System and method for routing content based on real-time feedback

• US 10,154,111 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karasaridis, Anestis, Hoeflin, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Dhairya A
• Application Number:
  US15/044,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23103 using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23116 involving data replication, e.g. over plural servers synchronization of replicated data G06F11/1658; error detection or correction by means of data replication G06F11/2053; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/10; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/27; replication or mirroring of data in data networks H04L67/1095
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10

Abstract

A method includes receiving at a cache server a content request from a client system, determining that the cache server is overloaded in response to receiving the content request, and in response to determining that the cache server is overloaded, returning to the client system a domain redirection response including a load status of the cache server.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions;

a processor that executes the instructions to perform operations, the operations comprising;

returning, in response to determining that a first cache server is overloaded, a domain redirection response including a load status of the first cache server, wherein the domain redirection response includes an encoded status string indicating the load status of the first cache server, and wherein the encoded status string is decoded from a domain name request to enable a client system to determine where to send a content request;

determining, at a domain name system server, that a second cache server can fulfill the content request for a lower network cost than the first cache server, wherein the determining is performed in response to receiving the domain name request;

transmitting, to the client system, a domain name reply that directs the content request to the second cache server, wherein the domain name reply includes a first counter field having a first counter value that provides an indication to the second cache server that the second cache server is a second server to receive the content request, wherein the first counter field indicates a number of domain redirections experienced by the content request; and

preventing, based on the number of domain redirections indicated by the first counter field, a request loop that occurs when the first and second cache server are overloaded.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, at the first cache server, the content request from the client system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the first cache server is overloaded in response to receiving the content request from the client system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, at the domain name system server, the domain name request from the client system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the content request includes a second counter field.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise determining that a second counter value of the second counter field is greater than a counter threshold.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise providing content in response to the content request if the second counter field is greater than the counter threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise appending the encoded status string to the domain name request.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a load status update from the first cache server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise determining a routing behavior based on the load status update.

11. A method, comprising:

returning, in response to determining that a first cache server is overloaded, a domain redirection response including a load status of the first cache server, wherein the domain redirection response includes an encoded status string indicating the load status of the first cache server, and wherein the encoded status string is decoded from a domain name request to enable a client system to determine where to send a content request;

determining, at a domain name system server, that a second cache server can fulfill the content request for a lower network cost than the first cache server, wherein the determining is performed in response to receiving the domain name request, wherein the determining is performed by utilizing instructions from a memory that are executed by a processor;

transmitting, to the client system, a domain name reply that directs the content request to the second cache server, wherein the domain name reply includes a first counter field having a first counter value that provides an indication to the second cache server that the second cache server is a second server to receive the content request, wherein the first counter field indicates a number of domain redirections experienced by the content request; and

preventing, based on the number of domain redirections indicated by the first counter field, a request loop that occurs when the first and second cache server are overloaded.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, at the first cache server, the content request from the client system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining that the first cache server is overloaded in response to receiving the content request from the client system.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising appending the encoded status string to the domain name request.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining routing based on the encoded status string.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining that the content request includes a second counter field.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining that a second counter value of the second counter field is greater than a counter threshold.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing content in response to the content request if the second counter field is greater than the counter threshold.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a load status update from the first cache server.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when loaded and executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

returning, in response to determining that a first cache server is overloaded, a domain redirection response including a load status of the first cache server, wherein the domain redirection response includes an encoded status string indicating the load status of the first cache server, and wherein the encoded status string is decoded from a domain name request to enable a client system to determine where to send a content request;

determining, at a domain name system server, that a second cache server can fulfill the content request for a lower network cost than the first cache server, wherein the determining is performed in response to receiving the domain name request;

transmitting, to the client system, a domain name reply that directs the content request to the second cache server, wherein the domain name reply includes a first counter field having a first counter value that provides an indication to the second cache server that the second cache server is a second server to receive the content request, wherein the first counter field indicates a number of domain redirections experienced by the content request; and

preventing, based on the number of domain redirections indicated by the first counter field, a request loop that occurs when the first and second cache server are overloaded.