Patent ID: 8645563

Claim:
A system for managing a shared session over a network, wherein the shared session involves multiple end points obtaining services via an application server, said system comprising: an application server having hardware for providing a plurality of different services to the end points; a policy server having hardware for: after the end points have registered with the application server for said shared session and before knowing which of the end points functions as a host server for said shared session, establishing initial policies for network traffic flows for each end point participating in said shared session; after establishing the initial policies, monitoring, directly by the policy server or by the policy server communicating with one or more devices separate from the end points that monitor network traffic to and from the end points, network traffic volumes for the network traffic flows for at least some of said multiple end points participating in said shared session; from the monitored network traffic volumes for the network traffic flows, identifying which of said multiple end points is functioning as a host server for said shared session; and after identifying which of said multiple end points is functioning as the host server, establishing new policies for network traffic flows for said multiple end points, wherein under the new policies fewer network resources are reserved for each of the multiple end points other than and as compared to the end point functioning as the host server.