TWI502922B - Method and server for keeping apparatuses in alive state - Google Patents

Description

Method and server for maintaining the device to wake up at any time

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for maintaining a state of a device, and more particularly to a method and server for maintaining a plurality of devices in a ready-to-awake state.

With the rapid development of computer technology and the Internet, cloud computing applications are becoming more common. In a cloud computing network, the user does not need to know the location of the infrastructure used for the calculation and other details, that is, the resources provided for computing, data access, and storage provided by the cloud computing. By using the resources of other computers located in the cloud network, devices with lower computing power (such as mobile phones) can use these resources to process data, so that they can use high-performance computers (such as servers) to execute. The function.

In the instant on always connect (IOAC) technology of the cloud computing, the server needs to maintain the electronic device in an awkward state by sending a keep-alive message to the electronic device. The user can wake up the electronic device to access the data at any time through the connection of the server. However, when the electronic device does not receive the persistent message for more than a predetermined time, it enters the standby or sleep state, thereby cutting off its connection with the server. As such, unless the user wakes up or activates the electronic device at the local end to establish a connection with the server, the user will not be able to use the remote access service provided by the server.

In general, the server sends a continuous message to all electronic devices every fixed time. When the number of electronic devices increases, the number of persistent messages sent by the server also increases, and when the number of devices is too large, the server may be overloaded due to excessive message transmission.

In view of this, the present invention provides a method for maintaining an awake state of an electronic device at any time, which can avoid a situation in which the server is overloaded when transmitting a persistent message.

The invention provides a method for maintaining a wake-up state of a device at any time, which is suitable for maintaining a plurality of electronic devices in an awake state by a server, and each electronic device is respectively connected to a server through a network. The method first obtains connection information of the electronic device connected to the server, and calculates a number of groups for dividing the electronic device into a plurality of groups according to the connection information. Then, the electronic device is divided into a plurality of groups according to the connection information and the number of groups. Thereafter, the continuous message is sequentially sent to the electronic devices in the respective groups to maintain the electronic device in the awakeable state.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a server that includes a communication unit and a processing unit. The communication unit is connected to a plurality of electronic devices through a network, and obtains connection information of the electronic devices. The processing unit calculates the number of groups for dividing the electronic devices into a plurality of groups according to the connection information, and divides the electronic device into a plurality of groups according to the connection information and the number of groups. The processing unit controls the communication unit to sequentially send the persistent message to the electronic devices in each group according to the differentiated group, so that These electronic devices are maintained in an awake state.

Based on the above, the server of the present invention and the maintenance device thereof are in a ready-to-awake state by means of grouping the electronic devices, so that the server can transmit in a group unit when transmitting the persistent message, without sending to the primary device once. All electronic devices. In this way, the server can be prevented from being overloaded due to sending too many messages at a time.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

1 is a schematic diagram of a network servo system according to an embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, the network servo system 100 includes a server 110, a network 120, and electronic devices 130_1~130_R (R is a positive integer). The server includes a communication unit 112 and a processing unit 114. The communication unit 112 communicates with the electronic devices 130_1~130_R through the network 120. The processing unit 114 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), a processing chip, or A hardware component such as a computer system or a software component (such as a signal processing application) having a signal processing function, and the processor 110 may also be a combination of a hardware and a software component. The electronic devices 130_1 to 130_R are, for example, electronic devices having a network connection function such as a laptop, a personal computer, or a workstation, but are not limited thereto.

In the cloud computing network technology, the user can access the user's home through the server 110 through a portable device (such as a smart phone). Electronic devices (such as personal computers, and then use a computer for a variety of operations. In other words, even if the user is not at home, they can still access the data in the electronic device of the home through the server 110, or use the electronic device to perform More complicated operations.

However, in general, the electronic devices 130_1~130_R may enter a sleep or standby state because the user temporarily does not access, thereby interrupting the connection with the server 110. As a result, the user can no longer connect the electronic devices 130_1~130_R from the outside. In order to enable the electronic devices 130_1~130_R to be wake-up and switch to the working state in response to the user's access, the communication unit 112 in the server 110 transmits the time through the network 120 continuously (keep- The alive) messages KA to 130_1~130_R to maintain the electronic devices 130_1~130_R in an alive-state. The persistent message KA is sent to the electronic device 130_1~130_R through the server 110. When the user accesses the electronic device through the server 110, the electronic device can be instantly awake and switched to the working state to provide the user with access to the data. Service.

2 is a flow chart of a method for maintaining a ready-to-awake state of a device according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 simultaneously, the method in this embodiment is applicable to the server 110 of FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the server 110 of the present invention maintains the electronic devices 130_1~130_R at any time with the components in FIG. Detailed steps for the method of waking up the state: First, in step S210, the communication unit 112 can obtain the connection information of the electronic devices 130_1~130_R, for example, the number of devices (ie, R) of the electronic devices 130_1~130_R connected to the server 110.

