Method of generating a web page

• US 20070233705A1
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Farber, David, Swart, Andrew, Greer, Richard, Balter, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/509 Offload
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1006 with static server selection, e.g. the same server being selected for a specific client
• 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 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1025 : Dynamic adaptation of the criteria on which the server selection is based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1036 : Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers
• 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 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 : Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 : Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 : Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 : Data redirection of data network streams
• 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 67/5682 : Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 : taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

A method of generating a web page modifies uniform resource locators (URLs) of embedded resources in a web page. The modified URLs include data prepended to information from the original URLs. The prepended data may be a hostname or an network address that is resolvable to a shared network of servers.

Claims

1. A method of generating a web page in a system in which a plurality of content providers provide multiple resources to multiple clients, wherein each content provider provides at least some of its resources via one or more origin servers associated with that content provider, the method comprising:

(A) obtaining a web page of a content provider of said plurality of content providers, said web page including at least one reference to a resource of said content provider, said reference comprising a first URL identifying said resource, said first URL including an original hostname that is resolvable to an origin server associated with said content provider;

(B) modifying said first URL to produce a modified URL, said modified URL including said original hostname and a string of characters prepended to said original hostname, said string of characters being distinct from said original hostname, wherein at least some of said string of characters are resolvable to a shared content delivery network (CDN) formed from a plurality of repeater servers distinct from said origin servers.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein at least some of said string of characters represent a new hostname distinct from said original hostname.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein at least some of the string of characters represent a fully qualified domain name.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein the string of characters comprises a hostname that is resolvable to said shared CDN and wherein the modifying of the first URL comprises:

tagging the first URL with said string of characters.

5. A method as in claim 2 wherein the original URL includes an original domain name and path and wherein the modified URL includes the new hostname prepended to the original domain name and path.

6. A method as in claim 5 wherein the original hostname is maintained as part of the modified URL for use by the CDN in retrieving the resource whenever a cached copy of the resource is not available.

7. A method as in claim 5 wherein the resource is an embedded object.

8. A method as in claim 1 wherein the first URL has the form:

“

http;

//<

server>

/<

path>

”

where “

<

server>

”

is the origin server name and where “

<

path>

”

is a path to the resource designated by the first URL, and wherein the modified URL has the form;

“

http;

//<

repeater>

/<

server>

/<

path>

”

where “

<

repeater>

”

is the string of characters that is resolvable to the CDN.

9. A method as in claim 1 wherein the first URL has the form:

“

http;

//<

server>

/<

path>

”

where “

<

server>

”

is the origin server name and where “

<

path>

”

is a path to the resource designated by the URL, and wherein the modified URL has the form;

“

http;

//<

repeater>

/<

server>

/<

path>

”

where “

<

repeater>

”

is a hostname of a set of content servers.

10. A method as in claim 1 wherein the original URL includes an origin server name and a path, and wherein the modified URL, includes a repeater server name.

11. A method of generating a web page in a system in which a plurality of content providers provide multiple resources to multiple clients, wherein each content provider provides at least some of its resources via one or more origin servers associated with that content provider, the method comprising:

(A) obtaining a web page of a content provider of said plurality of content providers, said web page including at least one reference to a resource of said content provider, said reference comprising a first URL identifying said resource, said first URL including an original hostname that is resolvable to an origin server associated with said content provider;

(B) tagging said first URL by prepending given data to a portion of the first URL to form an alternate URL so that the embedded object referred to by the alternate URL will be served from a shared content delivery network (CDN) formed from a plurality of repeater servers distinct from said origin servers instead of from the origin server associated with said content provider.

12. A method as in claim 11 wherein the given data comprise an Internet Protocol (IP) address of at least one server in said CDN.

13. A method as in claim 11 wherein the given data comprise a character string.

14. A method as in claim 11 wherein the given data comprise a hostname.

15. A method as in claim 11 wherein the given data comprise a fully qualified domain name.

16. A method as in claim 11 wherein, in addition to said given data, said alternate URL contains hostname and path data from said first URL.

17. A method as in claim 11 wherein the first URL has the form:

“

http;

//<

server>

/<

path>

”

where “

<

server>

”

is the origin server name and where “

<

path>

”

is a path to the embedded resource designated by the first URL, and wherein the alternate URL has the form;

“

http;

//<

repeater>

/<

server>

/<

path>

”

where “

<

repeater>

”

is said given data.

18. A method of generating a web page in a system in which a plurality of content providers provide multiple resources to multiple clients, wherein each content provider provides at least some of its resources via one or more origin servers associated with that content provider, the method comprising:

(A) obtaining a web page of a content provider of said plurality of content providers, said web page including at least one reference to an embedded resource of said content provider, said reference comprising a first URL identifying said embedded resource, said first URL including (i) an original domain name that is resolvable to an origin server associated with said content provider, and (ii) a path;

(B) forming an alternate URL from said first URL so that the embedded resource, when accessed via the alternate URL, will be served from a shared content delivery network (CDN) formed from a plurality of repeater servers distinct from said origin servers instead of from the origin server associated with said content provider, said alternate URL including at least a new hostname that is resolvable to said CDN instead of to said origin server associated with said content provider, wherein said new hostname is prepended to said original domain name and path.

19. A method as in claim 18 wherein the first URL has the form:

“

http;

//<

server>

/<

path>

”

where “

<

server>

”

is the origin server name and where “

<

path>

”

is a path to the embedded resource designated by the URL, and wherein the alternate URL has the form;

“

http;

//<

repeater>

/<

server>

/<

path>

”

where “

<

repeater>

”

is said new hostname.