Secure content delivery system

• US 7,363,361 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2002
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Swildens, Eric Sven-Johan, Tewari, Anoop Kailasnath, Garg, Vikas
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong; Thomas
• Application Number:
  US10/234,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20030097564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,058 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/228, 709/230, 709217-219, 707/9, 713155-173, 713/201
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1027 Persistence of sessions during load balancing
• 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 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A secure streaming content delivery system provides a plurality of content servers connected to a network that host customer content that can be cached and/or stored, e.g., images, video, text, and/or software. The content servers respond to requests for customer content from users. The invention load balances user requests for cached customer content to the appropriate content server. A user makes a request to a customer'"'"'s server/authorization server for delivery of the customer'"'"'s content. The authorization server checks if the user is authorized to view the requested content. If the user is authorized, then the authorization server generates a hash value and embeds it into the URL which is passed to the user. A content server receives a URL request from the user for customer content cached on the content server. The request is verified by the content server.

Claims

1. A process for a secure content delivery and global traffic management network, comprising the steps of:

hosting customer content that can be cached and/or stored on a plurality of caching servers connected to said network;

wherein said customer is a customer of a service that manages said plurality of caching servers, said customer paying a fee to said service for hosting customer content on said caching servers;

wherein said caching servers respond to requests for said hosted customer content;

receiving a user request for customer content on a customer server;

load balancing user requests directed to customer servers among a plurality of customer servers;

wherein said plurality of customer servers are managed by said customer;

authorizing the user on said customer server for access to the requested customer content;

calculating an authorization value on said customer server using a secret key if the user is an authorized user;

wherein said secret key is shared between said customer server and caching servers that serve content for said customer server;

wherein said customer server returns a Universal Resource Locator (URL) to an authorized user in response to the user'"'"'s customer content request;

wherein said URL specifies a caching server that hosts said requested customer content;

load balancing requests for hosted customer content among said plurality of caching servers;

wherein said customer server load balancing step and said caching server load balancing step are performed by an integrated load balancer; and

wherein said URL contains said authorization value.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing a user authorization database on said customer server;

wherein said user authentication step references said user authorization database to authorize a user.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein said user authentication step requires the user to input his login information.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein said authorization value calculation step uses a current time on said customer server in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein said authorization value calculation step uses a time-to-live value in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein said authorization value calculation step uses the user'"'"'s IP address in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein said authorization value calculation step uses file name information in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein said authorization value calculation step uses the user'"'"'s identification information in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

9. The process of claim 1,

wherein said load balancing step directs user requests for hosted customer content to an appropriate caching server;

and

wherein said hosted customer content includes any of;

images, video, text, and/or software.

10. The process of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving said URL from a user on a caching server;

verifying said authorization value in said URL on said caching server; and

wherein said authorization value verification step calculates a verification authorization value using said secret key.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein if said authorization value in said URL matches said verification authorization value then said authorization value verification step sends said requested customer content to the user, and wherein if said authorization value in said URL does not match said verification authorization value then said authorization value verification step sends the user an access denied indicator.

12. The process of claim 10, wherein if said authorization value in said URL matches said verification authorization value and said caching server'"'"'s current time is within a specified time-to-live then said authorization value verification step sends said requested customer content to the user, and wherein if said caching server'"'"'s current time is not within a specified time-to-live then said authorization value verification step sends the user an access denied indicator.

13. The process of claim 10, wherein said authorization value verification means uses a current time on said caching server in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

14. The process of claim 10, wherein said authorization value verification step uses a time-to-live value in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

15. The process of claim 10, wherein said authorization value verification step uses the user'"'"'s IP address in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

16. The process of claim 10, wherein said authorization value verification step uses file name information in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

17. The process of claim 10, wherein said authorization value verification step uses the user'"'"'s identification information in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

18. The process of claim 10, wherein if said caching server finds that said requested customer content is not secure content, then said authorization verification step sends said requested customer content without performing authorization value verification.

19. An apparatus for a secure content delivery and global traffic management network, comprising:

a plurality of content servers connected to said network;

wherein said content servers host customer content that can be cached and/or stored;

wherein said customer is a customer of a service that manages said plurality of content servers, said customer paying a fee to said service for hosting customer content on said content servers;

wherein said content servers respond to requests for said hosted customer content;

at least one customer server;

a receiving module on said customer server for receiving a user request for customer content;

a traffic management module for load balancing user requests directed to customer servers among a plurality of customer servers;

wherein said plurality of customer servers are managed by said customer;

a user authentication module on said customer server for authorizing a user for access to the requested customer content;

a authorization value calculation module on said customer server for calculating an authorization value using a secret key if the user is an authorized user;

wherein said secret key is shared between said customer server and content servers that serve content for said customer server;

wherein said customer server returns a Universal Resource Locator (URL) to an authorized user in response to the user'"'"'s customer content request;

wherein said URL specifies a content server that hosts said requested customer content;

wherein said traffic management module load balances requests for hosted customer content among said plurality of content servers; and

wherein said URL contains said authorization value.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a user authorization database on said customer server;

wherein said user authentication module references said user authorization database to authorize a user.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said user authentication module requires the user to input his login information.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said authorization value calculation module uses a current time on said customer server in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said authorization value calculation module uses a time-to-live value in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said authorization value calculation module uses the user'"'"'s IP address in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said authorization value calculation module uses file name information in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said authorization value calculation module uses the user'"'"'s identification information in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

27. The apparatus of claim 19,

wherein said traffic management means module directs user requests for hosted customer content to an appropriate content server;

and

wherein said hosted customer content includes any of;

images, video, text, and/or software.

28. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a module for receiving said URL from a user on a content server;

authorization value verification module on said content server for verifying said authorization value in said URL; and

wherein said authorization value verification module calculates a verification authorization value using said secret key.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein if said authorization value in said URL matches said verification authorization value then said authorization value verification module sends said requested customer content to the user, and wherein if said authorization value in said URL does not match said verification authorization value then said authorization value verification module sends the user an access denied indicator.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein if said authorization value in said URL matches said verification authorization value and said content server'"'"'s current time is within a specified time-to-live then said authorization value verification module sends said requested customer content to the user, and wherein if said content server'"'"'s current time is not within a specified time-to-live then said authorization value verification module sends the user an access denied indicator.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said authorization value verification module uses a current time on said content server in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said authorization value verification module uses a time-to-live value in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

33. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said authorization value verification module uses the user'"'"'s IP address in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

34. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said authorization value verification module uses file name information in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

35. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said authorization value verification module uses the user'"'"'s identification information in addition to said secret key to calculate said authorization value.

36. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein if said content server finds that said requested customer content is not secure content, then said authorization verification module sends said requested customer content without performing authorization value verification.