Distributed world wide web servers

• US 6,223,209 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1997
• Issued: 04/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Watson, Gary E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US08/940,701
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.45, 395/200.43, 395/200.46, 395/200.69, 395/601, 395/615, 707/104, 707/10, 709/224, 709/219, 709/226, 709/227, 709/217, 709/223, 709/229, 709/201, 709/203, 320/393, 701/207, 382/306
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for providing information stored on a primary network server to clients linked to the server through a distributed hypertext Internet or intranet network wherein stored information is contained in hypertext documents or “web” pages. One or more satellite servers, each containing a copy of the information contained in the primary server are placed strategically throughout the network so as all potential clients are close to a server. The primary or “home” server examines the IP address, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a requesting browser client to determine the satellite server closest to the client. The home server then returns a home page to the requesting client which includes embedded links pointing only to the satellite server closest to the requesting client and the copy of information, i.e., duplicate web pages, contained therein.

Claims

1. A method for providing information to clients linked to a distributed network, each client having an address within said network, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a primary server for the storage of information, said primary server having a first address within said network, said first address being identified to said clients as containing said information;

establishing at least one satellite server located at a site geographically remote from said primary server, said satellite server having a second address within said network;

placing a duplicate of said information on said satellite server;

storing the second address for said satellite server satellite server within said primary server;

reading at said primary server the address of a client issuing a request to said primary server for access to said information;

identifying at said primary server the server closest to said client issuing said request by sending a message from said primary server to each router in the path to said client issuing said request causing each router to reply with a message containing the router'"'"'s IP address and domain name; and

automatically redirecting said client request to said server closest to said client issuing said request.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said information comprises hypertext markup language (html) documents.

3. A method for providing information to clients linked to a distributed hypertext network, each client having an address within said network, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a plurality of servers located at multiple geographical sites throughout said hypertext network, each one of said plurality of servers having a unique address within said network;

identifying one of said plurality of servers as a primary server for the storage of hypertext documents, the address of said primary server being identified to said clients as containing said hypertext documents;

placing a duplicate of said hypertext documents on each one of said plurality of servers;

storing a first home page containing embedded links pointing to said hypertext documents contained on said primary server, and an additional home page corresponding to each one of said plurality of satellite servers, each additional home page containing embedded links pointing to the duplicates of said hypertext documents contained on its corresponding satellite server;

associating one of said home pages corresponding to said primary and satellite servers to each client address within said hypertext network;

reading at said primary server the client address of a client issuing a request to said primary server for access to said information; and

automatically providing the home page associated with the client address of said client issuing said request to said client issuing said request.

4. A method for providing information to clients linked to a distributed network, each client having an address within said network, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a primary server for the storage of information, said primary server having a first address within said network, said first address being identified to said clients as containing said information;

establishing at least one satellite server located at a site geographically remote from said primary server, said satellite server having a second address within said network;

placing a duplicate of said information on said satellite server;

storing the second address for said satellite server within said primary server;

storing a catalogue table of client addresses together with an identification of the primary or satellite server closest to each client entry in said table;

reading at said primary server the address of a client issuing a request to said primary server for access to said information;

identifying at said primary server the server closest to said client issuing said request; and

automatically redirecting said client request to said satellite server when said client address is included within said catalogue of client addresses.

5. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein:

the location of said satellite server and the client addresses included within said catalogue of client addresses are selected to reduce traffic bottlenecks between said satellite server and the clients having client addresses included within said catalogue of client addresses.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein:

said primary server contains a first home page containing embedded links pointing to reference documents contained on said primary server, and a second home page containing embedded links pointing to copies of said reference documents contained on said satellite server; and

said step of redirecting said client request to said satellite server when said client address is included within a predetermined catalogue of client addresses comprises the step of providing said second home page to said client issuing said request.

7. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein:

said information comprises hypertext markup language (html) documents.