Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Remote data accessing – Accessing a remote server
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-09
2002-08-13
Maung, Zarni (Department: 2154)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Remote data accessing
Accessing a remote server
C709S203000, C709S223000, C709S224000, C709S226000, C709S229000, C709S233000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06434610
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a procedure for operating a server which supplies subscribers with data streams of different contents, as well as a server and a control unit employing this procedure.
The invention assumes a Video-on-Demand system as described e.g. in EP 0696872 A2.
Such a Video-on-Demand system consists of a video server connected to a large number of subscribers via a communication network. Each subscriber is provided with a set-top box connected to a television set. The video server is provided with a large number of memory units, in which video films of different contents are stored. The memory units feature video replay facilities which replay these video data sets and send the stream of video data so generated to a requesting subscriber. The video server is also provided with a control unit which allocates video replay resources to a requesting subscriber, and initiates the transmission of the requested video data stream to the requesting subscriber via the allocated resources. Resources no longer needed for a subscriber are marked as free. The allocation of such free resources is then carried out with the objective of sending a video data stream in parallel to the maximum number of subscribers, thus optimising the utilisation of the allocated resources.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to improve the efficiency of a server which supplies subscribers with data streams of different contents.
This task is solved by a procedure for operating a server (SERV) which supplies subscribers (SUB
1
to SUB
8
) with data streams of different contents (CONT
1
to CONT
3
), where during the procedure the different contents (CONT
1
to CONT
3
) are each stored in at least one memory unit of the server and in order to supply a subscriber (SUB
1
to SUB
8
) with the data stream of a particular content, the particular content is read back from a memory unit in which it is stored, and sent to the subscriber as a data stream, said method comprising the steps of: setting up a Busy list for each of the contents (CONT
1
to CONT
3
) stored in the memory units (DSD
1
to DSD
9
) of the server (SERV), with each memory unit (DSD
1
to DSD
4
, DSD
6
to DSD
9
) in which a content is stored being allocated to the Busy list of the content stored in it, and each memory unit (DSD
5
to DSD
9
) which at that time is not needed for supplying a subscriber being allocated to a Free list, and selecting one of the memory units allocated to the Free list if a further memory unit becomes necessary for supplying a subscriber with a particular content, while first attempting to select a memory unit allocated to the Free list which is also allocated to the particular content's Busy list.
This invention is based on the idea of controlling the memory units in which the different contents are stored, with the aid of two kinds of lists: a Busy list set up for each available content and to which are allocated those memory units in which the corresponding content is stored, and a Free list to which are allocated those memory units not needed at that time. Examples of contents are video films, music or other data which might be of interest to a subscriber. If, in order to supply a subscriber with a particular content, further memory units are needed in which the particular content is stored, the first memory units selected for this purpose are those memory units from the Free list which are also allocated to the particular content's Busy list.
This has the advantage that the content of a memory unit needs to be changed far less often. On the one hand, such content changes are time-and resources-intensive. On the other, the memory unit is blocked whilst the content is changed. Thus, server operation in accordance with the invention significantly increases the server's performance.
Further advantageous configurations of the invention will be apparent from the description below and the appended claims.
It is especially advantageous to represent the memory units through objects and to set up the Free list and the Busy lists by concatenating these objects. This results in a data structure which allows the operational procedure to be simply executed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5515428 (1996-05-01), Sestak et al.
patent: 5550982 (1996-08-01), Long et al.
patent: 5625819 (1997-04-01), Hoffer, Jr.
patent: 5631694 (1997-05-01), Aggarwal et al.
patent: 5652865 (1997-07-01), Rawlings, III
patent: 5734119 (1998-03-01), France et al.
patent: 5768520 (1998-06-01), Dan et al.
patent: 5768681 (1998-06-01), Dan et al.
patent: 6230200 (2001-05-01), Forecast et al.
patent: 0 696 872 (1996-02-01), None
patent: 0 735 758 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 0 750 425 (1996-12-01), None
patent: 0 753 966 (1997-01-01), None
patent: 0 759 676 (1997-02-01), None
patent: 0 780 758 (1997-06-01), None
patent: 0 788 280 (1997-08-01), None
The IVOD Berlin Project: Access Technology for Service Provisioning, R. Heidemann, Alcatel Telecommunications Review, 3rdQuarter 1996, pp. 196 to 200.
Alcatel
El-Hady Nabil
Maung Zarni
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
LandOfFree
Management of memory units of data streaming server to avoid... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Management of memory units of data streaming server to avoid..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Management of memory units of data streaming server to avoid... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2969773