Method and system for providing media services by distributed networks

Abstract

Techniques for managing media services in a distributed environment are disclosed. Data representing an item in the media service is distributed among devices in service. When a requesting device is newly joined and requests for the item, at least one supplying device is designed to supply the data to the requesting device. The supplying device may be a server or a peer device. In one case, each of the devices is behind a network address translator. A server, in responding to a request from a requesting device for needed data, is configured to determine some of devices in service to be candidates from a database, where the database has many entries, each of the entries pertaining to one of the devices. The candidates are determined in accordance with at least compatibility of respective network address translators with a network address translator of the requesting device. Among the candidates, the server then designates a finalist that is preferably not designated to be a supplying device more often than it should be on average. The server then notifies either the requesting device or the supplying device so that the requesting device can get the needed data directly from the supplying device.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This is a continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.: 11 / 364,641, entitled “Method and system for managing data transmission between devices behind Network Address Translators (NATs)”.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Technical Field[0003]The present invention relates generally to the area of data transmission, and more particularly to techniques for providing media services in a distributed environment in which peer devices join a server in providing the media services to an ordering device.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]Network address translation is a way to rewrite the addresses of packets as they travel through a system. Typical uses include allowing several computers to share a single internet connection. Network address translation can also reinforce the security provided by a firewall, and in some cases provide equivalent levels of security. Typical devices that perform network address translation functions for the average...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention relates to techniques for managing direct communication between two devices, each behind a network address translator. The invention provides a server that determines some devices from a database based on compatibility of network address translators with the requesting device. The server designates a finalist that is not designated to be a supplying device too often. The requesting device or the supplying device can receive the needed data directly from each other. The supplying devices can cache data segments non-consecutively to be useful at the same time. The invention can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. The technical effects of the invention include efficient data transmission between devices and improved reliability and flexibility of network address translators."

Problems solved by technology

The most troublesome of those drawbacks is the fact that they break many existing IP applications, and make it difficult to deploy new ones.

With the presence of network address translation, the communication between two devices behind respective NATs may be problematic because they do not permit external devices to initiate communication with a device behind a NAT without some explicit and complex configuration of the NAT.

However, problems arise in a peer-to-peer system where two different devices (nodes), each behind a NAT, need to communicate with each other.

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