Transparent Session Persistence Management by a Server in a Content Delivery Network

• US 20110231515A1
• Filed: 03/28/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Zaide Edward, Swildens, Eric Sven-Johan, Day, Richard David, Kodialbail, Rekha
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32

Abstract

A method and apparatus for establishing session persistence between a client and an origin server are provided. The session persistence can be managed by an intermediate cache server. The persistence is established by inserting an identifier and origin server address in a cookie or URL. Alternatively, the persistence is established by a table mapping a source IP address or a session ID to a specific origin server. Subsequent requests from the same client are mapped to the same origin server using these methods of establishing persistence.

Claims

1-62. -62. (canceled)

63. A method of managing session persistence through a server in a content distribution network (CDN), comprising:

receiving, via a user interface and from an operator of one or more origin servers associated with a domain name in a content distribution network, a selection of at least one persistence option from among a plurality of persistence options that include;

CDN-server-based persistence, in which one or more CDN servers in the content distribution network are responsible for establishing session persistence, and origin-server-based persistence, in which the one or more origin servers are responsible for establishing session persistence;

receiving a content request from a client at a CDN server;

selecting, with the CDN server, an origin server from which to retrieve the requested content, the CDN server selecting the origin server so as to maintain session persistence between the client and the origin server that was established according to the at least one persistence option selected by the operator;

retrieving the requested content from the selected origin server; and

sending the requested content from the CDN server to the client;

wherein the CDN server selects the origin server so as to maintain session persistence by performing at least one action selected from the group of actions that are;

(i) receiving a cookie that indicates use of a persistent session with the origin server and selecting the origin server based on the cookie, the cookie having been provided by the one or more CDN servers if the operator selected the CDN-server-based persistence option, and having been provided by the one or more origin servers if the operator selected the origin-server-based persistence option;

(ii) receiving a URL parameter that indicates use of a persistent session with the origin server and selecting the origin server based on the URL parameter, the URL parameter having been provided by the one or more CDN servers if the operator selected the CDN-server-based persistence option, and having been provided by the one or more origin servers if the operator selected the origin-server-based persistence option.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein the CDN server comprises a cache server, and the cache server, and the cache server selects an origin server from which to retrieve the requested content upon determining that the content request cannot be satisfied by content in a cache associated with the cache server.

65. The method of claim 63, further comprising receiving, via the user interface and from the operator, a selection of at least one of:

cookie-based persistence and URL-based persistence.

66. The method of claim 63, wherein the step of receiving the content request from the client comprises receiving a request for dynamic content.

67. The method of claim 63, further comprising, in connection with another content request:

determining that the client does not have an association with any origin server; and

selecting, with the cache server, an origin server from a plurality of origin servers associated with a specific domain name, wherein said selection is based at least in part on a load of the one or more origin servers.

68. The method of claim 63, wherein the plurality of persistence options are configurable on a per-domain basis for a plurality of domains managed by the operator.

69. A method of operating servers in a content distribution network, comprising:

receiving, via a user interface and from an operator of one or more origin servers associated with a domain name in a content distribution network, a selection of a persistence option that comprises CDN-server-based persistence, in which one or more CDN servers in the content distribution network are responsible for establishing session persistence between a given client and a given origin server by sending the given client at least one of (i) a cookie indicating use of a persistent session with the given origin server, and (ii) a URL parameter indicating use of a persistent session with the given origin server;

receiving a first request for content from a client at a first CDN server in a content distribution network;

retrieving the first requested content from an origin server;

sending the first requested content from the first CDN server to the client;

sending at least one of;

(i) a cookie and (ii) a URL parameter, from the CDN server to the client, so as to establish a persistent session in accordance with the persistence option selected by the operator;

receiving a second request for content from the client at the same or another CDN server in the content distribution network (in either case, the “

second CDN server”

), the second request being associated with at least one of the (i) the cookie and (ii) the URL parameter;

retrieving the second requested content from the origin server, the origin server being selected by the second CDN server based upon the persistent session that was established by the first CDN server;

sending the second requested content from the second CDN server to the client.

70. The method of claim 69, further comprising, upon detection of a failure condition of the given origin server by the second CDN server, selecting, by the second CDN server, a new origin server and sending, by the second CDN server, the new origin server address to the client.

71. The method of claim 69, wherein the second CDN server comprises a cache server, and the cache server selects the origin server from which to retrieve the second requested content upon determining that the second content request cannot be satisfied by content in a cache associated with the cache server.

72. The method of claim 69, wherein the step of receiving the first request for content comprises receiving a request for dynamic content.

73. The method of claim 69, wherein the second CDN server determines that the client is bound to the origin server from the cookie.

74. The method of claim 69, wherein the second CDN server determines that the client is bound to the origin server from the URL parameter.

75. The method of claim 69, wherein the selection of the persistence option is configurable on a per-domain basis for a plurality of domains managed by the operator.

76. A method of managing session persistence through a server in a content distribution network (CDN), comprising:

receiving, via a user interface and from an operator of an origin server associated with a domain name in a content distribution network, a selection of a persistence option between (i) one or more CDN servers in the content distribution network being responsible for establishing session persistence, and (ii) the one or more CDN servers in the content distribution network not being responsible for establishing session persistence;

receiving a content request from the client at a CDN server;

selecting, with the CDN server, an origin server from which to retrieve the requested content, the CDN server selecting the origin server so as to maintain a persistent session between the client and the origin server that was established according to the at least one persistence option selected by the operator;

retrieving the requested content from the origin server with the CDN server; and

sending the requested content from the CDN server to the client;

wherein, for the selection by the operator comprising CDN-server-based-persistence, the one or more CDN servers are responsible for establishing session persistence between a given client and a given origin server by performing at least one action selected from a group of actions that are;

(i) with the one or more CDN servers, sending a cookie to the given client, the cookie indicating use of a persistent session with the given origin server;

(ii) with the one or more CDN servers, sending a URL parameter to the given client, the URL parameter indicating use of a persistent session with the given origin server;

(iii) with the one or more CDN servers, entering a client IP address and the given origin server address in a table that associates the client with the given origin server so as to establish session persistence; and

(iv) with the one or more CDN servers, entering a session identifier and the given origin server address in a table that associates the session with the given origin server so as to establish session persistence.

77. The method of claim 76, wherein the CDN server comprises a cache server, and the cache server, and the cache server selects the origin server from which to retrieve the requested content upon determining that the content request cannot be satisfied by content in a cache associated with the cache server.

78. The method of claim 76, further comprising receiving, via the user interface and from the operator, a selection of at least one of:

cookie-based persistence, client-IP-based persistence, and URL-based persistence.

79. The method of claim 76, wherein the step of receiving the content request from the client comprises receiving a request for dynamic content.

80. The method of claim 76, further comprising, in connection with another content request:

determining that the client does not have an association with any origin server; and

selecting, with the cache server, an origin server from a plurality of origin servers associated with a specific domain name, wherein said selection is based at least in part on load of the one or more origin servers.

81. The method of claim 76, wherein the persistence options are configurable on a per-domain basis for a plurality of domains managed by the operator.