Traffic delivery using anycast and end user-based mapping in an overlay network

• US 20160315857A1
• Filed: 03/26/2016
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Lubashev, Igor, Borowsky, Elizabeth L., Hill, Steven, Jenkins, Katharine, Banerjee, Debabrata, Freedman, Noam, Torres, Marcelo
• Granted Patent: US 10,805,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

An overlay network is enhanced to provide traffic delivery using anycast and end user mapping. An anycast IP address is associated with sets of forwarding machines positioned in the overlay network. These locations correspond with IP addresses for zero rated billing traffic. In response to receipt at a forwarding machine of a packet, the machine issues an end user mapping request to the mapping mechanism. The mapping request has an IP address associated with the client from which the end user request originates. The mapping mechanism resolves the request and provides a response to the request. The response is an IP address associated with a set of server machines distinct from the forwarding machine. The forwarding machine encapsulates the packet and proxies the connection to the identified server. The server receives the connection, decapsulates the request, and processes the packet. The server machine responds to the requesting client directly.

Claims

1. A method operative in an overlay network having sets of server machines, and a mapping mechanism, comprising:

associating an anycast IP address with one or more sets of forwarding machines positioned in the overlay network;

responsive to receipt at a forwarding machine of a packet associated with an end user request, issuing an end user mapping request to the mapping mechanism, the end user mapping request having associated therewith an IP address, or a range of IP addresses, associated with the client from which the end user request originates, the IP address associated with the client being other than the IP address of a recursive name server behind which the end user request originates;

receiving from the mapping mechanism at least one IP address associated with a set of one or more of the server machines, the IP address of the set of one or more of the server machines being determined by the mapping mechanism based at least in part on the IP address, or the range of IP addresses, associated with the client, server machine liveness and load, and Internet traffic conditions, and wherein the at least one IP address of the set of one or more of the server machines is associated with a deployment of server machines distinct from a location of the forwarding machine;

proxying, for handling by the server machine, the packet associated with the end user request, the packet being proxied from the forwarding machine to the server machine; and

directly returning a response to the end user request from the server machine to the client.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the end user request is associated with zero-rated billing (ORB) traffic.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the anycast IP address is associated with a ORB IP address.

4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein proxying comprises encapsulating the packet, and forwarding the encapsulated packet from the forwarding machine to the server machine.

5. The method as described in claim 4 further including sharing connection information with one or more other forwarding machines associated with the forwarding machine.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the forwarding machine advertises the anycast IP address over BGP.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the IP address associated with the client is obtain using an EDNS0 client CIDR extension.

8. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the traffic is one of:

HTTP, and HTTPS.

9. The method as described in claim 1 further including receiving information configuring a digital property for delivery and, in response, providing a configuration to the forwarding machines and the server machines.

10. The method as described in claim 9 wherein the digital property is configured via a secure customer portal.

11. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the mapping system is normally operative to map an end user request to one or more server machines based in part on a location of a recursive name server behind which the end user request originates.

12. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the packet is a TCP packet.

13. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the IP address of the set of one or more of the server machines is determined by the mapping mechanism also using one of:

server machine liveness and load, and Internet traffic conditions.

14. The method as described in claim 1 further including bringing an anycast location associated with the one or more sets of forwarding machines up or down without breaking an existing connection.

15. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the forwarding machine receives packets on anycast addresses and forwards them without state being kept on the forwarding machine.

16. The method as described in claim 15 wherein the packets are IPv6 packets.

17. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the anycast IP address is associated with an anycast cloud, the anycast cloud being one of a set of anycast clouds.

18. The method as described in claim 17 further including load balancing traffic across the set of anycast clouds.

19. The method as described in claim 18 wherein traffic is load-balanced across the set of anycast cloud by collecting information about geolocation-to-anycast region associations and performance for each anycast cloud.