Abstract: Methods and systems for fragments retrieval from a type based push to storage system. One method includes the steps of receiving fragment-to-type association information and type-to-physical-address association information of a content comprising a plurality of content fragments distributed among a plurality of storage-and-computing elements; and providing at least one storage-and-computing element physical address for each of the content fragments to be retrieved.

Abstract: Methods and systems for storing a plurality of content fragments in a plurality of storage-and-computing elements according to a plurality of storage element types that are associated with the storage-and-computing elements.

Abstract: Methods and systems for pushing content fragments into a distributed storage system, comprising registering a plurality of storage-and-computing elements that are accessed using Internet protocol; associating the plurality of storage-and-computing elements with a plurality of storage element types; and distributing content fragments to the storage-and-computing elements utilizing a predefined distribution function that maps content fragments to storage element types.

Abstract: Method and systems including a plurality of assembling peer clients streaming content from at least one streaming server at an aggregated first rate; and a plurality of peer storage-and-computing elements distributively storing a plurality of pushed content fragments associated with the streaming content. Wherein as a result of an event rendering the at least one server incapable of sustaining the first rate, at least some of the assembling peer clients begin to retrieve content fragments from the peer storage-and-computing elements in order to continue the streaming.

Abstract: A system including a plurality of fractional-storage servers and a plurality of peer-to-peer devices. Substantially each of the servers and peer-to-peer devices stores less than a minimum amount of erasure-coded fragments needed to decode segments of streaming content. The system delivers at least the minimum amount of erasure-coded fragments needed to decode the segments of streaming content, from any group of the servers, or group of the servers plus peer-to-peer devices, that together store at least the minimum amount of erasure-coded fragments needed to decode the segments of streaming content. Optionally, the system supplements streaming capabilities of the servers during peak traffic periods by sending erasure-coded fragments stored on the peer-to-peer devices during the peak traffic periods.

Abstract: Methods and systems for distributed storage and retrieval systems comprising a plurality of storage-and-computing elements, each storage-and-computing element storing a plurality of pushed content fragments and able to simultaneously retrieve pushed content fragments from a plurality of storage-and-computing elements. Wherein many storage-and-computing elements, within a short duration of receiving a request, can retrieve and play streaming content.

Abstract: Methods and devices for controlling the rate of a pull protocol, including the steps of requesting, from a plurality of fractional-storage servers by an assembling device utilizing a fragment pull protocol, erasure-coded fragments at a first rate that is estimated to approximately result in a target fragment reception throughput. And requesting, by the assembling device, additional erasure-coded fragments instead of fragments that have already been requested but have failed to arrive at the assembling device.

Abstract: Retrieving erasure-coded fragments associated with approximately sequential segments, including the steps of requesting a first set of the fragments, using a fragment pull protocol, by an assembling device from a plurality of fractional-storage servers, and requesting a second set of erasure-coded fragments, using the fragment pull protocol, to compensate for the fragments of the first set that failed to arrive at the assembling device. And wherein while requesting the first-set fragments associated with a certain segment, at least one compensation request is made for a second-set fragment associated with a prior segment.

Abstract: Methods and systems for broadcast-like effect using fractional-storage servers that receive and store erasure-coded fragments, which are generated on-the-fly from segments of streaming content arriving in real-time. Shortly thereafter, assembling devices obtain the fragments and reconstruct the segments at a rate that allows approximately real-time presentation of the streaming content including the segments.

Abstract: A content delivery system which supports fragment requests without specifying the source address, including an assembling device, a relay server, and fractional-storage servers. The assembling device issues a client-request to receive enough erasure-coded fragments to reconstruct a portion of streaming content. The relay server receives the client-request, selects a plurality of fractional-storage servers that together store enough fragments to reconstruct the portion, and transmits, to the fractional-storage servers, fragment pull protocol requests for these sufficient fragments, on behalf of the assembling device. And the fractional-storage servers transmit the requested fragments to the assembling device in response to the fragment requests.

Abstract: Methods and systems for maximum bandwidth broadcast-like streams, including a plurality of assembling devices; each assembling device retrieves, approximately simultaneously, erasure-coded fragments from a plurality of fractional-storage CDN servers, whereby the broadcast-like streaming contents are reconstructed from the fragments, and wherein different mixtures of broadcast-like streaming contents can be retrieved by the assembling devices until the aggregated bandwidth used by the assembling devices to retrieve the fragments approaches the aggregated fragment delivery bandwidth capabilities of the servers.

