US 9,178,928 B2Granted

Scalable content streaming system with server-side archiving

AssigneeEdgecast Networks, Inc.

InventorsSeungyeob Choi, Alexander A. Kazerani

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Abstract

Some embodiments provide a scalable content streaming system that performs server-side archiving. The content streaming system includes a set of streaming server clusters, a remote storage server, and a set of distributed servers. Each streaming server cluster includes at least one streaming server and a local storage server. Each streaming server of a particular cluster distributes a content stream that is uploaded to the streaming server while also recording the content stream to the local storage server of that particular cluster. The remote storage server stores files from the local storage servers that are transferred when recording to those files is complete. The set of distributed servers distribute a live stream of content from a particular streaming server when the content is being uploaded to the particular streaming server and distribute a recorded stream of the content from the remote storage server when the upload is complete.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A content streaming system comprising:

a plurality of ingest clusters, each particular ingest cluster comprising (i) a plurality of streaming servers with shared access to a first local storage, (ii) at least a first network interface with which the plurality of streaming servers receive a plurality of live content streams being actively published by any of a plurality of content providers to the particular ingest cluster, and (iii) at least a first processor encoding each live content stream as a different file on the first local storage of the particular ingest cluster;
at least one on-demand storage cluster comprising (i) a second storage, (ii) a second network interface communicably coupling the on-demand storage cluster to the plurality of ingest clusters, and (iii) a second processor archiving completed content streams from the plurality of ingest clusters by transferring to the second storage over the second network interface, any file from the first local storage of any of the plurality of ingest clusters corresponding to a live content stream that has ended for a specified duration, wherein the specified duration is configurable by a content provider of the live content stream;
and
a caching server comprising (i) a third network interface communicably coupling the caching server to the plurality of ingest clusters and the at least one on-demand storage cluster and (ii) a third processor responding to live content stream user requests by retrieving over the third network interface and forwarding over said third network interface, files from the first local storage of the plurality of ingest clusters and further responding to completed content user requests by retrieving over the third network interface and forwarding over said third network interface, files from the second storage of the on-demand storage cluster.

1 more element

A method for distributing live and on-demand content streams in a content streaming system comprising an ingest cluster for providing live access to live content streams, a remote storage server for providing on-demand access to completed content streams, and a plurality of distribution servers for distributing the live content streams from the ingest cluster and the completed content streams from the remote storage server to a plurality of users, the method comprising:

encoding by the ingest cluster, a live content stream being actively published by a first content provider to a first file stored on a storage shared by a plurality of ingest servers of the ingest cluster;
controlling on an individual content provider basis when a plurality of completed content streams from a plurality of different content providers become available for on-demand access, wherein said controlling comprises transferring from the ingest cluster to the remote storage server, a second file encoding a completed content stream no longer being actively published by a second content provider after a specified duration configured by the second content provider;
passing at least one message to the plurality of distribution servers, the at least one message notifying each of the distribution servers that the live content stream is available for live distribution from the ingest cluster and the completed content stream is available for on-demand distribution from the remote storage server;
distributing the live content stream with a particular distribution server of the plurality of distribution servers retrieving the first file encoding the live content stream from the ingest cluster based on said message and forwarding the first file to a requesting user;
and
distributing the completed content stream with a particular distribution server of the plurality of distribution servers retrieving the second file encoding the completed content stream from the remote storage server based on said message and forwarding the second file to a requesting user.

3 more elements

A method comprising:

establishing a first ingest cluster providing live access to a first set of live content streams that a first set of content providers operating in a first geographic region actively publish to a first set of files stored on a first shared storage used by a plurality of ingest servers of the first ingest cluster;
establishing a second ingest cluster providing live access to a second set of live content streams that a second set of content providers operating in a second geographic region actively publish to a second set of files stored on a second shared storage used by a plurality of ingest servers of the second ingest cluster;
transferring to a remote storage cluster, any file from the first set of files of the first ingest cluster no longer being actively published by a content provider and any file from the second set of files of the second ingest cluster no longer being actively published by a content provider after a specified duration configured by the content provider, the remote storage cluster providing on-demand access to a plurality of completed content streams generated as a result of said transferring;
and
distributing from a plurality of content distribution servers to requesting end users, the first set of live content streams from the first ingest cluster, the second set of live content streams from the second ingest cluster, and the completed content streams from the remote storage cluster, wherein said distributing comprises providing to the plurality of content distribution servers at least one message from the plurality of ingest clusters identifying the live content streams available for distribution and at least one message from the remote storage cluster identifying the completed content streams available for distribution.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/281,470Filed 19 May 2014 · continuation
Priority: 23 Nov 2010
Published: US 2014/0258240 A111 Sep 2014
Granted: 3 Nov 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04L 65/70
Network streaming of media packets: media network packetisation
G06F 16/113
File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots: details of archiving
H04L 65/61
Network streaming of media packets: for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
H04L 67/1029
For accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers: using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer

Family

Application12/953,346Parent of this continuation · filed 23 Nov 2010
US 2014/0258240 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Sep 2014
US 8,738,736 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2012/0131146 A1Published application
US 9,178,928 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.