Methods for network traffic presteering and devices thereof

• US 10,122,630 B1
• Filed: 08/12/2015
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Koenning, Christian, Smith, Ian, Hansen, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ng, Billy H
• Application Number:
  US14/824,549
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses

Abstract

Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, and traffic manager computing devices that forward a request to resolve a domain name from a client device to a Domain Name System (DNS) server device and a response from the DNS server device including an original Internet Protocol (IP) address corresponding to the domain name to the client device. Content is retrieved from a location associated with the domain name in response to a request for the content received from the client device. Classification information comprising at least a type of the retrieved content is determined. The retrieved content is sent to the client device in response to the request for the content. A determination is made when a confidence threshold has been exceeded based on the classification information. A steering endpoint IP address is sent to the DNS server device, when the determining indicates that the confidence threshold has been exceeded.

Claims

1. A method for network traffic presteering to facilitate improved delivery of optimized content, the method implemented by a network traffic system comprising one or more traffic manager computing devices, Domain Name System (DNS) server devices, steering endpoint devices, value-added service (VAS) server devices, content server devices, or client devices, the method comprising:

retrieving, via at least one of one or more provider networks or one or more wide area networks, content from a server at a location associated with a domain name in response to a request for the content received via one or more access networks from a client;

determining classification data for the domain name, the classification data comprising at least a type of the retrieved content and a request volume for the type of the retrieved content;

determining when a confidence threshold has been reached based on the request volume for the type of the retrieved content in the classification data, the request volume corresponding to a number of received requests for content of the type of the retrieved content;

identifying a steering endpoint Internet Protocol (IP) address based on the type of the retrieved content;

sending at least the steering endpoint IP address and the domain name to a Domain Name System (DNS) server to facilitate resolution of the domain name in a DNS request from another client to the steering endpoint IP address, when the determining indicates that the confidence threshold has been reached, wherein a virtual server at the steering endpoint IP address is configured to identify a value-added service (VAS) server configured to optimize content of the type of the retrieved content; and

sending the retrieved content to the client via the one or more access networks in response to the received request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving another request from the client for content at the location associated with the domain name; and

sending the another request to the VAS server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the request volume, wherein the request volume represents a number of times content of the type of the requested content has been retrieved from one or more locations associated with the domain name.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding another DNS request to resolve the domain name from the client to the DNS server and a response from the DNS server including an original IP address corresponding to the domain name to the client; and

sending the original IP address to the virtual server located at the steering endpoint IP address when the request for the content is not a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the confidence threshold corresponds to a likelihood that another received request associated with the domain will be for content of the type of the retrieved content.

6. A traffic manager computing device, comprising a memory comprising programmed instructions stored thereon and at least one processor configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to:

retrieve, via at least one of one or more provider networks or one or more wide area networks, content from a server at a location associated with a domain name in response to a request for the content received via one or more access networks from a client;

determine classification data for the domain name, the classification data comprising at least a type of the retrieved content and a request volume for the type of the retrieved content;

determine when a confidence threshold has been reached based on the request volume for the type of the retrieved content in the classification data, the request volume corresponding to a number of received requests for content of the type of the retrieved content;

identify a steering endpoint Internet Protocol (IP) address based on the type of the retrieved content;

send at least the steering endpoint IP address and the domain name to a Domain Name System (DNS) server to facilitate resolution of the domain name in a DNS request from another client to the steering endpoint IP address, when the determining indicates that the confidence threshold has been reached, wherein a virtual server at the steering endpoint IP address is configured to identify a value-added service (VAS) server configured to optimize content of the type of the retrieved content; and

send the retrieved content to the client via the one or more access networks in response to the received request.

7. The traffic manager computing device of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to:

receive another request from the client for content at the location associated with the domain name; and

send the another request to the VAS server.

8. The traffic manager computing device of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to updating the request volume, wherein the volume represents a number of times content of the type of the requested content has been retrieved from one or more locations associated with the domain name.

