Internet content delivery network

• US 7,054,935 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2002
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Savvis Communications Corporation (Cyxtera Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Greer, Richard E., Balter, James A., Farber, David A., Swart, Andrew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prieto, Beatriz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Meucci, Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US10/095,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/226, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• 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 67/1006 with static server selection, e.g. the same server being selected for a specific client
• 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 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1025 Dynamic adaptation of the criteria on which the server selection is based
• 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 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Resource requests made by clients of origin servers in a network are intercepted by reflector mechanisms and selectively reflected to other servers called repeaters. The reflectors select a best repeater from a set of possible repeaters and redirect the client to the selected best repeater. The client then makes the request of the selected best repeater. The resource is possibly rewritten to replace at least some of the resource identifiers contained therein with modified resource identifiers designating the repeater instead of the origin server.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a repeater server network comprising a plurality of repeater servers, the repeater server network supporting a plurality of subscribers being entities that publish resources to the repeater server network via one or more origin servers, and

wherein at least some of the repeater servers replicate information available on at least some of the one or more origin servers, and

wherein a request for a resource may be handled by the repeater server network in order for the resource to be served, and

wherein the request for the resource is rejected if the requested resource is not from a subscriber to the repeater server network.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein the resource is a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) document.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein at least one repeater server in the repeater server network is addressed by more than one name, and wherein the repeater server network determines whether a request is for a resource from the subscriber based at least in part on a name by which at least one repeater server handling the request was addressed.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein the repeater server network determines whether the request is for the resource from the subscriber based at least in part on an origin server name in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) used to make the request.

5. A system as in claim 3, wherein the at least one repeater server uses information in an Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) header to determine the name by which it was addressed.

6. A system as in claim 1, wherein the subscriber is an entity that publishes resources via at least one of the one or more origin servers.

14. A system as in claim 1, wherein at least one repeater server in the repeater server network is addressed by more than one address, and wherein the repeater server network determines whether a request is for a resource from the subscriber based at least in part on an address by which at least one repeater server handling the request was addressed.

15. A system as in claim 14 wherein the addresses by which the at least one repeater server is addressed are IP (Internet Protocol) addresses.

7. In a computer network which includes (a) a plurality of origin servers, and (b) a plurality of repeater servers forming at least one repeater server network, and in which at least some of the repeater servers replicate information available on at least some of the plurality of origin servers, and in which a request for information may be handled by the repeater server network in order for the requested information to be served, a method comprising:

assigning a repeater server more than one name;

upon receiving the request, determining a name by which the repeater server was addressed; and

based at least in part on said determination, attempting to serve the information if the name by which the repeater server was addressed corresponds to a known subscriber, otherwise rejecting the request.

8. A method as in claim 7, further comprising using information in an Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) header to determine the name by which the repeater server was addressed.

16. A method as in claim 7 wherein a name is selected from the group consisting of:

host names and IP (Internet Protocol) addresses.

9. In a computer network which includes (a) a plurality of origin servers, and (b) a plurality of repeater servers making up at least one repeater server network, and in which at least one of the repeater servers replicates information available on at least some of the plurality of origin servers, and in which requests for content may be handled by the repeater server network in order for that content to be served, a method comprising:

assigning a repeater server more than one name;

upon receipt of a request from a client for content, using at least the name by which the repeater server was addressed in order to ascertain whether the request is for content from a subscriber to the repeater server network; and

causing the request to be rejected when the request is for content that is not from a subscriber to the repeater server network.

10. A system comprising:

(a) a plurality of origin servers, and

(b) a plurality of repeater servers forming a repeater server network, and in which at least one of the repeater servers replicate information available on at least one of the plurality of origin servers, and in which client requests for content may be handled by the repeater server network in order for that content to be served, wherein the at least one repeater server is adapted and programmed to;

(i) obtain a client request for information;

(ii) determine if the client request is for information from a subscriber to the repeater server network;

(iii) attempt to serve the information to the client when it is determined that the request is for information from the subscriber; and

(iv) causing the request to be rejected when it is determined that the request is for information not from any subscriber to the repeater server network.

11. A system as in claim 10 wherein the at least one repeater server is further adapted and programmed to:

determine whether the information is stored locally, and,

based at least in part on said determining, if the information is stored locally, retrieve the information; and

when the information is determined not to be stored locally, attempt to obtain the information either from an origin server of the plurality of origin servers or from another repeater server.

12. A system as in claim 11 wherein the at least one repeater server is assigned multiple names and wherein the at least one repeater server is further adapted and programmed to:

determine which origin server to use based at least in part upon a name by which the at least one repeater server was addressed.

13. A system as in claim 11 wherein the at least one repeater server is further adapted and programmed to:

determine which origin server to use based at least in part on an origin server name in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) used to make the request.

17. A system as in claim 11 wherein the other repeater server is a peer cache.

18. In a computer network which includes (a) a plurality of origin servers, and (b) a plurality of repeater servers making up at least one repeater server network, and in which at least one of the repeater servers replicates information available on at least some of the plurality of origin servers, and in which a request for a resource may be handled by the repeater server network in order for the resource to be provided, a method comprising:

assigning a repeater server more than one name or address;

upon receipt of a request from a client for a resource, using at least the name or address by which the repeater server was addressed in order to ascertain whether the request is for a resource from a subscriber to the repeater server network; and

rejecting the client request when it is not for a resource from a subscriber to the repeater server network.