Broadcast/multicast offloading and recommending of infrastructural changes based on usage tracking

摘要

A method, a device, and a storage medium having instructions stored thereon to obtain usage data that indicates a usage of a downloading service and a streaming service of programs, in which the programs are provided to user devices via unicast delivery. The usage data is analyzed to determine whether a multicast offloading or a broadcast offloading is to be invoked on behalf of a program designated for unicast delivery. Additionally, a method, a device, and a storage medium obtain usage data, analyze the usage data, and generate a recommendation for an infrastructural change of a content delivery network based on the analysis.

主权项

1. A network device comprising:
a communication interface; a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions; and a processor, wherein the processor executes the instructions to:
obtain usage data that indicates a usage of at least one of a downloading service or a streaming service of programs, wherein the programs are provided to user devices via unicast delivery;store threshold utilization values, wherein one of the threshold utilization values indicates a minimum usage needed to invoke a multicast offloading and another of the threshold utilization values indicates a minimum usage needed to invoke a broadcast offloading;analyze the usage data;generate a current usage value based on the analysis;compare the current usage value to at least one of the threshold utilization values;determine whether at least one of the multicast offloading or the broadcast offloading is to be invoked on behalf of a program included in the programs and designated for unicast delivery based on the comparison of the current usage value and the at least one of the threshold utilization values;generate an offload request that indicates to deliver the program via at least one of a multicast transmission or a broadcast transmission in response to the determination that the at least one of the multicast offloading or the broadcast offloading is to be invoked; andtransmit the offload request to another network device of a content delivery network.