Web site management in a world wide web communication network through reassignment of the server computers designated for respective web documents based upon user hit rates for the documents

• US 6,651,098 B1
• Filed: 02/17/2000
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carroll, Scott Allen, McBrearty, Gerald Francis, Shieh, Johnny Meng-Han
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Application Number:
  US09/506,237
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/226, 709/224, 705/14, 705/53, 705/52
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A World Wide Web (Web) distribution site monitors hit rates for the Web documents distributed through the site and applies its server computer resources to meet surges in hit rates for the various Web documents. A Web server system is provided for accessing said Web documents from resource databases and transmitting said Web documents onto said Web comprising a plurality of server computers of different computer powers at a resource location, a plurality of Web documents, each accessible from said resource database by a designated at least one of said server computers. The rate of user hits for each of said plurality of Web documents is monitored, and the server computers for said respective Web documents are designated based upon said rate of user hits. The server computers of the most computer power are designated for the Web documents having the highest hit rate. If needed, a plurality of said server computers may be designated for the Web documents having the highest hit rates.

Claims

1. A method of Web document distribution from a Web resource site having a plurality of server computers of different computer powers comprising:

storing at said Web resource site a plurality of source Web documents, each stored document having content controlled a by respective host,

distributing the content of each of said stored source documents to Web receiving display stations in response to hits for said documents made from said receiving display stations,

monitoring the rate of user hits for each of said stored plurality of source Web documents,

designating the server computers for said respective Web documents based upon said rate of user hits,

charging each Web document host a distribution fee related to said rate of user hits for each document,

setting a selected level of increase in the rate of user hits for each of said plurality of Web documents,

responsive to said level of increase in the rate of user hits for one of said plurality of Web documents, offering to the host of said one documents an increase in said distribution fee, and

changing the order of designation of server computers for said respective Web documents responsive to said host accepting said level of increase in said distribution fee.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of designating said server computers designate the server computers of the most computer power for the Web documents having the highest hit rate.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of designating said server computers designates a plurality of said server computers for the Web documents having the highest hit rates.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said changed order of designation is ordered with the server computer with the highest computer power designated for the Web document with the highest rate of hits down to the server computer with the lowest computer power designated for the Web document with the lowest rate of hits.

5. A computer program having code recorded on a computer readable medium Web document distribution from a Web resource site having a plurality of server computers of different computer powers comprising:

means for storing at said Web resource site a plurality of source Web documents, each stored document having content controlled a by respective host,

means for distributing the content of each of said stored source documents to Web receiving display stations in response to hits for said documents made from said receiving display stations,

means for monitoring the rate of user hits for each of said stored plurality of source Web documents, and

means for designating the server computers for said respective Web documents based upon said rate of user hits,

means for charging each Web document host a distribution fee related to said rate of user hits for each document,

means for setting a selected level of increase in the rate of user hits for each of said plurality of Web documents,

means responsive to said level of increase in the rate of user hits for one of said plurality of Web documents, for offering to the host of said one documents an increase in said distribution fee, and

means for changing the order of designation of server computers for said respective Web documents responsive to said host accepting said level of increase in said distribution fee.

6. The computer program of claim 5 wherein said changed order of designation is ordered with the server computer with the highest computer power designated for the Web document with the highest rate of hits down to the server computer with the lowest computer power designated for the Web document with the lowest rate of hits.

7. The computer program of claim 5 wherein said means for designating said server computers designate the server computers of the most computer power for the Web documents having the highest hit rate.

8. The computer program of claim 5 wherein said means for designating said server computers designates a plurality of said server computers for the Web documents having the highest hit rates.