Virtual host acceleration system

• US 7,707,287 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shafir, Micha, Shahaf, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): BOUTAH, ALINA A
• Application Number:
  US10/102,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,958 Days
• Field of Search: 709227-229, 709/237, 709217-219, 711/118, 711/3, 711/113, 711/144
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and a system for improving Web hosting performance, enhancing content distribution and security on the Internet and stabilizing WEB Site connectivity, by means of creating a TCP terminating buffer around subscriber WEB Sites. A DNS agent diverts client requests to WEB Sites to a Virtual Host Accelerating (VHA) Site in closest proximity. The VHA Site comprises a set of physically identical computer units and processing is enhanced on those units by means of a hardware devise to accelerate database searches. The VHA determines if the client request is of a permitted type and if the request can be processed from recycled data. Both static and dynamic requests can be serviced from recycled material and only in certain circumstances are requests forwarded to the WEB Sites by means of permanent open connections. In some cases SSL requests are also served from recycled material. The client receives a response via the VHA Site thereby severing all direct connectivity between the client and the target WEB Sites.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing requests to WEB Sites, comprising:

a Remote Traffic Controller (RTC) configured to direct secure and non-secure traffic;

at least one Front End Machine (FEM) in communication with the RTC, wherein each FEM is configured to direct a request, and wherein the directing is based on whether the request is for recyclable-content;

at least one Content Recycling Machine (CRM) in communication with the at least one FEM, wherein the at least one CRM is configured to provide a reply associated with the recyclable-content, and wherein the recyclable-content is indicated as recyclable based on;

whether replies from a WEB Site match each other based on a match of HTTP header information of the replies from the WEB Site, wherein the replies from the WEB Site are returned for a plurality of requests; and

whether the plurality of requests associated with the recyclable content match each other; and

at least one Backend Machine (BEM) in communication with the at least one CRM and the at least one FEM, wherein the at least one BEM is configured to access the WEB Sites with the request if the request is for non-recyclable content.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of Request Routers (RR), such that each said RR is an authoritative domain name server for at least one registered Web site.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of Secure Sockets Layer Accelerators (SSLA), wherein said RTC selects one of said SSLAs to process the request.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of Virtual Private Network servers (VPN), wherein said SSLA selects one of said VPNs to process the request.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) A Detailed Statistics Collector (DSC);

(b) A Virtual Host Accelerator (VHA) Control Center (VCC);

(c) A VHA Management Station (VMS); and

(d) A Local Manager (LM);

wherein said elements (a), (b), (c) and (d) are utilized for management functions.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a Layer Two Lookup (L2L) Engine.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WEB Sites are subscriber sites.

8. An apparatus for processing a request over a network, comprising:

means for determining whether the request is secured or non-secured;

means for determining whether an object is recyclable based on whether a plurality of similar requests associated to the object return a plurality of identical HTTP header information in replies to the similar requests, wherein at least one of the replies is from a Web Site, and wherein the information in the replies is associated with parameters stored for the Web Site;

means for providing a reply associated with the recyclable object; and

means for accessing a source node reply associated with the request.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

means for directing the request, wherein the directing is based on at least one of following;

whether the request is for a recyclable object;

whether the request is secured;

or

a proximity of the apparatus to a requestor.

10. A method for processing a request over a network, comprising:

indicating that an object is a non-recyclable object, if a plurality of HTTP header information for replies are determined to be non-matching, wherein each of the replies is a response to each of a plurality of similar requests associated with the object, and wherein at least one of the replies is from a WEB Site;

otherwise, indicating that the object is a recyclable object;

if the processed request is for the recyclable object, providing the cached reply associated with the recyclable object, and

otherwise, accessing a source node reply associated with the request.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein indicating that an object is recyclable is further based on at least one of a flag, a property, or a time to live associated with the plurality of similar requests.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

load balancing at least one of;

a determination of whether the request is for the recyclable object;

the providing of the cached reply associated with the recyclable object;

the accessing of the source node reply associated with the request;

or

a caching of one of the replies.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the load balancing of the caching of one of the replies, is based on a property of one of the similar requests.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the request is secured or non-secured.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

performing secured acceleration on the request, if the request is secured.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the cached reply is secured.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

terminating the request, if a threshold associated with the request is exceeded.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the source node reply comprises a reply from at least one of a web site, a TCP source, or a UDP source.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein said CRM further comprises the steps of:

(a) maintaining a database of recyclable content;

(b) determining if a response to said request of said FEM of claim 15 is available in recycled content;

(c) forwarding said request that is not available in said recycled content to a plurality of BEMs for further processing;

(d) receiving a response to said request from said BEM; and

(e) providing a response to said request of said BEM.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein said BEM acts as a storage overflow for said recyclable content of said CRM.

