Automatic migration of data via a distributed computer network

• US 7,406,512 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Swildens, Eric Sven-Johan, Cinquini, Maurice, Agarwal, Anshu, Chavarkar, Amol
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US11/603,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 709/213, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/238, 711/136
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1038 Load balancing arrangements to avoid a single path through a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the automatic migration of data via a distributed computer network allows a customer to select content files that are to be transferred to a group of edge servers. Origin sites store all of a customer'"'"'s available content files. An edge server maintains a dynamic number of popular files in its memory for the customer. The files are ranked from most popular to least popular and when a file has been requested from an edge server a sufficient number of times to become more popular than the lowest popular stored file, the file is obtained from an origin site. The edge servers are grouped into two service levels: regional and global. The customer is charged a higher fee to store its popular files on the global edge servers compared to a regional set of edge servers because of greater coverage.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a plurality of edge servers;

charging a customer a fee for a predetermined allocation of memory on the plurality of edge servers to store popular content; and

providing tracking means on an edge server for tracking the popularity of a customer'"'"'s content;

wherein the plurality of edge servers are partitioned into a plurality of sets of edge servers based on geographic regions, and wherein the charging step charges the customer based on a memory allocation for a specific region;

wherein the plurality of edge servers are further partitioned into a global set of edge servers, and wherein the charging step charges the customer a higher fee for a memory allocation in the global set of edge servers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of edge servers are dynamically partitioned into a plurality of sets of edge servers based on using factors that include any of:

lower current cost, higher performance, and time-based availability, and wherein the charging step charges the customer based on a memory allocation for a dynamic partition.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein a plurality of origin servers store all of a customer'"'"'s available content; and

wherein the charging step charges the customer a fee for storing the customer'"'"'s available content on the origin servers.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing replicating means on an edge server for replicating content onto the edge server'"'"'s local storage with content from the origin servers that has become popular; and

wherein the charging step charges the customer a fee for bandwidth consumed during the edge server'"'"'s replication.