HTML delivery from edge-of-network servers in a content delivery network (CDN)

• US 7,293,093 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Leighton, F. Thomson, Lewin, legal representative, Lewin, deceased
• Primary Examiner(s): NEURAUTER, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US11/347,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20060168088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217-219,223-226,235,238 707/10 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• 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 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A content delivery network is enhanced to provide for delivery of cacheable markup language content files such as HTML. To support HTML delivery, the content provider provides the CDNSP with an association of the content provider'"'"'s domain name (e.g., www.customer.com) to an origin server domain name (e.g., html.customer.com) at which one or more default HTML files are published and hosted. The CDNSP provides its customer with a CDNSP-specific domain name. The content provider, or an entity on its behalf, then implements DNS entry aliasing (e.g., a CNAME of the host to the CDNSP-specific domain) so that domain name requests for the host cue the CDN DNS request routing mechanism. This mechanism then identifies a best content server to respond to a request directed to the customer'"'"'s domain. The CDN content server returns a default HTML file if such file is cached; otherwise, the CDN content server directs a request for the file to the origin server to retrieve the file, after which the file is cached on the CDN content server for subsequent use in servicing other requests. The content provider is also provided with log files of CDNSP-delivered HTML.

Claims

1. A method operative in a content delivery network (CDN) wherein participating content providers identify content to be served from a set of CDN content servers in response to DNS queries that are resolved through a domain name service managed by a CDN service provider (CDNSP), wherein the domain name service is authoritative only for given content domains associated with the participating content providers, comprising:

responsive to an end-user request for a web page that is directed to a participating content provider domain, using a CDNSP-specific domain to cue the domain name service, wherein the domain name service then resolves the CDNSP-specific domain to identify a CDN content server;

determining whether a default markup language file associated with the web page exists on the CDN content server identified by the domain name service; and

if the default markup language file exists on the CDN content server identified by the domain name service, serving the default markup language file in response to the end-user request for the web page, and logging data associated with the default markup language file served;

if the default markup language file does not exist on the CDN content server identified by the domain name service, directing a request for the default markup language file to a second server, receiving the default markup language file at the CDN content server, serving the default markup language file in response to the end-user request for the web page, and logging data associated with the default markup language file served.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the participating content provider domain is associated with the CDNSP-specific domain by DNS entry aliasing.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the DNS entry aliasing is a CNAME entry in a name server that is authoritative for the participating content provider domain.

4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the markup language file is HTML.

5. The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of caching for re-use the default markup language file received at the CDN content server.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the second server is a content provider origin server.

7. The method as described in claim 6 wherein the default markup language file is received at the CDN content server in a compressed format, and further including the step of un-compressing the default markup language file.

12. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the step of determining whether the default markup language file exists on the CDN content server examines whether the file is stored in association with the CDN content server and, if so, whether a timestamp associated with the file is expired.

8. A method operative in a content delivery network (CDN) wherein participating content providers identify content to be served from a set of CDN content servers in response to DNS queries that are resolved through a domain name service managed by a CDN service provider (CDNSP), wherein the domain name service is authoritative only for given content domains associated with the participating content providers, comprising:

responsive to an end-user request for a web page that is directed to a participating content provider domain, using a CDNSP-specific domain to cue the domain name service, wherein the domain name service then resolves the CDNSP-specific domain to identify an IP address associated with a CDN content server;

determining whether a default markup language file associated with the web page exists on the CDN content server identified by the domain name service;

if the default markup language file exists on the CDN content server identified by the domain name service, serving the default markup language file in response to the end-user request for the web page, and logging data associated with the default markup language file served;

if the default markup language file does not exist on the CDN content server identified by the domain name service, directing a request for the default markup language file to a second server, receiving the default markup language file at the CDN content server, serving the default markup language file in response to the end-user request for the web page, and logging data associated with the default markup language file served; and

caching the default markup language file received at the CDN content server for a given time.

9. The method as described in claim 8 wherein the participating content provider domain is associated with the CDNSP-specific domain by DNS entry aliasing.

10. The method as described in claim 8 wherein the second server is a content provider origin server.

11. The method as described in claim 8 wherein the step of determining whether the default markup language file exists on the CDN content server examines whether the file is stored in association with the CDN content server and, if so, whether a timestamp associated with the file is expired.