Patent ID: 7318107

Claim:
A method comprising: streaming a first stream from a first server to a first client over a first streaming connection, said first server communicably connected to a first cluster manager, wherein said first server sends a data relating to said first streaming connection to said first cluster manager in periodic intervals; streaming a first portion of a second stream from a second server to a second client over a second streaming connection, said second server communicably connected to a second cluster manager, wherein said second server sends a data relating to said second streaming connection to said second cluster manager in periodic intervals; continually sending said data relating to said second streaming connection from said second cluster manager to said first cluster manager; continually sending said data relating to said first streaming connection from said first cluster manager to said second cluster manager; sending said data relating to said second streaming connection from said first cluster manager to said first server; sending said data relating to said first streaming connection from said second cluster manager to said second server; maintaining, at said first server, a said data relating to said second streaming connection; and determining from said data relating to said second streaming connection periodically sent to the second cluster server that said second server is either inoperative, has an unmanageable server load, or is having communications/network problems; upon determining that said second server is either inoperative, has an unmanageable server load, or has communications/network problems, communicating to said first cluster manager by said second cluster manager that said second server has a problem; communicating to said first server by said first cluster manager that said second server has said problem; upon said first server receiving communication that said second server has said problem, assigning said first server to stream a second portion of said second stream to said second client over a third streaming connection, said first server using said data to comprehend: a starting point for said second portion, said second portion including content of said second stream that follows and is not included in the content of said second stream encompassed by said first portion; and an at least one handshake parameter for said second client; wherein said second client connection data includes a media offset value identifying a position within a particular streaming file streamed to said second client over said second streaming connections, and streaming said streaming file from said first server to second client over said third streaming connection starting at a point identified by said media offset value.