After the communication unit 112 obtains the number of devices of the electronic devices 130_1~130_R, in step S220, the processing unit 114 may determine the group for distinguishing the electronic devices 130_1~130_R according to certain criteria of the server 110 managing the electronic devices 130_1~130_R. The number of groups. For example, if the transmission frequency of the persistent message KA of the server 110 needs to be transmitted every 3 seconds, the electronic devices 130_1~130_R can be maintained in the awake state, and each time the persistent message KA is sent, for example, 1 second is required. The processing unit 114 can know that the electronic devices 130_1~130_R can be divided into three groups at most, so as to meet the criteria for the server 110 to manage the electronic devices 130_1~130_R. Therefore, the processing unit 114 can divide the electronic devices 130_1~130_R into three groups GP1 GP3.

In other words, the processing unit 114 can be based on, for example, the above-described server 110 transmitting a continuous message KA (eg, sending a persistent message KA every 3 seconds), and a management criterion for each time (eg, 1 second) required to send the persistent message KA. To calculate the maximum number of available groups to limit the number of groups to no more than this maximum. That is, even if the electronic devices 130_1~130_R are divided into three groups GP1~GP3 in FIG. 1, in other embodiments, the processing unit 114 may also divide the electronic devices 130_1~130_R into one or two groups. The group does not violate the criteria of the server 110 managing the electronic devices 130_1~130_R.

For example, if the processing unit 110 divides the electronic devices 130_1~130_R into two groups, the communication unit 112 may send the persistent message KA to the two groups in turn by using 1.5 seconds as an interval to connect the electronic device 130_1~ 130_R is maintained in a wakeable state. However, the ability Those skilled in the art should be aware that the above-mentioned transmission frequency, the management criteria of the server 110 for the electronic devices 130_1~130_R, and other various numbers (for example, the number of groups) are merely for illustration, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. .

Moreover, in other embodiments, the processing unit 114 may also limit the number of group devices of the electronic devices in the respective groups according to the multicast capability of the communication unit 112. The multicast capability is, for example, the amount of information that the communication unit 112 can transmit at a time. For example, when the multicast capability of the communication unit 112 is only allowed to transmit 10 persistent messages KA at a time, the processing unit 114 may divide R by 10 to calculate the maximum number of group devices that can be accommodated in each group. For example, when R=30 and the communication unit 112 can only send 10 persistent messages KA at a time, the processing unit 114 can know the maximum number of group devices that can be allowed in each group when distinguishing groups. That is 10. Then, the processing unit 114 can further calculate that the electronic devices 130_1~130_R need to be divided into three groups at least, so that the communication unit 112 can normally perform the sending of the persistent message KA without the number of electronic devices in the group. Exceeding the multicast capability of the communication unit 112 results in an error in transmission (for example, some electronic devices disconnect the server due to not receiving the continuous message immediately).

After the number of groups (for example, three) is obtained, in step S230, the processing unit 114 can allocate the electronic devices 130_1~130_R to the groups GP1 GP GP3. For example, the group GP1 includes, for example, electronic devices 130_1~130_P (P is a positive integer less than R), and the group GP2 includes, for example, electronic devices 130_(P+1)~130_Q (Q is between P and R) Positive integer), The group GP3 includes, for example, electronic devices 130_(Q+1)~130_R. In an embodiment, the processing unit 114 may evenly distribute the electronic devices 130_1~130_R to the groups GP1 GP3. Taking R=30 as an example, the number of electronic devices included in the group GP1~GP3 is 10 (30/3=10), that is, the group GP1 includes the electronic devices 130_1~130_10 (ie, 130_1~130_P). The group GP2 includes electronic devices 130_11~130_20 (ie, 130_(P+1)~130_Q), and the group GP3 includes electronic devices 130_21~130_30 (ie, 130_(Q+1)~130_R). When R is other numbers, the processing unit 114 can also adaptively distribute the electronic devices 130_1~130_R to the respective groups.

In step S240, the communication unit 112 can sequentially send the persistent message KA to the electronic devices 130_1~130_R in the groups GP1 GP3 to maintain the electronic devices 130_1~130_R in the awakeable state. When the communication unit 112 transmits the persistent message KA, it can be performed according to the transmission frequency of the persistent message KA required for the electronic devices 130_1~130_R to be maintained in the awake state.

