PROGRESSIVE BROADCAST BASED SEARCH FOR DYNAMIC CONTENT ADDRESS RESOLUTION FOR ENABLING SCALABLE PEER-TO-PEER FILE TRANSFERS

摘要

The invention outlines a method by which a network can allow scalable video on demand (VOD) to occur between devices. Each device, fetches required video from the nearest available device, thereby decongesting the network. The Server Farm is used only when no device is available for serving, thereby decongesting the Server Farm. The search for the nearest device having content occurs on a progressive broadcast basis, without requiring any Index database Server. Initial broadcast occurs at the Premise level, after which it is progressively carried out at different network levels in an optimal manner, which ensures that repeated querying of a device doesn't occur. Broadcast level search for the content, occurs even at the Server Farm level, where each of the Server responds directly to the requesting device, if it has the required content. Since broadcast queries are answered rapidly at the network interface level itself, the entire search time is very small, and is not affected by the size of the network. The dynamic nature of the broadcast, allows a device to participate as soon as it is plugged in to a network. The VOD transfers can continue within a part of the network, in spite of it getting isolated from the main network due to a fault. The network can thus function without central dependence.