System and Method for Routing Content Based on Real-Time Feedback

• US 20130262697A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karasaridis, Anestis, Hoeflin, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,307,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23103 using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23116 involving data replication, e.g. over plural servers synchronization of replicated data G06F11/1658; error detection or correction by means of data replication G06F11/2053; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/10; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/27; replication or mirroring of data in data networks H04L67/1095
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10

Abstract

A method includes receiving at a cache server a content request from a client system, determining that the cache server is overloaded in response to receiving the content request, and in response to determining that the cache server is overloaded, returning to the client system a domain redirection response including a load status of the cache server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a first cache server a content request from a client system;

determining that the first cache server is overloaded in response to receiving the content request; and

in response to determining that the first cache server is overloaded, returning to the client system a domain redirection response including a load status of the first cache server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the content request is for content from a domain name; and

the domain redirection response further includes a load status field that encodes the load status of the first cache server, and that is appended to the domain name.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the load status field further includes an Internet protocol address of the client system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the load status field includes an overload field that provides a quantitative indication of how overloaded the first cache server is.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the load status field includes a counter field that indicates that the first cache server is a first server to return a domain redirection response for the content request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in further response to determining that the first cache server is overloaded, the method further comprises:

determining that the content request includes a counter field;

determining that a counter value of the counter field is greater than a counter threshold; and

if the counter field is greater than a counter threshold, satisfying the content request.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at a domain name system server a domain name request from the client system, wherein the domain name request includes the load status;

in response to receiving the domain name request, determining at the domain name system server that a second cache server can fulfill the content request for a lower network cost than can the first cache server; and

returning to the client system a domain name reply for the content request that directs the content request to the second cache server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the domain name reply includes a counter field that provides an indication to the second cache server that the second cache server is a second server to receive the content request.

9. A cache server comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions for carrying out a method, the method comprising;

receiving at a first cache server a content request from a client system;

determining that the first cache server is overloaded in response to receiving the content request; and

in response to determining that the first cache server is overloaded, returning to the client system a domain redirection response including a load status of the first cache server.

10. The cache server of claim 9, wherein:

the content request is for content from a domain name; and

the domain redirection response further includes a load status field that encodes the load status of the first cache server, and that is appended to the domain name.

11. The cache server of claim 10, wherein the load status field further includes an Internet protocol address of the client system.

12. The cache server of claim 10, wherein the load status field includes an overload field that provides a quantitative indication of how overloaded the first cache server is.

13. The cache server of claim 10, wherein the load status field includes a counter field that indicates that the first cache server is a first server to return a domain redirection response for the content request.

14. The cache server of claim 9, wherein in further response to determining that the first cache server is overloaded, the method further comprises:

determining that the content request includes a counter field;

determining that a counter value of the counter field is greater than a counter threshold; and

if the counter field is greater than a counter threshold, satisfying the content request.

15. The cache server of claim 9, the method further comprising:

receive at a domain name system server a domain name request from the client system, wherein the domain name request includes the load status;

in response to receiving the domain name request, determining at the domain name system server that a second cache server can fulfill the content request for a lower network cost than the first cache server; and

returning to the client system a domain name reply for the content request that directs the content request to the second cache server.

16. The cache server of claim 15, wherein the domain name reply includes a counter field that provides an indication to the second cache server that the second cache server is a second server to receive the content request.

17. A method comprising:

receiving at a domain name system server a domain name system request including a domain name and a load status of a first cache server;

in response to receiving the domain name system request, determining that a second cache server can fulfill a content request for a lower network cost than can the first cache server, based upon the load status; and

in response to determining that the second cache server can fulfill the content request for the lower network cost, providing a first domain name system reply wherein the domain name is resolved to the second cache server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the load status includes a counter field, the method further comprising:

determining that a value of the counter field is greater than a counter threshold; and

in response to determining that the value is greater than the counter threshold, providing a second domain name system reply wherein the domain name is resolved to the first cache server.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the load status includes an overload field that provides a quantitative indication of how overloaded the first cache server is.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the load status includes an internet protocol of a client system that sent the domain name system request.