Load balancing service

• US 7,346,676 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Gupta, Ajit K., Swildens, Eric Sven-Johan, Day, Richard David
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean; Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US11/644,108
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/234, 709/235, 705/1, 370/229, 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 67/101 based on network conditions

Abstract

A load balancing service for a plurality of customers performs load balancing among a plurality of customer Web servers. Requests for Web content are load balanced across the customer Web servers. The load balancing service provider charges a fee to the customers for the load balancing service. A caching service is also provided that comprises a plurality of caching servers connected to a network. The caching servers host customer content that can be cached and stored, e.g., images, video, text, and/or software. The caching servers respond to requests for Web content from clients. The load balancing service provider charges a fee to the customers for the Web caching service.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a content delivery service to a plurality of customers;

wherein the content delivery service performs a Web caching service for content offloaded to the content delivery service from a plurality of customer Web servers, and a customer Web server load balancing service;

allowing a customer to add at least one of the customer'"'"'s Web servers to a plurality of customer Web servers that the content delivery service performs the customer Web server load balancing service upon;

providing a user interface that allows a customer to display traffic performance data for at least one specified domain name being handled by the content delivery service; and

wherein a content delivery service provider charges a fee to the customers for use of the content delivery service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the Web caching service includes a plurality of caching servers, and wherein the plurality of caching servers store cacheable customer content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the content delivery service performs load balancing among a plurality of caching servers for user requests for cacheable content.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the cacheable content includes any of:

movies, audio, images, text, plug-in program data, programs, streaming audio data, and video data.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein customer Web servers serve Web pages to users that contain embedded URLs for dynamic content linked to the customer Web servers and embedded URLs for cacheable content linked to the caching servers.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the content delivery service selects an appropriate caching server to serve a user content request using service metric measurements of caching servers that serve the requested content and selecting the appropriate caching server with a service metric measurement that offers more appropriate performance for the user request than other caching servers.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the content delivery service performs periodic service metric measurements of the plurality of caching servers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the content delivery service selects an appropriate customer Web server to serve a user content request using traffic load measurements of customer Web servers that serve the requested content and selecting the appropriate customer Web server with a traffic load measurement that offers more appropriate performance for the user request than other customer Web servers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the content delivery service performs periodic traffic load measurements of customer Web servers.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a content delivery system that delivers customer content to users for a plurality of customers;

wherein the content delivery system includes a Web caching system for content offloaded to the content delivery system from a plurality of customer Web servers, and a customer Web server load balancing system;

a module for allowing a customer to add at least one of the customer'"'"'s Web servers to a plurality of customer Web servers among which the customer Web server load balancing system load balances traffic;

a user interface that allows a customer to display traffic performance data for at least one specified domain name being handled by the content delivery system; and

wherein a content delivery system provider charges a fee to the customers for use of the content delivery system.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the Web caching system includes a plurality of caching servers, and wherein the plurality of caching servers store cacheable customer content.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the content delivery system performs load balancing among a plurality of caching servers for user requests for cacheable content.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cacheable content includes any of:

movies, audio, images, text, plug-in program data, programs, streaming audio data, and video data.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein customer Web servers serve Web pages to users that contain embedded URLs for dynamic content linked to the customer Web servers and embedded URLs for cacheable content linked to the caching servers.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the content delivery system selects an appropriate caching server to serve a user content request using service metric measurements of caching servers that serve the requested content and selecting the appropriate caching server with a service metric measurement that offers more appropriate performance for the user request than other caching servers.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the content delivery system performs periodic service metric measurements of the plurality of caching servers.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the content delivery system selects an appropriate customer Web server to serve a user content request using traffic load measurements of customer Web servers that serve the requested content and selecting the appropriate customer Web server with a traffic load measurement that offers more appropriate performance for the user request than other customer Web servers.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the content delivery system performs periodic traffic load measurements of customer Web servers.