Content name resolution for information centric networking

• US 10,706,029 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2017
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sevilla, Spencer, Mahadevan, Priya, Garcia-Luna-Aceves, Jose J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hasan, Syed H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed, Saba
• Application Number:
  US15/620,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20170286461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 707736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1004 Server selection for load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A content-name-resolution (CNR) system can resolve IP addresses for named data objects (NDOs) based on their name. During operation, a CNR server can receive a query from a client device for a source to a named data object. The query can include at least a name prefix for the named data object. The CNR server can identify a cache server that corresponds to the named data object'"'"'s name prefix, and determines one or more sources associated with the named data object'"'"'s name prefix. The CNR server then returns, to the client device, a query response that includes a network address for the cache server, and includes a content record specifying the one or more sources.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a content name resolution server in a computer network, a first request for a named data object, wherein the first request includes a first name for the named data object;

sending, by the content name resolution server, a content record to a client device, wherein the content record includes an indication of a content delivery protocol and a hostname length number associated with the content delivery protocol;

translating, by the client device, based on the hostname length number, the first name for the named data object into a second name for the named data object using the content delivery protocol, wherein portions of a string of the first name, beyond a length of the hostname length number, are placed in reverse order to obtain the second name;

sending a second request for the named data object to a cache server, wherein the second request includes the second name;

determining whether the cache server stores the named data object;

responsive to determining that the cache server does not store the named data object, sending a third request for the named data object to a source associated with the second name; and

responsive to receiving the named data object from the source, sending the named data object to the client device so as to resolve the first request for the named data object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the named data object from the specified source, storing the named data object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content record includes the name for the named data object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content record includes two or more sources associated with a name prefix for the named data object, wherein the content record further includes a list of addresses of the sources, wherein the addresses of the sources in the list are sorted based on a predetermined rule.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a name prefix from the request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the named data object, responsive to determining that the cache server stores the named data object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the content record includes an address of the source.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory,

wherein the processor is configured to;

send a first request in a computer network for a named data object, wherein the first request includes a first name for the named data object, and in response receive a content record, wherein the content record includes an indication of a content delivery protocol and a hostname length number associated with the content delivery protocol;

translate, based on the hostname length number, the first name for the named data object into a second name for the named data object using the content delivery protocol, wherein portions of a string of the first name, beyond a length of the hostname length number, are placed in reverse order to obtain the second name;

send a second request for the named data object to a cache server, wherein the second request includes the second name; and

receive the named data object from the cache server so as to resolve the first request for the named data object.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the content record includes the name for the named data object.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the content record includes two or more sources associated with a name prefix for the named data object, wherein the content record further includes a list of addresses of sources, wherein the addresses of the sources in the list are sorted based on a predetermined rule.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain a name prefix from the request.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the content record includes an address of a source for the named data object.

13. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

sending, by a client device in a computer network, a first request for a named data object, wherein the first request includes a first name for the named data object, and, in response receive a content record, wherein the content record includes an indication of a content delivery protocol and a hostname length number associated with the content delivery protocol;

translating, based on the hostname length number, the first name for the named data object into a second name for the named data object using the content delivery protocol, wherein portions of a string of the first name, beyond a length of the hostname length number, are placed in reverse order to obtain the second name;

send a second request for the named data object to a cache server, wherein the second request includes the second name; and

receiving the named data object from the source cache server so as to resolve the first request for the named data object.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the content record includes the name for the named data object.

15. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the content record includes two or more sources associated with a name prefix for the named data object, wherein the content record further includes a list of addresses of sources for the named data object, wherein the addresses of the sources in the list are sorted based on a predetermined rule.

16. The storage medium of claim 13 the method further comprising:

obtaining a name prefix from the request.

17. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the content record includes an address of a source for the named data object.