Patent ID: 6079028
Filing Date: 2000-06-20
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for servicing one or more requests for a continuous media clip stored on a plurality of data storage mediums at a desired playback rate, said method comprising the steps of:reserving available bandwidth for each of said requests on a particular order;maintaining a reserved list of all said requests having reserved bandwidth, said requests on said reserved list represented as reserved requests;maintaining a service list corresponding to each of said plurality of data storage mediums each of said service lists listing a number of said reserved requests having a unit of data on said service list's corresponding data storage medium, said reserved requests on each of said service lists representing a request in service, said number of requests in service limited such that the total bandwidth necessary for said requests in service does not exceed the maximum bandwidth for servicing a request for a continuous media clip at said desired playback rate, minus an amount of contingency bandwidth;determining from each of said service lists if excess bandwidth is available on a corresponding data storage medium to service a next reserve request on each of said service lists;moving in response to said determining step, said next reserved request from said reserved list to a service list with excess bandwidth and for which a unit of data of said request resides on said corresponding data storage medium;retrieving at least one unit of data for each request service from each data storage medium;determining whether any of said units of data are inaccessible due to a failure of one of said data storage mediums;reconstructing said inaccessible units of data; andtransmitting said retrieved and reconstructed units of data at said playback rate.