9. The traffic manager computing device of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to:

forward another DNS request to resolve the domain name from the client to the DNS server and a response from the DNS server including an original IP address corresponding to the domain name to the client; and

send the original IP address to the virtual server located at the steering endpoint IP address when the request for the content is not a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

10. The traffic manager computing device of claim 6, wherein the confidence threshold corresponds to a likelihood that another received request associated with the domain will be for content of the type of the retrieved content.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for network traffic presteering to facilitate improved delivery of optimized content comprising executable code which when executed by one or more processor, causes the one or more processors to:

retrieve, via at least one of one or more provider networks or one or more wide area networks, content from a server at a location associated with a domain name in response to a request for the content received via one or more access networks from a client;

determine classification data for the domain name, the classification data comprising at least a type of the retrieved content and a request volume for the type of the retrieved content;

determine when a confidence threshold has been reached based on the request volume for the type of the retrieved content in the classification data, the request volume corresponding to a number of received requests for content of the type of the retrieved content;

identify a steering endpoint Internet Protocol (IP) address based on the type of the retrieved content;

send at least the steering endpoint IP address and the domain name to a Domain Name System (DNS) server to facilitate resolution of the domain name in a DNS request from another client to the steering endpoint IP address, when the determining indicates that the confidence threshold has been reached, wherein a virtual server at the steering endpoint IP address is configured to identify a value-added service (VAS) server configured to optimize content of the type of the retrieved content; and

send the retrieved content to the client via the one or more access networks in response to the received request.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the executable code when executed by the one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to:

receive another request from the client for content at the location associated with the domain name; and

send the another request to the VAS server.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the executable code when executed by the one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to update the request volume, wherein the volume represents a number of times content of the type of the requested content has been retrieved from one or more locations associated with the domain name.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the executable code when executed by the one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to:

forward another DNS request to resolve the domain name from the client to the DNS server and a response from the DNS server including an original IP address corresponding to the domain name to the client; and

send the original IP address to the virtual server located at the steering endpoint IP address when the request for the content is not a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the confidence threshold corresponds to a likelihood that another received request associated with the domain will be for content of the type of the retrieved content.

16. A network traffic management system, comprising one or more traffic manager computing devices, Domain Name System (DNS) server devices, steering endpoint devices, value-added service (VAS) server devices, content 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:

retrieve, via at least one of one or more provider networks or one or more wide area networks, content from a server at a location associated with a domain name in response to a request for the content received via one or more access networks from a client;

determine classification data for the domain name, the classification data comprising at least a type of the retrieved content and a request volume for the type of the retrieved content;

determine when a confidence threshold has been reached based on the request volume for the type of the retrieved content in the classification data, the request volume corresponding to a number of received requests for content of the type of the retrieved content;

identify a steering endpoint Internet Protocol (IP) address based on the type of the retrieved content;

send at least the steering endpoint IP address and the domain name to a Domain Name System (DNS) server to facilitate resolution of the domain name in a DNS request from another client to the steering endpoint IP address, when the determining indicates that the confidence threshold has been reached, wherein a virtual server at the steering endpoint IP address is configured to identify a value-added service (VAS) server configured to optimize content of the type of the retrieved content; and

send the retrieved content to the client via the one or more access networks in response to the received request.

17. The network traffic management system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to:

receive another request from the client for content at the location associated with the domain name; and

send the another request to the VAS server.

18. The network traffic management system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to update the request volume, wherein the volume represents a number of times content of the type of the requested content has been retrieved from one or more locations associated with the domain name.

19. The network traffic management system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to:

forward another DNS request to resolve the domain name from the client to the DNS server and a response from the DNS server including an original IP address corresponding to the domain name to the client; and

send the original IP address to the virtual server located at the steering endpoint IP address when the request for the content is not a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

20. The network traffic management system of claim 16, wherein the confidence threshold corresponds to a likelihood that another received request associated with the domain will be for content of the type of the retrieved content.