Methods and apparatus for delivery of content requests within a content delivery network

• US 7,305,479 B1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morris, Stephen, Clarkson, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Christensen; Scott B.
• Application Number:
  US10/436,767
• Time in Patent Office: 1,666 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/227, 709/229, 709/230, 709/245, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/229
• 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 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A content delivery network has a content switch that intercepts content requests transmitted toward the origin server. The content switch distinguishes the content request as originating either external to the content delivery network or from within the content delivery network. The content switch forwards external requests to a content router, within the content delivery network and forwards internal requests to the origin server. Devices external to the content delivery network do not access the content carried by the origin server directly and, therefore, the content delivery network does not require the origin server alter its content when storing the content on a content server within the content delivery network. Use of the content switch, therefore, minimizes or eliminates the time, effort, and expense of rewriting content cached from the origin server to the content server within the content delivery network.

Claims

1. In a content delivery network having content devices for distribution content of an origin server, a method for delivering a content request comprising the steps of:

receiving the content request from a requesting device, the content request having a requesting device identifier;

providing the content request to the origin server when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a content server of the content delivery network; and

providing the content request to a content router of the content delivery network when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a device not of the content delivery network;

wherein;

receiving the content request from the requesting device comprises intercepting, by a content switch, the content request having the requesting device identifier and detecting, by the content switch, the requesting device identifier of the content request to distinguish the content request as originating either external from the content delivery network or as originating internal to the content delivery network;

providing the content request to the origin server comprises transmitting, by the content switch, the content request to the origin server based upon detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating internal to the content delivery network from the content server; and

providing the content request to the content router of the content delivery network comprises transmitting, by the content switch, the content request to the content router of the content delivery network, for delivery to the content server of the content delivery network, based upon detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating from a device external from the content delivery network;

based upon receiving a content device marker associated with the content request, providing the content request to the origin server; and

based upon receiving no content device marker associated with the content request, providing the content request to a content router of the content delivery network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving the content request comprises the step of receiving the content request from a requesting device, the content request having a network address of the requesting device.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

comparing the network address of the requesting device with at least one network identification entry, each of the at least one network identification entries corresponding to a content server of the content delivery network;

based upon detecting a correspondence between the network address and one of the at least one network identification entries, providing the content request to the origin server; and

based upon detecting no correspondence between the network address and any of the at least one network identification entries, providing the content request to a content server of the content delivery network.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving configuration instructions having at least one network identification entry, the at least one network identification entry corresponding to a content server of the content delivery network.

5. A computerized device comprising:

at least one communications interface;

a controller; and

an interconnection mechanism coupling the at least one communications interface and the controller;

wherein the controller is configured to;

receive, through the at least one communications interface, a content request from a requesting device, the content request having a requesting device identifier;

provide, through the at least one communications interface, the content request to an origin server when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a content server of the content delivery network; and

provide, through the at least one communications interface, the content request to a content router of the content delivery network when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a device not of the content delivery network;

wherein;

when receiving the content request from the requesting device the controller is configured to intercept the content request having the requesting device identifier and detecting the requesting device identifier of the content request to distinguish the content request as originating either external from the content delivery network or as originating internal to the content delivery network;

when providing the content request to the origin server device the controller is configured to transmit the content request to the origin server based upon detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating internal to the content delivery network from the content server; and

when providing the content request to the content router of the content delivery network device the controller is configured to transmit the content request to the content router of the content delivery network, for delivery to the content server of the content delivery network based upon detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating from a device external from the content delivery network;

based upon receiving a content device marker associated with the content request, the controller is configured to provide the content request to the origin server; and

based upon receiving no content device marker associated with the content request, the controller is configured to provide the content request to a content router of the content delivery network.

6. The computerized device of claim 5 wherein the controller, when receiving, is configured to receive the content request from a requesting device, the content request having a network address of the requesting device.

7. The computerized device of claim 6 wherein the controller, is further configured to:

compare the network address of the requesting device with at least one network identification entry, each of the at least one network identification entries corresponding to a content server of the content delivery network;

based upon detecting a correspondence between the network address and one of the at least one network identification entries, provide the content request to the origin server; and

based upon detecting no correspondence between the network address and any of the at least one network identification entries, provide the content request to a content router of the content delivery network.

