Methods for optimizing service of content requests and devices thereof

• US 10,097,616 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2013
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Walker, Anthony, Bellhart, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCLEOD, MARSHALL M
• Application Number:
  US13/872,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20140143375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,989 Days
• Field of Search: 709217, 709218, 709219, 709238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols

Abstract

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and network traffic management apparatus that receives a request for content from a client computing device. A length of the content is determined. A plurality of requests for a portion of the length of the content is sent to a plurality of server computing devices, wherein the portion of the length of the content is specified as a byte range in a range header of each of the plurality of requests. A plurality of responses to the plurality of requests is received. At least a subset of the plurality of responses is output to the client computing device.

Claims

1. A method for improving server load balancing and optimizing service of content requests by reducing latency, the method implemented by a network traffic management system comprising one or more network traffic management apparatuses, server devices, or client devices and comprising:

receiving a request for content from a client via one or more communication networks;

sending a plurality of requests for different portions of the content to a plurality of servers via another one or more communication networks, wherein a request for a first of the different portions is sent to one of the servers having a first performance level, another request for a second of the different portions is sent to another one of the servers having a second performance level different from the first performance level, and a byte range specified in a range header of at least a subset of the plurality of requests is not greater than a network frame payload size;

receiving a plurality of responses to the plurality of requests via the another one or more communication networks; and

forwarding at least a subset of the plurality of responses to the client via the one or more communication networks.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising determining the first or second byte range based on a total number of servers in the plurality of servers.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

byte ranges of at least a subset of the requests at least partially overlap; and

the method further comprises outputting at least partially overlapping byte ranges included in each first received one of the responses to one of the subset of the requests.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

determining when one or more threshold conditions are satisfied, wherein the threshold conditions are selected from whether the requested content is larger than a specified length, when a file type of the requested content matches one or more specified file types, or when at least a portion of a path specified in the request for content matches one or more specified paths; and

outputting the requests only when the determining indicates that the one or more threshold conditions are satisfied.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first or second performance level is based on a geographic location of the one or more servers, a type or speed or hardware or one or more storage devices of the one or more servers, a static or dynamic categorization or profile of one or more capabilities of one or more of the servers.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the second of the different portions is located at a different byte range of the content than the first of the different portions.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for improving server load balancing and optimizing service of content requests by reducing latency comprising machine executable code which when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to:

receive a request for content from a client via one or more communication networks;

send a plurality of requests for different portions of the content to a plurality of servers via another one or more communication networks, wherein a request for a first of the different portions is sent to one of the servers having a first performance level, another request for a second of the different portions is sent to another one of the servers having a second performance level different from the first performance level, and a byte range specified in a range header of at least a subset of the plurality of requests is not greater than a network frame payload size;

receive a plurality of responses to the plurality of requests via the another one or more communication networks; and

forward at least a subset of the plurality of responses to the client via the one or more communication networks.

8. The medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein the machine executable code, when executed by the processor further causes the processor to determine the first or second byte range based on a total number of servers in the plurality of servers.

9. The medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein:

byte ranges of at least a subset of the requests at least partially overlap; and

the machine executable code, when executed by the processor further causes the processor to output at least partially overlapping byte ranges included in each first received one of the responses to one of the subset of the requests.

10. The medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein the machine executable code, when executed by the processor further causes the processor to:

determine when one or more threshold conditions are satisfied wherein the threshold conditions are selected from whether the requested content is larger than a specified length, when a file type of the requested content matches one or more specified file types, or when at least a portion of a path specified in the request for content matches one or more specified paths; and

output the requests only when the determining indicates that the one or more threshold conditions are satisfied.

11. The medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein the first or second performance level is based on a geographic location of the one or more servers, a type or speed or hardware or one or more storage devices of the one or more servers, a static or dynamic categorization or profile of one or more capabilities of one or more of the servers.

12. The medium as set forth in claim 7 wherein the second of the different portions is located at a different byte range of the content than the first of the different portions.

13. A network traffic management apparatus, comprising memory comprising programmed instructions stored thereon and one or more processors configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to:

receive a request for content from a client via one or more communication networks;

send a plurality of requests for different portions of the content to a plurality of servers via another one or more communication networks, wherein a request for a first of the different portions is sent to one of the servers having a first performance level, another request for a second of the different portions is sent to another one of the servers having a second performance level different from the first performance level, and a byte range specified in a range header of at least a subset of the plurality of requests is not greater than a network frame payload size;

receive a plurality of responses to the plurality of requests via the another one or more communication networks; and

forward at least a subset of the plurality of responses to the client via the one or more communication networks.

14. The network traffic management apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to determine the first or second byte range based on a total number of servers in the plurality of servers.

15. The network traffic management apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein:

byte ranges of at least a subset of the requests at least partially overlap; and

the one or more processors are further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to output at least partially overlapping byte ranges included in each first received one of the responses to one of the subset of the requests.

16. The network traffic management apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to:

determine when one or more threshold conditions are satisfied wherein the threshold conditions are selected from whether the requested content is larger than a specified length, when a file type of the requested content matches one or more specified file types, or when at least a portion of a path specified in the request for content matches one or more specified paths; and

output the requests only when the determining indicates that the one or more threshold conditions are satisfied.

17. The network traffic management apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein the first or second performance level is based on a geographic location of the one or more servers, a type or speed or hardware or one or more storage devices of the one or more servers, a static or dynamic categorization or profile of one or more capabilities of one or more of the servers.

18. The network traffic management apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein the second of the different portions is located at a different byte range of the content than the first of the different portions.

19. A network traffic management system comprising one or more network traffic management apparatuses, server devices, or client devices, the network traffic management system comprising memory comprising programmed instructions stored thereon and one or more processors configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to:

receive a request for content from a client via one or more communication networks;

send a plurality of requests for different portions of the content to a plurality of servers via another one or more communication networks, wherein a request for a first of the different portions is sent to one of the servers having a first performance level, another request for a second of the different portions is sent to another one of the servers having a second performance level different from the first performance level, and a byte range specified in a range header of at least a subset of the plurality of requests is not greater than a network frame payload size;

receive a plurality of responses to the plurality of requests via the another one or more communication networks; and

forward at least a subset of the plurality of responses to the client via the one or more communication networks.

20. The network traffic management system of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to determine the first or second byte range based on a total number of servers in the plurality of servers.

21. The network traffic management system of claim 19, wherein:

byte ranges of at least a subset of the requests at least partially overlap; and

the one or more processors are further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to output at least partially overlapping byte ranges included in each first received one of the responses to one of the subset of the requests.

22. The network traffic management system of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to:

determine when one or more threshold conditions are satisfied wherein the threshold conditions are selected from whether the requested content is larger than a specified length, when a file type of the requested content matches one or more specified file types, or when at least a portion of a path specified in the request for content matches one or more specified paths; and

output the requests only when the determining indicates that the one or more threshold conditions are satisfied.

23. The network traffic management system of claim 19, wherein the first or second performance level is based on a geographic location of the one or more servers, a type or speed or hardware or one or more storage devices of the one or more servers, a static or dynamic categorization or profile of one or more capabilities of one or more of the servers.

24. The network traffic management system of claim 19, wherein the second of the different portions is located at a different byte range of the content than the first of the different portions.