Unified Web Hosting and Content Distribution System and Method for Assuring Predetermined Performance Levels

• US 20120246306A1
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marlow Technologies, Llc
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Douglis, Frederick, Shur, David H., Sommer, Joseph M., Van Der Merwe, Jacobus E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,943,193 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5083 wherein the managed service relates to web hosting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A service model, integrated system, and method for enabling a service provider to deliver an integrated web hosting and content distribution service offering, which affords assured operational performance service levels, regardless of whether the customer'"'"'s web site is served by the service provider'"'"'s hosting center, the service provider'"'"'s content distribution network (CDN), by a third party web host, or by a third party CDN. A monitoring system of the primary service provider receives detailed capacity and health statistics from any CDN under the operational control of the primary service provider, receives aggregate capacity and health statistics from other CDNs not under the operational control of the primary service provider. A redirection system then decides to which web host, content distribution network, or combination thereof, user requests for content are directed in order that operational performance service levels are maintained.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method comprising:

monitoring operational performance parameters of a web host and a first content distribution network, the first content distribution network under operational control of a primary service provider;

receiving aggregate capacity and health statistics of a second content distribution network from a monitoring system associated with the second content distribution network, the second content distribution network not under operational control of the primary service provider;

determining whether customer requests should be served by the first content distribution network or the second content distribution network based on the monitoring; and

transmitting to a redirection system, an indication that customer requests should be served by the first content distribution network or the second content distribution network based on the determining.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the determining comprises:

determining whether the web host is capable of meeting a predetermined service operational performance level.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the determining whether the web host is capable of meeting a predetermined service operational performance level is based on a load on the web host.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

transmitting a record from the redirection system to a local DNS.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the record is based on the indication.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the record comprises an internet protocol address of the first content distribution network or the second content distribution network based on the determining whether customer requests should be served by the first content distribution network or the second content distribution network.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein the predetermined service operational performance level is agreed to between the primary service provider and an individual client.

28. A system comprising:

a monitoring system configured to monitor operational performance parameters of a web host and a first content distribution network under operational control of a primary server provider, receive aggregate capacity and health statistics of a second content distribution network from a monitoring system associated with the second content distribution network, the second content distribution network not under operational control of the primary service provider, and determine whether customer requests should be served by the first content distribution network or the second content distribution network; and

a redirection system in communication with the monitoring system, the redirection system configured to receive an indication from the monitoring system and transmit a record to a local domain server, the indication indicating that customer requests should be served by the first content distribution network or the second content distribution network.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the record is based on the indication.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the record comprises an internet protocol address of the web host for each domain name server request received from the local domain name server when a performance value is below a threshold.

31. The system of claim 28 wherein the redirection system comprises a redirection domain name server.

32. The system of claim 28 wherein the redirection system is further configured to provide application level redirection.

33. The system of claim 28 wherein the indication is based on a predetermined operational service performance level that is agreed to between a primary service provider and an individual client.