Cost-based optimization for content distribution using dynamic protocol selection and query resolution for cache server

• US 6,542,964 B1
• Filed: 06/02/1999
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Blue Coat Systems Incorporated (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Scharber, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US09/324,360
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 711/119,122,124,128,141,118,144,145,108,110 710/11 709/228,230,105
• US Class Current: 711/122
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Storing content of a particular type at one or more cache servers may be accomplished according to a cache protocol selected according to the type of the content, a site (e.g., an origin server) associated with the content and/or a class of service requirement. In this scheme, the cache protocol may be selected and/or varied according to load balancing requirements and/or traffic conditions within a network. For example, the cache protocol may migrate from a first protocol (e.g., CARP) that allows only one copy of the content to be stored to a second protocol (e.g., HTCP or ICP) that allows more than one copy of the content to be stored. Further, the depth to which a request query is to be searched within a cache hierarchy may be determined according to the site, the content type and/or the class of service. Where necessary, a path for retrieving the content may be determined, at least in part, according to the content type.

Claims

1. A method, comprising storing content of a particular type at one or more cache servers according to a cache protocol selected according to the type of the content and traffic conditions within a network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the cache protocol is further selected according to load balancing requirements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein load balancing is applied using one of round robin load balancing, weighting server load balancing, connection-based load balancing, hash-based load balancing, and load balancing based on monitoring Internet Protocol (IP) traffic statistics.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the cache protocol is varied according to traffic conditions within the network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the cache protocol migrates from a first protocol that allows only one copy of the content to be stored to a second protocol that allows more than one copy of the content to be stored.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first protocol comprises the Cache Array protocol (CARP) and the second protocol comprises one of the Hyper-Text Cache protocol (HTCP) and the Internet Cache Protocol (ICP).

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the cache protocol is further selected according to a site associated with the content.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the site comprises an origin server for the content.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the cache protocol is further selected according to load balancing requirements.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the cache protocol migrates from a first protocol that allows only one copy of the content to be stored to a second protocol that allows more than one copy of the content to be stored.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first protocol comprises the Cache Array protocol (CARP) and the second protocol comprises one of the Hyper-Text Cache protocol (HTCP) and the Internet Cache Protocol (ICP).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular content type is determined based on a transport protocol used to make a request.

13. A method, comprising storing content of a particular type at a cache server according to at least one of an origin server for the content and a class of service, wherein a cache protocol is selected according to load balancing requirements and varied according to traffic conditions within a network.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the cache protocol migrates from a first protocol that allows only one copy of the content to be stored to a second protocol that allows more than one copy of the content to be stored.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first protocol comprises the Cache Array protocol (CARP) and the second protocol comprises one of the Hyper-Text Cache protocol (HTCP) and the Internet Cache Protocol (ICP).

16. A method, comprising determining depth to which a request query is to be searched within a cache hierarchy according to a content type associated with the request query.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the depth to which the request query is to be searched within the cache hierarchy is further determined according to at least one of a site associated with the query and a class of service associated with the query.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the site comprises an origin server for content associated with the request query.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising determining a path for retrieving content associated with the request query.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the path is determined at least in part according to a content type associated with the request query.

21. An Internet content delivery system (ICDS) configured to determining the depth to which a request query is to be searched within a cache hierarchy according to a content type associated with the request query.

22. The ICDS of claim 21 wherein the depth to which the request query is to be searched within the cache hierarchy is further determined according to at least one of a site associated with the query and a class of service associated with the query.

23. The ICDS of claim 22 wherein the site comprises an origin server for content associated with the request query.

24. An Internet content delivery system (ICDS) configured to manage the storing of content of a particular type at one or more cache servers according to one or more of a cache protocol selected according to the type of the content and traffic conditions within a network, a site associated with the content and a class of service.

25. The ICDS of claim 24 wherein the cache protocol is further selected according to load balancing requirements.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the cache protocol is varied according to traffic conditions within the network.

27. The ICDS of claim 26 wherein the cache protocol migrates from a first protocol that allows only one copy of the content to be stored to a second protocol that allows more than one copy of the content to be stored.

28. The ICDS of claim 27 wherein the first protocol comprises the Cache Array protocol (CARP) and the second protocol comprises one of the Hyper-Text Cache protocol (HTCP) and the Internet Cache Protocol (ICP).

29. The ICDS of claim 24 further being configured to determine a path for retrieving content associated with a request query.

30. The ICDS of claim 29 wherein the path is determined at least in part according to a content type associated with the request query.

31. A method, comprising storing content of a particular type at one or more cache servers according to a cache protocol selected according to the type of the content and the cache protocol is varied according to traffic conditions within a network.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the cache protocol is further selected according to load balancing requirements.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein load balancing is applied using one of round robin load balancing, weighting server load balancing, connection-based load balancing, hash-based load balancing, and load balancing based on monitoring Internet Protocol (IP) traffic statistics.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein the cache protocol is further selected according to the traffic conditions within the network.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the cache protocol is further selected according to load balancing requirements.

36. The method of claim 31 wherein the cache protocol migrates from a first protocol that allows only one copy of the content to be stored to a second protocol that allows more than one copy of the content to be stored.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the first protocol comprises the Cache Array protocol (CARP) and the second protocol comprises one of the Hyper-Text Cache protocol (HTCP) and the Internet Cache Protocol (ICP).

38. The method of claim 31 wherein the cache protocol is further selected according to a site associated with the content.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the site comprises an origin server for the content.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the cache protocol is further selected according to load balancing requirements.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the cache protocol migrates from a first protocol that allows only one copy of the content to be stored to a second protocol that allows more than one copy of the content to be stored.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein the first protocol comprises the Cache Array protocol (CARP) and the second protocol comprises one of the Hyper-Text Cache protocol (HTCP) and the Internet Cache Protocol (ICP).

43. The method of claim 31 wherein the particular content type is determined based on a transport protocol used to make a request.