Application layer load balancer

• US 10,148,735 B1
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Instart Logic Incorporated (Akamai Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kolam, Hariharan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Houlihan, Stephen J
• Application Number:
  US14/206,344
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Responding to a request for network content is disclosed. The request for network content is received. A determination of whether delivery of the content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system is determined. The determination is determined using application level data associated with the request. The request for network content is routed to the prioritized content delivery system or a normal content delivery system based at least in part on the determination.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive webpage content referring to a network content using a URI address;

a processor configured to;

receive a request for the network content referred in the webpage content by the URI address, wherein the request is received from a load balancer that has load balanced the request at least in part by analyzing network layer information associated with the request;

determine, using application level data associated with the request, whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system, including;

identify a type of the requested network content; and

determine that, based on the type of the requested network content, the requested network content can be improved by the prioritized content delivery system; and

route the request for the network content to the prioritized content delivery system or a normal content delivery system based at least in part on the determination of whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system, wherein routing the request for the network content to the prioritized content delivery system or the normal content delivery system includes using the same URI address regardless of whether the network content is to be routed to the prioritized content delivery system or the normal content delivery system and selecting between the prioritized content delivery system and the normal content delivery system to generate a modified URI address; and

a virtualization engine configured to at least one of;

virtualize static and dynamic interactions and intercept static and dynamic interactions, with a document object model of a browser associated with the system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein determining whether delivery of the content can be improved by the prioritized content delivery system includes determining which application requested the network content.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the request for network content is routed to the prioritized content delivery system in the event the determination indicates that delivery of the network content can be improved by the prioritized content delivery system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the request for network content is routed to the normal content delivery system in the event the determination indicates that delivery of the network content cannot be improved by the prioritized content delivery system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the application level data includes OSI model layer 7 data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the normal content delivery system includes an origin server of an original content source of the request.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the prioritized content delivery system is able to proxy content from the normal content delivery system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the prioritized content delivery system optimizes delivery of a certain type of content that is also available via the normal content delivery system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the request is associated with a virtualized document object model of a webpage attempted to be rendered by a requestor of the request.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein routing the request includes using a received routing rule selected based at least in part on the determination of whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system includes analyzing a content location address of the request.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system includes analyzing a location address parameter encoded by a document object model virtualization client of a requestor of the request.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the document object model virtualization client is a nanovisor.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system includes analyzing a web browser provided information.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system includes analyzing an accept-encoding information.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein in the event the request for network content is routed to the prioritized content delivery system based at least in part on the determination of whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system, the prioritized content delivery system segments the requested content into a plurality of segments and provides a segment of the segments in response to the request.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification of the type of the requested network content includes classifying the requested network content as at least one of:

an image file and an executable file.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving webpage content referring to a network content using a URI address;

receiving a request for the network content referred in the webpage content by the URI address, wherein the request is received from a load balancer that has load balanced the request at least in part by analyzing network layer information associated with the request;

using a processor to determine, using application level data associated with the request, whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system, including;

identifying a type of the requested network content; and

determining that, based on the type of the requested network content, the requested network content can be improved by the prioritized content delivery system;

routing the request for the network content to the prioritized content delivery system or a normal content delivery system based at least in part on the determination of whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system, wherein routing the request for the network content to the prioritized content delivery system or the normal content delivery system includes using the same URI address regardless of whether the network content is to be routed to the prioritized content delivery system or the normal content delivery system and selecting between the prioritized content delivery system and the normal content delivery system to generate a modified URI address; and

at least one of;

virtualizing static and dynamic interactions and intercepting static and dynamic interactions, with a document object model of a browser associated with the system.

19. A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving webpage content referring to a network content using a URI address;

receiving a request for the network content referred in the webpage content by the URI address, wherein the request is received from a load balancer that has load balanced the request at least in part by analyzing network layer information associated with the request;

determining, using application level data associated with the request, whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system, including;

identifying a type of the requested network content; and

determining that, based on the type of the requested network content, the requested network content can be improved by the prioritized content delivery system;

routing the request for the network content to the prioritized content delivery system or a normal content delivery system based at least in part on the determination of whether delivery of the network content can be improved by a prioritized content delivery system, wherein routing the request for the network content to the prioritized content delivery system or the normal content delivery system includes using the same URI address regardless of whether the network content is to be routed to the prioritized content delivery system or the normal content delivery system and selecting between the prioritized content delivery system and the normal content delivery system to generate a modified URI address; and

at least one of;

virtualizing static and dynamic interactions and intercepting static and dynamic interactions, with a document object model of a browser associated with the system.