PERSISTENT EDGE STATE OF END USER DEVICES AT CACHE NODES

• US 20170093759A1
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fastly Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fastly Incorporated
• Inventors: Wistow, Simon
• Granted Patent: US 10,742,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for caching tracking elements of network content are provided herein. In one example, a method of operating a cache node of a content delivery network that caches content for delivery to end user devices is provided. The method includes receiving content requests from an end user device for content cached by the cache node and responsively providing the content for delivery to the end user device, processing the content requests to determine a edge state that corresponds to the end user device, transferring information related to the edge state for delivery to at least one other cache node of the content delivery network for handling of content requests received at the at least one other cache node.

Claims

1. A method of operating a cache node of a content delivery network that caches content for delivery to end user devices, the method comprising:

receiving content requests from the end user devices for content cached by the cache node and responsively providing the content for delivery to the end user devices;

processing the content requests to determine edge state that corresponds to the content requests; and

transferring information related to the edge state for delivery to at least one other cache node of the content delivery network for handling of content requests received at the at least one other cache node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the content requests to determine the edge state comprises identifying, in the cache node, metrics associated with at least the content requests of the end user devices to establish the edge state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the metrics comprise at least one of a geographic location associated with the end user devices, a network address associated with the content requests for the end user devices, a type of content browser application employed by the end user devices to issue the content requests, a version of the content browser application, and identities of at least one browser plug-in element associated with the content browser application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining further content requests received at the cache node as being associated with ones of the end user devices based on at least the edge state.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking activity of the end user devices for further content requests received at the cache node based at least on the edge state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content requests are associated with content for a first web site, and further comprising:

determining that further content requests received by the cache node for content of a second web site are associated with ones of the end user devices based on at least the edge state; and

identifying browsing statistics for the ones of the end user devices comprising a web site browsing sequence for the ones of the end user devices based at least on the content requests and the further content requests.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transferring the browsing statistics for delivery to a content provider associated with at least one of the first web site and the second web site.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining further content requests received at the cache node as being associated with at least one of the end user devices based at least on the edge state; and

executing at least one per-user function at the cache node responsive to the further content requests being associated with the at least one of the end user devices.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the cache node, receiving further information related to the edge state that is transferred by the at least one other cache node, wherein the further information corresponds to activity of the end user devices at the at least one other cache node; and

incorporating the further information into the edge state for handling the content requests received at the cache node for the end user devices.

10. A content delivery network comprising a plurality of cache nodes that cache content for delivery to end user devices, the content delivery network comprising:

a first cache node configured to receive first content requests from an end user device for content cached by the cache node and responsively provide the content for delivery to the end user device;

the first cache node configured to process the first content requests to determine a edge state that corresponds to the end user device;

the first cache node configured to transfer information related to the edge state for delivery to at least a second cache node of the content delivery network; and

the second cache node configured to receive second content requests and determine that the second content requests are associated with the end user device based at least on the information related to the edge state.

11. The content delivery network of claim 10, comprising:

the first cache node configured to identify metrics associated with at least the first content requests of the end user device to establish the edge state.

12. The content delivery network of claim 11, wherein the metrics comprise at least one of a geographic location associated with the end user device, a network address associated with the first content requests, a type of content browser application employed by the end user device to issue the first content requests, a version of the content browser application, and identities of at least one browser plug-in element associated with the content browser application.

13. The content delivery network of claim 10, comprising:

the first cache node configured to determine further content requests received at the cache node as being associated with the end user device based on at least the edge state.

14. The content delivery network of claim 10, comprising:

the first cache node configured to track activity of the end user device for further content requests received at the cache node based at least on the edge state.

15. The content delivery network of claim 10, wherein the first content requests are associated with content for a first web site, and comprising:

the first cache node configured to determine that further content requests received by the cache node for content of a second web site are associated with the end user device based on at least the edge state; and

the first cache node configured to identify browsing statistics for the end user device comprising a web site browsing sequence for the end user device based at least on the first content requests and the further content requests.

16. The content delivery network of claim 15, comprising:

the first cache node configured to transfer the browsing statistics for delivery to a content provider associated with at least one of the first web site and the second web site.

17. The content delivery network of claim 10, comprising:

the first cache node configured to determine further content requests received at the cache node as being associated with the end user device based at least on the edge state; and

the first cache node configured to execute at least one per-user function at the cache node responsive to the further content requests being associated with the end user device.

18. The content delivery network of claim 10, comprising:

the first cache node configured to receive further information related to the edge state that is transferred by the second cache node, wherein the further information corresponds to activity of the end user device at the second cache node; and

incorporating the further information into the edge state for handling the content requests received at the first cache node for the end user device.

19. A method of operating a cache node of a content delivery network that caches content for delivery to end user devices, the method comprising:

in the cache node, receiving a content request issued by an end user device corresponding to content cached by the cache node;

in the cache node, establishing edge state data for the end user device based at least on the content request and properties of the end user device; and

in the cache node, persisting the edge state data for handling further content requests from the end user device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

in the cache node, receiving further information related to the edge state data that is transferred by at least one other cache node, wherein the further information corresponds to activity of the end user device at the at least one other cache node; and

incorporating the further information into the edge state data for handling the content requests received at the cache node for the end user device.