File Repair Mechanism for Content Distribution Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current content distribution systems, particularly those using multicast protocols like FLUTE, face challenges in providing reliable file delivery and error recovery, especially when dealing with periodic content updates and a large number of receivers, leading to inefficient network traffic management.
Innovation Solution
A two-level file repair mechanism is introduced, combining a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) protocol for current session repairs and a client-server approach for previous sessions, with a centralized or decentralized method to optimize network traffic and ensure reliable content distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If multicast distribution is used, then network load is reduced, but distribution reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an error correction mechanism as an intermediary layer on top of the multicast distribution. This mechanism uses redundancy blocks and error correction algorithms to mediate between the unreliable multicast transmission and the requirement for reliable content delivery, allowing receivers to correct errors without requiring unicast retransmissions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of data transmission by adding redundant error correction blocks to the content data. This transformation allows the system to maintain low network load while improving reliability, as the redundant blocks enable error correction at the receiver end without requiring additional network transmissions
2Reliability
If point to point connection is used, then distribution robustness is improved, but network traffic increases dramatically
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the error recovery function into two parts: error correction using redundancy blocks for common errors (applicable to all receivers), and selective retransmission for specific receivers with uncorrectable errors. This segmentation allows the system to maintain robustness while minimizing network traffic by avoiding unnecessary retransmissions to all receivers
3Productivity
If FLUTE protocol is used, then scalability is improved, but error recovery capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-adding redundancy blocks and error correction codes to the content data before multicast transmission. This preliminary error protection is embedded in the data stream, enabling receivers to correct errors autonomously without requiring interactive error recovery mechanisms, thus maintaining scalability while improving error recovery capability
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention concerns a file repair method for recovering a file, in a system for distributing content to more than one receiver, comprising, at a first receiver, the steps of receiving a set of files in a push multicast from a transmitter, receiving an identifier of a second receiver that owns a missing file that is not comprised in the received set of file; and recovering the missing file from the second receiver in a pull mode using a peer-to-peer mechanism. Another object of the invention is a method for file recovery in a server and in a peer device.