Content delivery and global traffic management network system

• US 7,484,002 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2007
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Gupta, Ajit K., Swildens, Eric Sven-Johan, Day, Richard David
• Primary Examiner(s): Neurauter, Jr.; George C
• Application Number:
  US11/724,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20070174426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/225, 709/233, 709/241, 370/229, 370/390, 711/163, 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5083 wherein the managed service relates to web hosting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• 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 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 67/1027 Persistence of sessions during load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1038 Load balancing arrangements to avoid a single path through a load balancer
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A content delivery and global traffic management network system provides a plurality of caching servers connected to a network. The caching servers host customer content that can be cached and stored, and respond to requests for Web content from clients. If the requested content does not exist in memory or on disk, it generates a request to an origin site to obtain the content. A DNS Server load balances network requests among customer Web servers and directs client requests for hosted customer content to the appropriate caching server. The customer pays a service that provides the content delivery and global traffic management network system a fee for usage of the content delivery and global traffic management network system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a global traffic management system coupled to a world wide area network;

a content delivery network coupled to the global traffic management system;

wherein a customer pays a fee to a service for use of the global traffic management system across the customer'"'"'s Web servers and use of the content delivery network;

a Web-based user interface that allows a customer to set weights for network traffic resulting in more network traffic being sent to a first IP address over a second IP address by the global traffic management system, the first and second IP addresses being associated with the customer'"'"'s account.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface displays traffic statistics for selected IP addresses managed by the global traffic management system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the global traffic management system periodically generates an invoice for the customer for the customer'"'"'s use of the global traffic management system and content delivery network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface allows the customer to add its own servers for load balancing and traffic management by the global traffic management system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface allows the customer to add or remove a domain name from the global traffic management system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface allows the customer to add or remove IP addresses managed by the global traffic management system.

7. A method, comprising:

providing a global traffic management system coupled to a world wide area network;

providing a content delivery network coupled to the global traffic management system;

wherein a customer pays a fee to a service for use of the global traffic management system across the customer'"'"'s Web servers and use of the content delivery network;

allowing a customer to set weights for network traffic in a Web-based user interface resulting in more network traffic being sent to a first IP address over a second IP address by the global traffic management system, the first and second IP addresses being associated with the customer'"'"'s account.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user interface displays traffic statistics for selected IP addresses managed by the global traffic management system.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the global traffic management system periodically generates an invoice for the customer for the customer'"'"'s use of the global traffic management system and content delivery network.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the user interface allows the customer to add its own servers for load balancing and traffic management by the global traffic management system.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the user interface allows the customer to add or remove a domain name from the global traffic management system.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the user interface allows the customer to add or remove IP addresses managed by the global traffic management system.