Patent ID: 8260949
Filing Date: 2012-09-04
Classification: H04L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method of delivering streaming data content to a client device over a data communication network in response to a request for the streaming data content from the client device, the method comprising: receiving, by a server, a first request from a first client device over the data communication network, the first request identifying streaming data content stored on a storage system; identifying, by the server, a first controller device associated with the storage system on which the streaming data content is stored; transmitting, by the server, a data request message to the first controller device, the data request message identifying the first client device and the streaming data content requested by the first client device; transmitting, by the server, an address of the first controller device to the first client device to establish a network connection between the first controller device and the first client device over the data communication network; receiving, by the first controller device and over the network connection, a second request from the first client device, the second request identifying streaming data content stored on the storage system; retrieving, by the first controller device, the streaming data content from the storage system; and transferring, by the first controller device, the retrieved streaming data content directly to the first client device over the data communication network from the first controller device through a communication port for communicably coupling the first controller device to the data communication network; wherein retrieving the streaming data content from the storage system comprises caching, by the first controller device, disk blocks of data from the storage system at a first rate of speed; wherein transferring the retrieved streaming data content directly to the first client device further comprises transmitting the disk blocks of data at a second rate of speed, the second rate of speed being faster than the first rate of speed; and wherein the first controller device includes a bus port that provides for communication with one or more other controller devices over a bus; and wherein the method further comprises: following transmitting, by the server, the data request message, detecting, by the first controller device, a delivery bandwidth of the streaming data content as exceeding a retrieval speed of the streaming data content from the storage system; and decomposing, by the first controller device, the data request message received from the server into a list of disk blocks for delivery, the data request message identifying the streaming data content requested by the first client device.