wherein at least one node (102,104,106,108) provides blocks (124) of video data to clients (111,112) and wherein at least some of the blocks (124) of video data are replicated on multiple nodes. Observed response characteristics for other nodes are recorded at least at a given one of the nodes which serves a client requesting a replicated block. The given one of the nodes also records response characteristics reported to it by the other nodes. The node from which to fetch the replicated data block is selected based on which nodes include a copy of the replicated data block and based on at least one of the observed response characteristics and the reported response characteristics.
Inventors
- 👤 Asit Dan
- 👤 Martin G. Kienzle
- 👤 Dinkar Sitaram
- 👤 William H. Tetzlaff
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 18:08
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F15/00; G06F15/16; G06F15/163; H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/47; H04N21/472; H04N21/47202; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318; H04N7/17336
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
145 words
In a distributed video server system of a type wherein at least one node provides video data to clients and wherein at least some of the data is replicated on multiple nodes, a method for selecting a node to serve the video data for provision to the clients, comprising the steps of: recording observed response characteristics, the observed response characteristics being response information concerning nodes in the video server system as observed by a given node; recording reported response characteristics, the reported response characteristics being response information concerning other nodes as reported to the given node by at least one other node in the distributed video server system; and selecting a node to serve replicated video data based on which nodes include a copy of the replicated video data and based on at least one of the observed response characteristics and the reported response characteristics.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to Claim 1, wherein the reported response characteristics are sent to the given node as information piggybacked on other messages passed between the nodes.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the observed characteristics include a measured delay in retrieving the video blocks.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the reported characteristics include a measure of performance of load on each node.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to Claim 4, wherein the measure of performance is reported along with a time stamp indicative of when the measure was taken.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to Claim 5, wherein the measure of performance is stored by the given node and wherein only the measure of performance having a most recent time stamp for each node is retained by the given node.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to Claim 3, wherein the replicated block is retrieved from the node having the shortest measured delay.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
36 words
A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the observed response characteristics and the reported response characteristics are each given a weight and wherein the selecting is also based on the weight.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to Claim 8, wherein the selecting is based on the response characteristics having the highest total weight.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
27 words
A method according to any one of the preceding Claims, comprising the further step of providing the replicated data block to at least one of the clients.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
187 words
A distributed video server system, comprising: a plurality of nodes (102,104,106,108) coupled by way of a first communication network (110); a plurality of clients (111,112) coupled to a given one of the nodes (102,104,106,108); at least two of the nodes (102,104,106,108) including a storage subsystem (130) having replicated blocks (124) of video data stored thereon; means (136,138,200) in the given one of the nodes (102,104,106,108), for recording observed response characteristics, the observed response characteristics being response information concerning nodes in the video server system as observed by the given one of the nodes; means (136,138,200), in the given one of the nodes (102,104,106,108), for recording reported response characteristics, the reported response characteristics being response information concerning other nodes as reported to the given one of the nodes by at least one of the other nodes; and means (136,138), in the given one of the nodes (102,104,106,108), for selecting a node to serve the replicated data block (124) based on which of the nodes includes a copy of the replicated data block and based on at least one of the observed response characteristics and the reported response characteristics.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
A system according to Claim 11, wherein each of the nodes having a replicated copy of the block (124) includes means for sending the reported response characteristics to the given node as information piggybacked on other internode messages.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system according to Claim 11 or 12, wherein the observed characteristics include a measured delay (230) in retrieving the video blocks (124).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system according to Claim 12, wherein the reported characteristics include a measure of performance of load (250) on each node.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system according to Claim 14, wherein the means for sending include means for including a time stamp (240) indicative of when the measure of performance (250) was taken.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
A system according to Claim 15, wherein the given node includes means (200) for storing the measure of performance (250) and for retaining the measure of performance (250) having a most recent time stamp (240) for each node.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system according to Claim 13, wherein the means (136,138) for selecting retrieves the replicated block (124) from the node having the shortest measured delay (230).
Claim 18
Independent Claim
45 words
A system according to any one of Claims 11 to 16, wherein the observed response characteristics and the reported response characteristics are each given a weight and wherein the means (136,138) for selecting selects the node (102,104,106,108) at least in part based on the weight.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system according to Claim 18, wherein the means (136,138) for selecting, selects the node (102,104,106,108) having the highest total weight.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
170 words
In a video server system of a type wherein at least one node provides blocks of video data to clients and some of the blocks of video data are replicated on multiple storage devices, a method for selecting a storage device from which to retrieve the video data for provision to the clients, comprising the steps of: recording observed response characteristics, the observed response characteristics being response information concerning performance of a plurality of the storage devices in the video server system as observed by the at least one node; recording reported response characteristics, the reported response characteristics being response information concerning the plurality of the storage devices as reported to the at least one node in the video server system by computer processes managing the storage devices; and, selecting a storage device from which to retrieve the replicated data block based on which storage devices include a copy of the replicated data block and based on at least one of the observed response characteristics and the reported response characteristics.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
136 words
A distributed computing system, comprising: a plurality of nodes (102,104,106,108) coupled by way of a first communication network (110); a plurality of clients (111,112) coupled to a given one of the nodes (102,104,106,108); at least two of the nodes (102,104,106,108) including a storage subsystem (130) having replicated blocks (124) of data stored thereon; a first table (200) instantiated in a memory in the given one of the nodes (102,104,106,108), dedicated to recording observed response characteristics, the observed response characteristics being response information concerning nodes in the system as observed by the given one of the nodes; and a second table (200) instantiated in the memory, dedicated to recording reported response characteristics, the reported response characteristics being response information concerning other nodes as reported to the given one of the nodes by at least one other nodes.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
60 words
A system according to claim 21 further comprising: means (136,138) , in the given one of the nodes (102,104,106,108), for selecting a node to serve the replicated data block (124) based on which of the nodes includes a copy of the replicated data block and based on at least one of the observed response characteristics and the reported response characteristics.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
146 words
A method of controlling a distributed computing system of a type wherein a plurality of nodes are coupled by way of a first communication network and wherein a plurality of clients are coupled to a given one of the nodes, at least two of the nodes having the capability of performing an identical function, comprising the steps of: recording observed response characteristics, the observed response characteristics being response information concerning nodes in the system as observed by the given one of the nodes; recording reported response characteristics, the reported response characteristics being response information concerning other nodes as reported to the given one of the nodes by at least one other nodes; and, selecting a node to perform the function based on which of the nodes can perform the function and based on at least one of the observed response characteristics and the reported response characteristics.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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