Patent ID: 7584292

Claim:
One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, perform a method for configuring a hierarchical multimedia streaming server system to provide a multimedia streaming service on a two-level double cluster system, the method comprising the steps of: determining whether only one server node exists; if only one server node exists, determining whether only one virtual server node/specific network storing and merging block exists; and if only one virtual server node/specific network storing and merging block exists, setting a system configuration mode for configuring a single virtual server node based multimedia streaming server system and determining a representative network address of a current system, if there exists more than one virtual server node/specific network storing and merging block, the step of setting a system configuration mode for configuring a mono-level single virtual cluster based multimedia streaming server system including one virtual dispatcher node and multiple virtual server nodes and setting a representative network address of a current system, wherein depending on a scale and a characteristic of the multimedia streaming service, the hierarchical multimedia streaming server system is configured into a single virtual server node based system, which is a minimum-scale, a mono-level single virtual cluster based system, which is a medium-scale, and a two-level double cluster based system, which is a maximum-scale, and wherein if the system configuration mode of the current system is the mono-level single virtual cluster based system configuration mode, performing a scheduling function for a mono-level virtual cluster based multimedia streaming server including the steps of: receiving an initial request related to a streaming service from a multimedia steam reproducing block through the virtual dispatcher node; analyzing the request and checking whether there is an available virtual server node storing a corresponding multimedia file; determining whether the available virtual server node exists; if the available virtual server node exists, determining whether there are multiple available virtual server nodes; if the multiple available virtual server nodes exist, analyzing resource states of multiple available virtual servers and selecting an optimum virtual server node; notifying a network address of the selected virtual server node to the multimedia stream reproducing block through the virtual dispatcher node; awaiting a request related to the streaming service from the multimedia stream reproducing block; and transmitting a multimedia stream data to the multimedia stream reproducing block from the selected virtual server node when receiving the request from the multimedia stream reproducing block.