For example, when the transmission frequency of the persistent message KA is sent to the electronic device 130_1~130_R every 3 seconds to maintain the electronic device 130_1~130_R in the awakeable state, the processing unit 114 can control the communication unit 112 in 3 seconds. The first second sends a persistent message KA to the group GP1, the persistent message KA is sent to the group GP2 in the second second, and the persistent message KA is sent to the group GP3 in the third second, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

In other embodiments, the server 110 may re-acquire the connection information of the electronic devices 130_1~130_R every fixed time, and re-step the electronic devices 130_1~130_R according to the updated connection information. S220~S240. In addition, when the number of electronic devices connected to the server 110 is changed, the server 110 may perform steps S210 to S240 again to perform more appropriate group configuration on the electronic devices currently connected thereto.

Through the method provided by the present invention, the server 110 can transmit the persistent message KA in units of groups without sending to all the electronic devices 130_1~130_R once when transmitting the persistent message KA. Therefore, since the load amount of the server 110 when transmitting the persistent message KA is reduced, the server 110 does not generate an overload condition due to too many persistent messages KA to be transmitted at one time, thereby making the operation of the server 110 more efficient.

In addition, in other embodiments, when the electronic devices connected to the server are divided into a plurality of groups, the electronic devices may be performed according to the geographical locations of the respective electronic devices. In detail, the server can determine which electronic devices are located in the adjacent area according to the obtained electronic device connection information, thereby assigning the adjacent electronic devices to the same group, so that the electronic devices in the same group receive the persistent message. The time difference can be reduced, so that the electronic device in the same group can avoid the management difficulty of the server due to the excessive time difference of receiving the persistent message.

3 is a schematic diagram of a network servo system according to an embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, the network servo system 300 includes a server 310 connected to the electronic devices 330_1~330_a, 340_1~340_b, and 350_1~350_c via the network 320. 4 is a flow chart of a method for maintaining a ready-to-awake state of a device according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 simultaneously, the method in the embodiment of FIG. 4 is applicable to the server 310 of FIG. 3, and the following is a description of each device in FIG. The server 310 maintains the detailed steps of the electronic device 330_1~330_a, 340_1~340_b, and 350_1~350_c in the ready-to-awake state method: First, in step S410, the server 310 can obtain the connection information of the electronic devices 330_1~330_a, 340_1~340_b, and 350_1~350_c through the network 320. The link information includes, for example, a medium access address (MAC) address of each electronic device. Next, in step S420, the server 310 can determine the area where the electronic devices 330_1~330_a, 340_1~340_b, and 350_1~350_c are located according to the MAC addresses of the electronic devices 330_1~330_a, 340_1~340_b, and 350_1~350_c. And the number of these areas is used as the number of groups.

For example, if the electronic devices 330_1~330_a are distributed in the area 330, the electronic devices 340_1~340_b are distributed in the area 340, and the electronic devices 350_1~350_c are distributed in the area 350, the server 310 can transmit the information to the respective electronic devices. The MAC address analysis reveals that the geographic relationship of the location of each electronic device can be roughly divided into three regions (ie, regions 330, 340, and 350).

Next, in step S430, the server 310 can assign the electronic devices 330_1~330_a, 340_1~340_b, and 350_1~350_c to the groups GP1'~GP3', respectively, according to the areas 330, 340, and 350. Thereafter, in step S440, the server 310 can sequentially send the persistent message KA to the electronic devices in the groups GP1'~GP3' to maintain the electronic devices 330_1~330_a, 340_1~340_b, and 350_1~350_c in the awakeable state. For details of step S440, refer to the related description of step S240 in FIG. 2, This will not be repeated here.

In summary, in the method and the server for maintaining the device waking state at any time in the embodiment of the present invention, by dividing the electronic device into a plurality of groups, the server only needs to sequentially send a continuous message to the electronic device. The ground is sent to each group. In this way, the workload of the server to send persistent messages can be effectively reduced, thereby avoiding the overload situation caused by the server having too many persistent messages sent at one time.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧Network Servo System

110, 310‧‧‧ server

112‧‧‧Communication unit

114‧‧‧Processing unit

120, 320‧‧‧Network

130_1~130_P, 130_(P+1)~130_Q, 130_(Q+1)~130_R, 330_1~330_a, 340_1~340_b, 350_1~350_c‧‧‧electronic device

330, 340, 350‧‧‧ areas

GP1~GP3, GP1’~GP3’‧‧‧Group

KA‧‧‧Continuous message

S210~S240, S410~S440‧‧‧ steps

1 is a schematic diagram of a network servo system according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a flow chart of a method for maintaining a ready-to-awake state of a device according to an embodiment of the invention.

3 is a schematic diagram of a network servo system according to an embodiment of the invention.

4 is a flow chart of a method for maintaining a ready-to-awake state of a device according to an embodiment of the invention.