Abstract: Combining push and pull protocols, including the steps of pushing approximately a minimal decodable set of erasure-coded fragments to an assembling device, determining the fragment loss at the assembling device, and pulling additional erasure-coded fragments, using a fragment pull protocol, to compensate for the fragment loss. Optionally, the system includes a CDN streaming server and a fractional-storage CDN server, both storing unique erasure-coded fragments associated with segments of streaming content. The CDN streaming server pushes streams of fragments to a plurality of assembling devices, and the fractional-storage CDN server provides fragments associated with recently pushed segments in response to fragment pull protocol requests by the assembling devices.

Abstract: Obtaining erasure-coded fragments using push and pull protocols, including the steps of receiving a first set of erasure-coded fragments associated with segments via a transmission using push protocol, whereby the first set is not sufficient for reconstructing some of the segments; and retrieving a second set of erasure-coded fragments using a fragment pull protocol, wherein the first and the second sets together are sufficient for reconstructing the segments.

Abstract: Adaptation of data centers' bandwidth contribution to distributed streaming operations, including data centers comprising fractional-storage CDN servers storing erasure-coded fragments encoded with a redundancy factor R greater than one, assembling devices obtaining the fragments from subsets of the servers, and measuring fragment delivery parameters, and at least one decision component that occasionally changes at least some of the servers of the subsets to generally improve the measured parameters. Wherein the smaller the number of subsets in which the servers of a data center participate, the lower the center's fragment delivery throughput, the higher the center's cost of delivering a fragment, and the higher the likelihood of reducing the amount of bandwidth acquired from that data center by the operator of the system.

Abstract: Using a distributed storage to its maximum bandwidth including the following steps: for each group of at least one assembling device, selecting a subgroup of fractional-storage CDN servers according to at least one criterion, whereby a plurality of server subgroups are selected for a plurality of assembling device groups. And retrieving, using a pull protocol, by the assembling devices from the subgroups of servers, erasure-coded fragments associated with multiple segments of contents, until the aggregated bandwidth used for retrieving the fragments approaches the aggregated bandwidth of the servers included in the subgroups, and as long as the aggregated bandwidth used for delivering each segment does not exceed the aggregated bandwidth of the servers storing the fragments generated from the segment.

Abstract: Obtaining a broadcast-like streaming content by an assembling device from a distributed storage. The assembling device obtains erasure-coded fragments associated with sequential segments of streaming content from fractional-storage servers, approximately at the same rate that the fragments are being stored on the servers and shortly after the fragments are stored. And wherein the streaming content is segmented, encoded into the fragments, and stored on the servers progressively as the streaming content is made available.

Abstract: Fast segment reconstruction from erasure-coded fragments, including the steps of requesting, by an assembling device using a fragment pull protocol, from a plurality of fractional-storage servers, a first quantity of erasure-coded fragments associated with one or more segments of streaming content; the first quantity of fragments is requested approximately according to the sequential order of the segments, and the first quantity of fragments is more than the minimal quantity of fragments needed for reconstructing the one or more segments. And receiving, by the assembling device, a second decodable quantity of fragments as a response; whereby the second quantity of fragments may be smaller than the first quantity due to a failure condition.

Abstract: Methods and systems for storing a plurality of content fragments in a plurality of storage-and-computing elements according to a plurality of storage element types that are associated with the storage-and-computing elements.

Abstract: Methods and systems for broadcast-like effect using fractional-storage servers that receive and store erasure-coded fragments, which are generated on-the-fly from segments of streaming content arriving in real-time. Shortly thereafter, assembling devices obtain the fragments and reconstruct the segments at a rate that allows approximately real-time presentation of the streaming content including the segments.

Abstract: Receiving streaming content from servers located around the globe, including the following steps: requesting via the Internet, by an assembling device which may be located almost anywhere around the globe, using a fragment pull protocol, a set of erasure-coded fragments associated with segments of streaming content, from a plurality of fractional-storage servers which may be located almost anywhere around the globe. And compensating for lost fragments by requesting additional erasure-coded fragments that are needed to reconstruct the segments. Wherein the bandwidth of the streaming content is bounded approximately only by the incoming bandwidth of the assembling device.