Admission Control Authority for Media Streaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional video streaming networks face issues where streaming traffic competes with other corporate traffic, leading to overcrowding or underutilization of network channels due to lack of coordinated admission control across multiple servers and network links, with existing solutions either requiring costly infrastructure upgrades or failing to allocate resources effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where an admission control authority coordinates media content admissions across a pool of servers, using admission control plug-ins to communicate requests and decisions, decoupling admission control from serving functionality and considering aggregate requests and link states to optimize resource allocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If streaming traffic and non-streaming traffic share the same network infrastructure, then network resource utilization is improved, but streaming traffic can crowd out other communication services
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the admission control function into a separate admission control authority that operates independently from the streaming servers. This segmentation allows the system to manage streaming and non-streaming traffic separately at the admission stage, preventing streaming traffic from crowding out other services while still allowing both to share the network infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The admission control authority acts as an intermediary between streaming servers and the network infrastructure. It coordinates admission decisions across multiple servers and links, ensuring that streaming traffic is admitted only when network conditions permit, thus protecting other corporate services from being crowded out while maintaining efficient resource utilization.
2Ease of operation
If a fixed admission threshold is set on streaming servers, then admission control is simplified, but the threshold becomes inappropriate when link capacity varies over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic admission thresholds through the admission control authority, which continuously monitors network conditions and adjusts admission decisions in real-time. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to varying link capacities (such as VPN connections) while maintaining ease of operation through centralized automated control, eliminating the need for manual threshold adjustments.
3Ease of operation
If each streaming server independently controls admission, then server autonomy is maintained, but coordination among multiple servers fails to allocate usage properly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the admission control functions of multiple independent streaming servers into a single centralized admission control authority. This consolidation maintains server autonomy for content delivery while improving network resource allocation efficiency by coordinating admission decisions across all servers and network links, preventing both over-use and under-use of network channels.
4Reliability
If network centered approaches are used to accommodate TCP flows, then TCP traffic is protected, but global network infrastructure upgrades are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the admission control function from the network infrastructure and places it in a separate admission control authority that operates at the application layer. This extraction allows TCP flows to be accommodated through software-based coordination rather than requiring costly global network infrastructure upgrades, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for controlling the admission of media content into a network are disclosed. A method includes accessing a request for authorization to transfer media content where the request for authorization includes details of a request for media content made to a server of a plurality of servers. In addition, the method includes determining whether at least one of the plurality of servers will be authorized to accommodate the request for media content. A message is generated that is accessible by the server. An admission of media content by the server is coordinated with admissions of media content by the plurality of servers.