Local Streaming Server Migration for Gaming Terminals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current streaming architectures for gaming terminals are vulnerable to network failures, leading to downtime and revenue loss, as they rely heavily on network bandwidth and existing live migration solutions like XenMotion are inefficient and do not support GPU memory synchronization, causing noticeable pauses in gaming experiences.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that employs a director module to control the migration of game content from a host streaming server to local streaming servers, reducing network dependencies by pre-copying static GPU resources and minimizing downtime through background migration processes, allowing seamless transitions without relying on page faults or network bandwidth during gameplay.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If streaming content is delivered over network to gaming terminals, then content delivery flexibility is improved, but network reliability becomes problematic due to bandwidth dependencies and failure risks
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-copying static GPU resources and migrating game content to local terminals before network failures occur. The background migration process prepares local instances in advance, so when network issues arise, the terminal can immediately switch to using locally cached content without interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates local copies of game content and GPU resources on terminal devices. Instead of relying solely on network-delivered streaming content, the terminal maintains local copies that can be used independently when network connectivity fails, effectively decoupling content delivery from network reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If live migration of virtual machines is implemented, then hardware costs are reduced through VM consolidation, but migration downtime causes noticeable pauses in gaming experience
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary copying of static GPU resources and game content to local storage before migration is needed. This pre-positioning of content allows the actual migration to complete almost instantaneously, reducing downtime from hundreds of milliseconds to near-zero, while still achieving VM consolidation benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system skips the traditional slow migration process by using background pre-copying followed by rapid switching. Instead of migrating entire VMs sequentially over the network, the system rushes through the critical path by having content already locally available and simply switching pointers, eliminating noticeable pauses.
3Reliability
If network bandwidth is increased to support concurrent streams, then streaming reliability is improved, but infrastructure cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates local copies of content on terminal devices, transforming the architecture from network-dependent streaming to locally-cached playback. This copying approach maintains streaming reliability for active content while dramatically reducing the aggregate network bandwidth required, as each terminal maintains its own content cache independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements local quality by caching content locally on each terminal rather than relying on centralized network delivery. Each terminal develops local content quality and availability, reducing the burden on network infrastructure while maintaining reliable content access even during network failures.
4Loss of energy
If compression techniques are used to reduce network bandwidth consumption, then bandwidth efficiency is improved, but network failure impact affects all streaming terminals simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The system copies compressed content to local storage on each terminal, maintaining bandwidth efficiency during normal operation while creating local redundancy. When network failures occur, each terminal independently uses its local copy, preventing system-wide vulnerability and allowing terminals to operate autonomously without affecting others.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for reducing network dependencies for streaming content is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a host streaming server is configured to host a plurality of host virtual machines for hosting a host instance of a plurality of content packages and provide the selected instances of the content packages to a plurality of client gaming devices over a network. Each of a plurality of local streaming servers is associated with a group of client gaming devices and communicates with the host streaming server over the communication network. A local streaming server has a memory storing at least one content package, and is configured to host one or more local virtual machines for hosting a local instance of the host instance. A director module controls migration of the host instance to the local instance from the host streaming server to at least one of the plurality of local streaming servers.