Highly available distributed storage system for internet content with storage site redirection

• US 20020143798A1
• Filed: 04/01/2002
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Nicolaou, Cosmos, Lisiecki, Philip A., Rose, Kyle R.
• Application Number:
  US10/113,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20020143798A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1844 Management specifically adapted to replicated file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• 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 67/1097 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 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A method for content storage on behalf of participating content providers begins by having a given content provider identify content for storage. The content provider then uploads the content to a given storage site selected from a set of storage sites. Following upload, the content is replicated from the given storage site to at least one other storage site in the set. Upon request from a given entity, a given storage site from which the given entity may retrieve the content is then identified. The content is then downloaded from the identified given storage site to the given entity. In an illustrative embodiment, the given entity is an edge server of a content delivery network (CDN).

Claims

1. A method of content storage on behalf of participating content providers, comprising:

having a given content provider identify content for storage;

having the given content provider upload the content to a given site selected from a set of replica sites, wherein at least some of the replica sites are located in different locations across different networks available over the public Internet;

initiating replication of the content from the given site to each replica site in the set of replica sites;

upon receiving a request from a given entity, identifying which of the replica sites should be used to retrieve the content;

directing the request to the identified replica site;

determining whether the request can be serviced at the identified replica site;

if the request can be serviced at the identified replica site, downloading the content from the identified replica site to the given entity; and

if the request cannot be serviced at the identified replica site, redirecting the request to another replica site.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the request can be serviced at the identified replica site because the content has been replicated at the identified replica site.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the request cannot be serviced at the identified replica site because the content has not been replicated at the identified replica site.

4. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the content has been replicated by having the identified replica site retrieve the content from the given site.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the given entity is a content delivery network (CDN) server.

6. The method as described in claim 5 wherein the CDN server communicates with the identified replica site over a secure link.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the request is redirected using an HTTP redirection.

8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the content is uploaded to the given site using a file transfer protocol.

9. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the content is selected from the group consisting of HTTP content, streaming media files, software and other digital objects.

10. A method operative in a storage infrastructure comprising a set of storage sites, wherein a participating content provider uploads content to a given storage site in the site, comprising the steps of:

(a) initiating replication of the content from the given storage site to each replica site in the set of replica sites;

(b) upon receiving a request from a given entity, identifying a first replica site;

(c) directing the request to the first replica site;

(d) if the request cannot be serviced at the first replica site, redirecting the request to a second replica site; and

(e) if the request cannot be serviced at the second replica site, redirecting the request to a third replica site.

11. The method as described in claim 10 further including the step of continually redirecting the request to a replica site that may have the content.

12. The method as described in claim 11 further including the step of ceasing redirection of the request after a given number of redirections have taken place without locating the content.

13. The method as described in claim 10 further including the step of downloading the content from a given replica site at which the content has been located.

14. The method as described in claim 10 wherein the given entity is a content delivery network (CDN) edge server.

15. The method as described in claim 10 wherein the content the content is selected from the group consisting of HTTP content, streaming media files, software and other digital objects.

16. The method as described in claim 10 further including the step of replicating the content to each of the set of replica sites by having each replica site retrieve the content from the given storage site.

17. The method as described in claim 12 further including the step retrieving the content from an origin server after the given number of redirections have taken place without locating the content.

18. A method operative in a storage infrastructure comprising a set of storage sites, wherein a participating content provider uploads content to a given storage site in the site, comprising the steps of:

(a) initiating replication of the content from the given storage site to each replica site in the set of replica sites;

(b) upon receiving a request from a given entity, identifying a first replica site;

(c) directing the request to the first replica site;

(d) if the request cannot be serviced at the first replica site, redirecting the request to a second replica site; and

(e) if the request cannot be serviced at the second replica site, retrieving the content from an origin server.