8. The computerized device of claim 6 wherein the controller is configured to receive configuration instructions having at least one network identification entry, the at least one network identification entry corresponding to a content server of the content delivery network.

9. The computerized device of claim 5 wherein the computerized device comprises a content switch.

10. The computerized device of claim 9 wherein the content switch is selected from the group consisting of a Content Services Switch or a Content Switching Module.

11. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium that, when performed on a controller in a computerized device having a coupling to at least one communications interface provides a method for performing the operations of:

receiving, through the at least one communications interface, the content request from a requesting device, the content request having a requesting device identifier;

providing, through the at least one communications interface, the content request to the origin server when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a content server of the content delivery network; and

providing, through the at least one communications interface, the content request to a content router of the content delivery network when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a device not of the content delivery network;

wherein;

receiving the content request from the requesting device comprises intercepting the content request having the requesting device identifier and detecting the requesting device identifier of the content request to distinguish the content request as originating either external from the content delivery network or as originating internal to the content delivery network;

providing the content request to the origin server comprises transmitting the content request to the origin server based upon detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating internal to the content delivery network from the content server; and

providing the content request to the content router of the content delivery network comprises transmitting the content request to the content router of the content delivery network, for delivery to the content server of the content delivery network, based upon detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating from a device external from the content delivery network;

based upon receiving a content device marker associated with the content request, providing the content request to the origin server; and

based upon receiving no content device marker associated with the content request, providing the content request to a content router of the content delivery network.

12. A computerized device comprising:

at least one communications interface;

a controller; and

an interconnection mechanism coupling the at least one communications interface and the controller;

wherein the controller is configured to produce a means for delivering a content request, such means including;

means for receiving, through the at least one communications interface, the content request from a requesting device, the content request having a requesting device identifier;

means for providing, through the at least one communications interface, the content request to the origin server when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a content server of the content delivery network; and

means for providing, through the at least one communications interface, the content request to a content router of the content delivery network when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a device not of the content delivery network;

wherein;

means for receiving the content request from the requesting device comprises means for intercepting the content request having the requesting device identifier and detecting the requesting device identifier of the content request to distinguish the content request as originating either external from the content delivery network or as originating internal to the content delivery network;

means for providing the content request to the origin server comprises means for transmitting the content request to the origin server in response to detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating internal to the content delivery network from the content server; and

means for providing the content request to the content router of the content delivery network comprises means for transmitting the content request to the content router of the content delivery network, for delivery to the content server of the content delivery network, in response to detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating from a device external from the content delivery network;

means for providing the content request to the origin server comprises means for providing the content request to the origin server based upon receiving a content device marker associated with the content request; and

means for providing the content request to a content router of the content delivery network comprises providing the content request to a content router of the content delivery network based upon receiving no content device marker associated with the content request.

13. A content distribution system comprising:

an origin server configured to serve content; and

a content delivery network in communication with the origin server, the content delivery network having;

at least one content server configured to host content from the origin server, and

a content switch in communication with the origin server and in communication with the content server, the content switch configured to;

receive, through the at least one communications interface, the content request from a requesting device, the content request having a requesting device identifier,

provide, through the at least one communications interface, the content request to the origin server when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a content server of the content delivery network, and

provide, through the at least one communications interface, the content request to a content router of the content delivery network when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a device not of the content delivery network;

wherein the content switch is configured to;

when receiving the content request from the requesting device, intercept the content request having the requesting device identifier and detect the requesting device identifier of the content request to distinguish the content request as originating either external from the content delivery network or as originating internal to the content delivery network;

when providing the content request to the origin server, transmit the content request to the origin server based upon detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating internal to the content delivery network from the content server; and

when providing the content request to the content router of the content delivery network, transmitting the content request to the content router of the content delivery network, for delivery to the content server of the content delivery network, based upon detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating from a device external from the content delivery network;

based upon receiving a content device marker associated with the content request, providing the content request to the origin server; and

based upon receiving no content device marker associated with the content request, providing the content request to a content router of the content deliver network.