Patent ID: 8812718

Claim:
A method comprising: Updating a content directory of a root directory with information related to a connected end user resource receiving a stream of data in a network, the information associating the end user resource with a location in the network and one or more applications that are accessing the stream of data; creating a hierarchy of end user resources as the end user resource is connected with a root server; determining a connection location within the hierarchy of end user resources, including the root server, for receiving streaming data from the root server, the determining being based on the information in the content directory; tagging each of the connected end user resources in the hierarchy with a value indicating a quality tier of the streamed data available from the respective end user resources, the value of each quality tier being determined based on a number of hops away that each of the connected end user resources is from the root server; and updating the content directory with the quality tier of each of the connected end user resources is from the root server, wherein at least the step of updating the content directory is performed using a processor of a computer device.