DOMAIN NAME RESOLUTION RESOURCE ALLOCATION

• US 20100299439A1
• Filed: 03/18/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: McCarthy, Nils H., Harvell, Brad B., Gordon, Michael M., Stafford, Lee A., Baldus, Gary S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,195,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• 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 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• 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 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A content delivery network (CDN) for delivering content over the Internet is disclosed in one embodiment. The CDN is configured to deliver content for others and includes a domain resolution service (DNS) server, caching servers and an Internet interface. The DNS server receives a first domain resolution request and produces a first DNS solution, and receives a second domain resolution request and produces a second DNS solution. The first and second domain resolution requests correspond to a same domain. The caching servers correspond to a plurality of addresses. The interface receives domain resolution requests, which include the first and second domain resolution requests, and transmits DNS solutions, which include the first and second DNS solutions. The first DNS solution comprises a first plurality of addresses corresponding to at least a first subset of the plurality of caching servers, and the second DNS solution comprises a second plurality of addresses corresponding to at least a second subset of the plurality of caching servers. The first DNS solution is different from the second DNS solution in that the second subset includes an address for a caching server not in the first subset. The second subset is chosen to generally match a processing power of the first subset.

Claims

1. A content delivery network (CDN) for delivering content over the Internet, wherein the CDN is configured to deliver content for others, the CDN comprising:

a domain resolution service (DNS) server, wherein;

the DNS server is configured to receive a first domain resolution request and produces a first DNS solution,

the DNS server is configured to receive a second domain resolution request and produces a second DNS solution, and

the first and second domain resolution requests correspond to a same domain;

a plurality of caching servers, wherein the plurality of caching servers correspond to a plurality of addresses; and

an interface with the Internet, wherein;

the interface is configured to;

receive a plurality of domain resolution requests, and

transmit a plurality of DNS solutions,

the plurality of DNS solutions comprise the first and second DNS solutions,

the plurality of domain resolution requests comprise the first and second domain resolution requests,

the first DNS solution comprises a first plurality of addresses corresponding to at least a first subset of the plurality of caching servers,

the second DNS solution comprises a second plurality of addresses corresponding to at least a second subset of the plurality of caching servers, and

the first DNS solution is different from the second DNS solution in that the first subset includes an address for a caching server not in the second subset, wherein the caching server not in the second subset is no longer allocated for DNS solutions corresponding to the domain.

2. The CDN for delivering content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, wherein the caching server not in the second subset is no longer allocated for DNS solutions corresponding to the domain is based, at least in part, on one or more of:

an activity level associated with the domain;

a content originator and/or content object; and

an associated service level.

3. The CDN for delivering content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, wherein the caching server not in the second subset is utilized above a first threshold.

4. The CDN for delivering content over the Internet as recited in claim 3, wherein:

the DNS server is further configured to receive a third domain resolution request and produces a third DNS solution;

the first, second, and third domain resolution requests correspond to the same domain;

the plurality of DNS solutions further comprise the third DNS solution;

the plurality of domain resolution requests further comprise the third domain resolution request;

the third DNS solution comprises a third plurality of addresses corresponding to at least a third subset of the plurality of caching servers; and

the third subset includes the address for the caching server not in the second subset, wherein;

the caching server not in the second subset is utilized below a second threshold; and

the second threshold is lower than the first threshold.

5. The CDN for delivering content over the Internet as recited in claim 4, wherein the third subset is the same as the first subset.

6. The CDN for delivering content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, wherein the second subset includes a caching server not in the first subset to replace the caching server not in the second subset.

7. The CDN for delivering content over the Internet as recited in claim 6, wherein the caching server not in the first subset is chosen to generally mach a processing power of the caching server not in the second subset.

8. The CDN for delivering content over the Internet as recited in claim 6, wherein:

the processing power is determined using one or more figures of merit; and

the one or more figures of merit characterize the plurality of caching servers in a subset.

9. The CDN for delivering content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the first and second DNS solutions list common addresses in the first and second subsets in a different order; and

the different order varies in at least one of a mixed-up fashion, a round-robin fashion, or a random fashion.

10. The CDN for delivering content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, further comprising a wide area network coupling the plurality of caching servers together, wherein at least one of the plurality of caching servers is geographically remote from the others in the plurality of caching servers.

11. A method for delivering content over the Internet, wherein the method comprises:

receiving a first domain resolution request;

producing a first DNS solution corresponding to the first domain resolution request;

returning the first DNS solution;

receiving a second domain resolution request;

producing a second DNS solution corresponding to the second domain resolution request; and

returning the second DNS solution, wherein;

the first and second domain resolution requests correspond to a same domain or content originator,

a plurality of servers corresponding to a plurality of addresses,

the first DNS solution comprises a first plurality of addresses corresponding to at least a first subset of the plurality of servers,

the second DNS solution comprises a second plurality of addresses corresponding to at least a second subset of the plurality of servers,

the first subset includes at least one server that is different from the second subset, based, at least in part, on a change in allocation of a server for DNS solutions corresponding to the domain or content originator.

12. The method for delivering content over the Internet, as recited in claim 11, wherein the change in allocation of a server for DNS solutions is based, at least in part, on one or more of:

an activity level associated with the domain;

a content originator and/or content object; and

an associated service level.

13. The method for delivering content over the Internet, as recited in claim 11, wherein the change in allocation of a server for DNS solutions is based, at least in part, on a server being utilized above or below a certain threshold.

14. The method for delivering content over the Internet, as recited in claim 11, wherein the second subset includes a replacement server chosen to replace a server of the first subset that is not in the second subset.

15. The method for delivering content over the Internet, as recited in claim 14, wherein the replacement server is chosen to generally mach a processing power of the server it was chosen to replace.

16. The method for delivering content over the Internet, as recited in claim 11, wherein the second subset generally matches the processing power of the first subset of the plurality of servers.

17. The method for delivering content over the Internet, as recited in claim 16, wherein a number of processing cores of the second subset is equal to the number of processing cores of the first subset.

18. A machine-readable medium having machine-executable instructions for performing the machine-implementable method for delivering content over the network of claim 11.

19. A method for delivering content over the Internet, wherein the method comprises:

receiving a first domain resolution request;

determining a first set of a plurality of servers allocated to a first domain;

producing a first DNS solution corresponding to the first domain resolution request;

returning the first DNS solution;

receiving a second domain resolution request;

determining a second set of the plurality of servers allocated to the first domain;

producing a second DNS solution corresponding to the second domain resolution request; and

returning the second DNS solution, wherein;

the first and second domain resolution requests indicate the first domain,

a plurality of servers corresponding to a plurality of addresses,

the first DNS solution comprises a first plurality of addresses corresponding to at least a first subset of the first set,

the second DNS solution comprises a second plurality of addresses corresponding to at least a second subset of the second set,

the first DNS solution includes an address absent from the second DNS solution,

the first and second sets are different in that they reflect change in the plurality of servers allocated to the first domain, and

the address absent from the second DNS solution corresponds to a server allocated to a second domain that is no longer allocated to the first domain.

20. The method for delivering content over the Internet, as recited in claim 19, wherein the change in the plurality of servers allocated to a domain is based, at least in part, on one or more of:

an activity level associated with a domain;

a content originator and/or content object; and

an associated service level.

21. The method for delivering content over the Internet, as recited in claim 19, wherein the change in the plurality of servers allocated to a domain is based, at least in part, on a server being utilized above or below a certain threshold.