19. A network device that is operative for processing a request over a network, comprising:

a communications interface enabled to receive and send data;

a memory component for storing data;

a processing component in communication with the memory component and the communication interface, and configured to perform a plurality of actions, including;

indicating that an object is a recyclable object based on whether a plurality of requests associated with the object are similar and whether the plurality of similar requests returns a plurality of identical HTTP header information in replies from a WEB Site, wherein the replies result from the similar requests;

if the request is for the recyclable object, providing a cached reply associated with the recyclable object, and

otherwise, accessing a source node reply associated with the request.

20. The network device of claim 19, wherein the similar requests includes similar host information associated with the requests.

21. The network device of claim 19, wherein indicating that an object is the recyclable object is further based on at least one parameter, wherein the at least one parameter includes at least one of whether the request includes a user input, whether the request includes a cookie, whether an object type associated with the object is dynamic, or whether the object is recyclable over a SSL session.

22. The network device of claim 21 wherein indicating that an object is the recyclable object is further based on whether information in the replies relevant to recycle status of the object overrides the at least one parameter.

23. The network device of claim 19, wherein the processing component enables further actions comprising load balancing at least one of:

a determination of whether the request is for the recyclable object;

the providing of the cached reply associated with the recyclable object;

the accessing of the source node reply associated with the request;

or

a caching of one of the replies.

24. A method for processing a request over a network, comprising:

indicating that an object is a recyclable object if a plurality of similar requests associated with the object are similar and the plurality of similar requests returns a plurality of identical HTTP information in replies, wherein at least one of the replies is from a WEB Site;

if the request is for the recyclable object, providing a cached reply associated with the recyclable object, and

otherwise, accessing a source node reply associated with the request.

25. A method for processing requests to subscriber WEB Sites comprising:

intercepting a Domain Name Server (DNS) request to one of the subscriber WEB Sites, by a Request Router (RR) mechanism;

redirecting said request to a Remote Traffic Controller (RTC) to further process said request;

selecting a Front End Machine (FEM) to further process said request;

if the request is associated with recyclable content, selecting a Content Recycling Machine (CRM) to further process said request, wherein the recyclable content is determined as recyclable based on whether replies match each other based on a match of HTTP header information of the replies, wherein at least one of the replies is from a WEB Site, and wherein the replies are returned for a plurality of requests; and

whether the plurality of requests associated with the recyclable content match each other;

otherwise, selecting a Backend Machine (BEM) to further process said request; and

selecting said one of the subscriber WEB Sites to further process said request if said request is for non-recyclable content.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said RTC is an entry point for said request.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said redirecting of said requests is based on proximity to a client requestor.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said proximity is defined in terms selected from the group consisting of geographical proximity and backbone proximity.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said criteria of proximity is determined by mechanisms including:

(a) a global WHOIS database wherein IP networks are mapped to geographic locations; and

(b) a mappings database wherein IP networks are mapped to autonomous system numbers.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein said RTC further comprises the steps of:

(a) accepting request sessions from said RR;

(b) tracking said sessions;

(c) determining whether said request is of a type selected from the group consisting of protocols HTTPS, HTTP and FTP;

(d) forwarding said HTTPS request to a Secure Sockets Layer Accelerator (SSLA) for further processing; and

(e) forwarding said request selected from the group consisting of HTTP and FTP to a plurality of FEMs for further processing.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein if protocol of said request is determined to be an alternative protocol to said HTTPS, HTTP and FTP, then said request is rejected.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein selecting of said FEM further comprises the steps of:

(a) determining whether said request received from said RTC of claim 8 is of a type selected from the group consisting of recyclable and non-recyclable;

(b) if defined as recyclable, forwarding said recyclable type request to a plurality of CRMs for further processing;

(c) if defined as non-recyclable, forwarding said non-recyclable request to a plurality of BEMs for further processing;

(d) receiving a response to said request from said CRM;

(e) receiving a response to said request from said BEM; and

(f) forwarding said response to said client requestor.

34. The method of claim 25, wherein said BEM further receives a response from said WEB Site to said request.

36. The method of claim 25, wherein said requests to the subscriber WEB Sites are associated with a list of priorities, wherein said requests with a higher said priority are processed in a sequence of time prior to said requests with a lower said priority.

37. The method of claim 25, further comprising utilizing a light protocol, said protocol further comprising the steps of;

(a) providing TCP over Ethernet;

(b) removing CRC for TCP from communications packet;

(c) removing IP from communications packet; and

(d) using over Link Layer (2) for addressing.