S210~S240‧‧‧Steps

Claims (20)

A method for maintaining a device waking state at any time is suitable for maintaining a plurality of electronic devices in a awake state by a server, wherein the electronic devices are respectively connected to the server through a network, and the method includes the following steps: obtaining and a link information of the electronic devices connected to the server; calculating, according to the link information, a number of groups for distinguishing the plurality of electronic devices into a plurality of groups; and distinguishing the plurality of groups according to the link information and the number of the groups The electronic devices are the groups; and sequentially send a continuous message to the electronic devices in each of the groups to maintain the electronic devices in the awake state. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating the number of the groups for distinguishing the electronic devices into the groups according to the connection information comprises: determining, according to the connection information, the electronic devices The number of devices, the number of groups of the groups is calculated. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating the number of the groups for distinguishing the electronic devices into the groups according to the link information comprises: determining the electronic devices according to the link information a media access control address, determining a plurality of regions in which the electronic devices are located, and using the number of the regions as the number of the groups. The method of claim 3, wherein the electronic devices are differentiated into steps of the groups according to the link information and the number of the groups. The method includes: assigning the electronic device to one of the groups according to an area where the locations of the electronic devices are distributed. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the number of the groups of the electronic devices for the groups according to the link information further comprises: maintaining the electronic devices according to the The waking state is required to send a transmission frequency of the persistent message, and a maximum value of the number of the groups used to distinguish the groups is calculated to limit the number of the groups from exceeding the maximum value. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of distinguishing the electronic devices into the groups according to the connection information and the number of the groups comprises: determining a number of devices of the electronic devices according to the connection information And calculating the number of the groups, and distributing the electronic devices to the group on average. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sequentially transmitting the persistent message to the electronic devices in each of the groups to maintain the electronic devices in the awake state comprises: according to each of the electronic devices Maintaining a transmission frequency of the persistent message required for the awake state, sequentially transmitting the persistent message to the electronic devices in each of the groups. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sequentially transmitting the persistent message to the electronic devices in each of the groups to maintain the electronic devices in the awake state further comprises: Retrieving the electricity connected to the server at a fixed time The connection information of the child device is used to calculate the number of the group and distinguish the electronic devices from the groups. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sequentially transmitting the persistent message to the electronic devices in each of the groups to maintain the electronic devices in the awake state further comprises: determining Whether the number of the electronic devices connected to the server is changed; and when the number of the electronic devices changes, the connection information of the electronic devices connected to the server is re-acquired, and the number of the groups is calculated accordingly. And distinguishing the electronic devices into the groups. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating the number of the groups for distinguishing the electronic devices into the groups according to the link information further comprises: sending the persistent message according to the server A multicast capability that limits the number of group devices of one of the electronic devices in each of the groups. A server includes: a communication unit connected to a plurality of electronic devices via a network and obtaining a link information of the electronic devices; and a processing unit configured to distinguish the electronic devices according to the connection information The number of groups of the plurality of groups, and the electronic devices are divided into the groups according to the link information and the number of the groups, wherein the processing unit controls the communication unit according to the group that is distinguished A continuous message is sequentially sent to the electronic devices in each of the groups to maintain the electronic devices in an awake state. The server of claim 11, wherein the processing unit comprises calculating the number of the groups of the groups according to the number of devices of the electronic devices in the connection information. The server of claim 11, wherein the processing unit includes a plurality of areas for determining a location of the electronic devices according to a media access control address of each of the electronic devices in the connection information. And the number of the regions is used as the number of the group. The server of claim 13, wherein the processing unit includes an area allocated according to a location of each of the electronic devices, and the electronic device is assigned to one of the groups. The server of claim 11, wherein the processing unit further calculates the frequency for distinguishing the groups according to a sending frequency for maintaining the electronic device to send the persistent message in the awake state. A maximum number of groups to limit the number of groups to not exceed the maximum. The server of claim 11, wherein the processing unit includes equally distributing the electronic devices to the group according to a number of devices of the electronic devices in the connection information and the calculated number of the groups group. The server of claim 11, wherein the processing unit includes a sending frequency of the persistent message required for each of the electronic devices to maintain the awake state, and the communication unit is controlled to sequentially send the persistent message. To the electronic devices in each of the groups. The server of claim 11, wherein the communication unit regains the connection with the server every other fixed time. The connection information of the electronic device is provided to provide the processing unit to calculate the number of the groups, and to distinguish the electronic devices from the groups. The server of claim 11, wherein the processing unit further determines whether the number of the electronic devices connected to the server is changed, and when the number of the electronic devices changes, controlling the communication unit to be changed again. The connection information of the electronic devices connected to the server is obtained, and the number of the groups is calculated, and the electronic devices are distinguished into the groups. The server of claim 11, wherein the processing unit further comprises a multicast device that transmits the persistent message according to the communication unit, and limits one of the electronic devices in each of the groups. number.