Handling long-tail content in a content delivery network (CDN)

• US 10,218,806 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Newton, Christopher, Lipstone, Laurence, Fullagar, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice L
• Application Number:
  US15/645,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20170339241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 709215-219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• 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 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

A content delivery network has at least a first tier of servers. A content delivery method includes, at a first server in the first tier of servers, obtaining a request from a client for a resource. If the resource is available at the first server or at a peer of the first server, then the resource is served to the client from the first server. Otherwise, it is determined whether the resource is popular, and if the resource is determined to be popular, then the first server obtains the resource and the first server serves the resource to the client. If the resource is determined not to be popular, the client is directed to a second server, not in the first tier of servers, and the second server serves the resource to the client. The second server may be in a second tier of servers or it may be an origin server.

Claims

1. A method of content delivery in a content delivery network comprising at least a first tier of servers, the method comprising:

(A) at a first server in the first tier of servers, obtaining a request from a client for a resource, wherein the resource is available as part of a content provider'"'"'s library;

(B) determining whether the resource is available at the first server or at a peer of the first server;

(C) based on and as a result of said determining in (B), if it is determined that the resource is not available at the first server or at a peer of the first server, determining if the resource is popular, wherein the resource is part of an object, and wherein determining whether said resource is popular is based, at least in part, on whether the resource is an initial part of the object;

(D) based on and as a result of said determining in (C), if the resource is determined to be popular in (C), then the first server obtaining the resource and the first server serving the resource to the client, otherwise,

(E) based on and as a result of said determining in (C), if the resource is determined in (C) not to be popular, directing the client to a second server in a second tier of servers distinct from the first tier of servers,

wherein distinct portions of the content provider'"'"'s library are logically partitioned across servers in the second tier of servers,

wherein the second server comprises a first portion of the content provider'"'"'s library, the first portion comprising at least the resource, and wherein at least one other server in the second tier of servers comprises a second portion of the content provider'"'"'s library, said second portion of the content provider'"'"'s library being distinct from said first portion of the content provider'"'"'s library, and

wherein the second tier of servers is any intermediate tier of servers between the first tier of servers and an origin server that stores resources associated with the content provider'"'"'s library, and

(F) the second server serving the resource to the client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource is available as part of the content provider'"'"'s library, and wherein distinct portions of the content provider'"'"'s library are logically partitioned across servers in the second tier of servers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether said resource is popular in (C) is based, at least in part, on whether the resource is for a part of the object other than the initial part of the object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the initial part of the object has already been served to the client.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining in (C) whether said resource is popular is determined, at least in part, using information obtained from a popularity service running on one or more popularity servers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more popularity servers maintain information on relative popularity of content being served.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more popularity servers maintain information on relative popularity of content being served in a region comprising the first server.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein only certain content uses the popularity service, and wherein content is designated to be served based on popularity in order to use the popularity service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein whether or not said resource is to be served based on popularity of the resource is based at least in part on whether or not said resource is designated to be served based on popularity of the resource.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether said resource is popular is based, at least in part, on a dynamic measure of popularity of the resource.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether said resource is popular in (C) comprises:

determining a relative popularity said resource in a region comprising the first server.

12. A machine-readable non-transitory medium storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processing units of a data processing system, the one or more programs including instructions for:

(A) obtaining, at a first server in a first tier of servers in a content delivery network (CDN), a request from a client for a resource, wherein the resource is available as part of a content provider'"'"'s library;

(B) determining whether the resource is available at the first server or at a peer of the first server;

(C) based on and as a result of said determining in (B), if it is determined that the resource is not available at the first server or at a peer of the first server, then determining if the resource is popular, wherein the resource is part of an object, and wherein determining whether said resource is popular is based, at least in part, on whether the resource is an initial part of the object;

(D) based on and as a result of said determining in (C), if the resource is determined to be popular in (C), then the first server (i) obtaining the resource, and (ii) serving the resource to the client, otherwise,

(E) based on and as a result of said determining in (C), if the resource is determined in (C) not to be popular, directing the client to a second server in a second tier of servers distinct from the first tier of servers,

wherein the second tier of servers is any intermediate tier between the first tier of servers and an origin server that stores resources associated with the content provider'"'"'s library, and

wherein portions of the content provider'"'"'s library are logically partitioned across servers in the second tier of servers, and wherein the second server comprises a first portion of the content provider'"'"'s library, the first portion comprising at least the resource, and wherein at least one other server in the second tier of servers comprises a second portion of the content provider'"'"'s library, said second portion of the content provider'"'"'s library being distinct from said first portion of the content provider'"'"'s library; and

(F) the second server serving the resource to the client.

13. The machine-readable non-transitory medium of claim, 12, wherein the first server determines whether said resource is popular based on information obtained from a popularity service running on one or more popularity servers.

14. The machine-readable non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more popularity servers maintain information on relative popularity of content being served in a region comprising the first server.

15. The machine-readable non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein only certain content uses the popularity service, and wherein content is designated to be served based on popularity in order to use the popularity service.

16. The machine-readable non-transitory medium of claim 12, wherein whether or not said resource is to be served based on popularity of the resource is based at least in part on whether or not said resource is designated to be served based on popularity of the resource.

17. The machine-readable non-transitory medium of claim 12, wherein determining whether said resource is popular comprises:

determining a relative popularity said resource in a region comprising the first server.

18. A computer program product comprising non-transitory computer-readable media and having computer readable instructions stored on said non-transitory computer-readable media, the computer readable instructions including instructions for implementing a computer-implemented method, said method operable in a content delivery network (CDN), said CDN comprising a plurality of computers, each computer comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, said method comprising:

(A) at a first server in the first tier of servers in the CDN, obtaining a request from a client for a resource, wherein the resource is available as part of a content provider'"'"'s library;

(B) determining whether the resource is available at the first server or at a peer of the first server;

(C) based on and as a result of said determining in (B), if it is determined that the resource is not available at the first server or at a peer of the first server, determining if the resource is popular, wherein the resource is part of an object, and wherein determining whether said resource is popular is based, at least in part, on whether the resource is an initial part of the object;

(D) based on and as a result of said determining in (C), if the resource is determined to be popular in (C), then the first server obtaining the resource and the first server serving the resource to the client, otherwise,

(E) based on and as a result of said determining in (C), if the resource is determined in (C) not to be popular, directing the client to a second server in a second tier of servers distinct from the first tier of servers,

wherein the second tier of servers is any intermediate tier of servers between the first tier of servers and an origin server that stores resources associated with the content provider'"'"'s library, and

wherein the second server comprises a first portion of the content provider'"'"'s library, the first portion comprising at least the resource, and wherein at least one other server in the second tier of servers comprises a second portion of the content provider'"'"'s library, said second portion of the content provider'"'"'s library being distinct from said first portion of the content provider'"'"'s library; and

(F) the second server serving the resource to the client.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein whether or not said resource is to be served based on popularity of the resource is based at least in part on whether or not said resource is designated to be served based on popularity of the resource.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein determining whether said resource is popular comprises:

determining a relative popularity said resource in a region comprising the first server.