Dynamic Datagram Tunnel for Real-Time Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication networks struggle to securely transmit real-time media traffic over firewalls, as stream-based protocols like TCP are not suitable for media traffic and can be affected by latency and jitter, while encapsulating both signaling and media channels within a TCP tunnel limits media quality.
Innovation Solution
Establishing a dynamic datagram tunnel (DDT) in parallel with a stream-based tunnel, using protocols like UDP or DTLS for media traffic to minimize latency and ensure secure, high-quality real-time communication, while maintaining signaling traffic on the stream-based tunnel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stream-based protocols like TCP are used to tunnel media traffic through firewalls, then secure transmission is achieved, but media quality deteriorates due to latency and jitter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication channels by separating signaling traffic from media traffic. Signaling traffic continues to use the stream-based tunnel for reliability, while media traffic is routed through a separate datagram-based tunnel optimized for low latency and minimal jitter, thus resolving the contradiction between secure transmission and media quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a tunnel broker as an intermediary entity that manages multiple tunnel types. The broker establishes and coordinates both stream-based tunnels for signaling and datagram-based tunnels for media, enabling media traffic to bypass the latency and jitter issues of stream-based protocols while maintaining the security benefits of tunneling through firewalls
2Ease of operation
If both signaling and media channels are encapsulated within a single TCP tunnel, then firewall traversal is simplified, but media quality deteriorates due to protocol limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the communication channels into separate tunnels: one stream-based tunnel for signaling and another datagram-based tunnel for media. This segmentation allows each channel to use the most appropriate protocol for its specific requirements, with media traffic achieving high quality through UDP/DTLS while signaling maintains reliability through TCP, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and media quality
Solution Approach 2:
The tunnel broker provides multi-functionality by managing both stream-based and datagram-based tunnels through a unified interface. It handles tunnel establishment, maintenance, and teardown for both types, enabling the system to leverage the advantages of both protocol types without complicating the operational interface, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and media quality
Data Source
AI summary
A tunneled session management (“TSM”) server manages a dynamic datagram tunnel (“DDT”) for a real time communication (“RTC”) with a TSM client. The TSM server establishes a stream based tunnel with the TSM client and then establishes the RTC via the stream based tunnel, where the RTC includes communicating a first channel for signaling traffic and a second channel for media traffic. Then, it is determined whether to establish the DDT for communicating the media traffic, and if so, the DDT is established and the second channel is communicated via the DDT while the first channel is maintained on the stream based tunnel.