Content delivery network service provider (CDNSP)-managed content delivery network (CDN) for network service provider (NSP)

• US 20110082785A1
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Weller, Timothy N., Leiserson, Charles E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request

Abstract

A CDN service provider shares its CDN infrastructure with a network to enable a network service provider (NSP) to offer a private-labeled network content delivery network (NCDN or “private CDN”) to participating content providers. The CDNSP preferably provides the hardware, software and services required to build, deploy, operate and manage the CDN for the NCDN customer. Thus, the NCDN customer has access to and can make available to participating content providers one or more of the content delivery services (e.g., HTTP delivery, streaming media delivery, application delivery, and the like) available from the global CDN without having to provide the large capital investment, R&D expense and labor necessary to successfully deploy and operate the network itself. Rather, the global CDN service provider simply operates the private CDN for the network as a managed service.

Claims

1. A method of content delivery in a content delivery network (CDN), the CDN deployed, operated and managed by a content delivery network service provider (CDNSP) and comprising a set of content servers and a domain name system (DNS) associated with a CDN namespace, comprising:

establishing a plurality of private content delivery networks within portions of the CDN, each private content delivery network associated with a network service provider (NSP) entity distinct from the CDNSP, where the private content delivery network enables the NSP entity to provide content delivery to participating content providers associated with the NSP entity without requiring the NSP entity to deploy, operate and manage content servers;

aggregating, into an off-net bandwidth pool, bandwidth that has been made available to the CDNSP; and

operating a bandwidth exchange using the bandwidth pool.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the bandwidth exchange is used to enable NSP entities to exchange network capacity.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein a first NSP entity posts a price for its bandwidth that is available in the bandwidth pool.

4. The method as described in claim 3 where, in response to the first NSP entity posting a price, a second NSP entity buys network capacity from the first NSP entity.

5. The method as described in claim 1 where the bandwidth pool is available in two or more tranches.

6. The method as described in claim 1 where according to a first tranche off-net traffic is delivered over a given NSP entity network.

7. The method as described in claim 5 where according to a second tranche off-net traffic is delivered on a domestic network.

8. The method as described in claim 5 where according to a second tranche off-net traffic is delivered on an international network.

9. The method as described in claim 1 where the bandwidth exchange is used to enable a peering arrangement between at least first and second NSP entities.

10. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the bandwidth is made available to the CDNSP by one or more NSP entities.