Client-based dynamic switching of streaming servers for fault-tolerance and load balancing
US6195680A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 23, 1998 |
| Grant date | Feb 27, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 23, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L47/125
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A client-based system for the fault tolerant delivery of real-time or continuous data streams, such as real-time multimedia streams, e.g., live audio and video clips. Multimedia servers are grouped into two or more sets, for example wherein a first set includes one or more primary servers using odd-numbered ports and a second set includes one or more secondary servers using even-numbered ports. The client requests a multimedia stream through a control server or gateway which routes requests to the multimedia servers; and the client receives the stream directly from a selected (primary) server. The client automatically detects load imbalances and/or failures (complete or partial) and dynamically switches to a secondary server in order to continue receiving the real-time multimedia stream with minimal disruption and while maintaining a balanced load across multiple servers in a distributed network environment. The determination can be made based on: the received bit or frame rate (for video); a bit rate or sample rate (for audio); monitoring a delivery rate or for packets arriving out of order: for example using packet numbering mechanisms available in TCP; sequence numbering or time…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.