Java application framework for use in a content delivery network (CDN)

• US 20070038994A1
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Stodolsky, Daniel, Pichai, Srinivasan, Tsimelzon, Mark, Parikh, Jay, Davis, Andrew, Ruvinsky, Eddie, Weihl, William
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• 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 67/1001 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 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An application deployment model for enterprise applications to enable applications to be deployed to and executed from a globally distributed computing platform, such as an Internet content delivery network (CDN). According to the invention, application developers separate their Web application into two layers: a highly distributed edge layer and a centralized origin layer. In a representative embodiment, the edge layer supports a servlet container that executes a Web tier, typically the presentation layer of a given Java-based application. Where necessary, the edge layer communicates with code running on an origin server to respond to a given request. In an alternative embodiment, the edge layer supports a more fully-provisioned application server that executes both Web tier (e.g., presentation) and Enterprise tier application (e.g., business logic) components. In either case, the inventive framework enables one or more different applications to be deployed to and executed from the edge server on behalf of one or more respective entities.

Claims

1. A method for processing requests to a given application executable in a distributed computing environment, wherein a set of edge servers are deployed in the distributed computing environment to offload processing from one or more origin servers, and wherein the given application has at least a first component and a second component, comprising:

responsive to receipt of a request at a given edge server, determining whether the request is the first request for the given application;

if the request is the first request for the given application, retrieving the first component;

upon installation of the first component, or if the request is not the first request for the given application, executing the first component;

communicating with the origin server on an as needed basis to execute the second component; and

generating a response to the request based on the results of executing the first component and, as needed, the second component.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of caching the first component in the edge server.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the given application is a Web application and the first component is a Web tier component selected from a set of components that include servlets, Java server pages (JSPs), Java beans and tag libraries.

4. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the second component is an Enterprise tier component that includes a component selected from a set of components that include session beans, entity beans and message driven beans.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the first component is retrieved from a server selected from the origin server, a CDN staging server, and a CDN content storage server.

6. The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of executing the first component on the origin server to facilitate a response to the request while retreiving the first component to the edge server.

7. The method as described in claim 1 further including the steps of:

detemining whether the first component requires a data resource to process the request;

if the first component requires a data resource to process the request, determining whether the data resource is available in a cache;

if the data resource is available in the cache, retrieving the data resource;

if the data resource is not available in the cache, retrieving the data resource from a remote location.

8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the communications to and from the edge server use a given mechanism selected from a set of mechanisms that include:

HTTP, RMI, SOAP and TCP.

9. The method as described in claim 1 wherein at least the first component or the second component includes platform-independent code.

10. A method for processing requests to a set of Java-based applications executable in a distributed computing environment, wherein a set of edge servers are deployed in the distributed computing environment to offload processing from a set of origin servers, and wherein each Java-based application has at least a first component, comprising:

deploying the first component of at least first and second Java applications on a given edge server having given application server code;

responsive to requests received at the given edge server, having the given application server code execute the first component of the first and second Java applications to generate responses to the requests.

11. The method as described in claim 10 wherein the first and second Java applications are executed in separate, isolated application server code instances.

12. The method as described in claim 10 wherein the first component is selected from a set of components that include a Web tier component, an Enterprise tier component, or both a Web tier and Enterprise Tier.

13. The method as described in claim 12 wherein the Web tier component includes a set of components selected from a set of components that include servlets, Java server pages (JSPs), Java beans and tag libraries, and the Enterprise tier component includes a component selected from a set of components that include session beans, entity beans and message driven beans.

14. The method as described in claim 10 wherein the first and second Java applications are distinct programs.

15. The method as described in claim 10 wherein the first and second Java applications are different versions of a single application.

16. The method as described in claim 15 further including the step of loading and initializing execution of the second Java application to process requests while the first Java application is processing requests.

17-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A method of executing Java applications operative in a content delivery network (CDN), the content delivery network comprising a distributed set of edge servers and a request routing mechanism for mapping client requests to the edge servers, wherein each application is a multi-tier Java application comprising at least first and second tiers, comprising:

deploying the first tier of each multi-tier application to a subset of the edge servers on an as-needed basis; and

in response to a given request, selectively executing the first tier of a given multi-tier application to respond to the given request.

28. The method as described in claim 27 further including the step of executing the second tier of the given multi-tier application as needed, wherein the second tier of the given multi-tier application is executed on an origin server.

29. (canceled)