Global hosting system

• US 8,073,961 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2010
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Leighton, F. Thomson, Lewin, Daniel M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shingles, Kristie
• Application Number:
  US12/753,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20100198916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/229, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• 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 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• 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 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by 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 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 : Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention is a network architecture or framework that supports hosting and content distribution on a truly global scale. The inventive framework allows a Content Provider to replicate and serve its most popular content at an unlimited number of points throughout the world. The inventive framework comprises a set of servers operating in a distributed manner. The actual content to be served is preferably supported on a set of hosting servers (sometimes referred to as ghost servers). This content comprises HTML page objects that, conventionally, are served from a Content Provider site. In accordance with the invention, however, a base HTML document portion of a Web page is served from the Content Provider'"'"'s site while one or more embedded objects for the page are served from the hosting servers, preferably, those hosting servers near the client machine. By serving the base HTML document from the Content Provider'"'"'s site, the Content Provider maintains control over the content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of delivering text, graphics, images, downloads, audio or video on behalf of multiple content providers, comprising:

operating content delivery network (CDN) content servers in multiple locations, each location with connectivity to one or more networks;

operating multiple CDN name servers;

receiving a first domain name service (DNS) query at a first CDN name server, wherein the first DNS query originates from a first local DNS name server;

having the first CDN name server respond to the first DNS query by sending a first response that includes a first set of one or more IP addresses;

receiving a first end user request for content directed to one of the IP addresses of the first set that requests delivery of the content to a first end user from a first CDN content server, the first CDN content server located in a first location of the multiple locations; and

following the sending of the first response, and upon a determination that the first local DNS name server is located remotely from the first end user, issuing a second response that attempts to direct the first end user closer to a CDN content server located in a second location of the multiple locations, the second location being closer to the first end user than the first location.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the second response is a redirection.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the second response comprises a virtual address.

4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the second response comprises a set of one or more IP addresses that includes an IP address.

5. The method as described in claim 4 wherein the IP address is associated with CDN content server in the second location.

6. The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of determining that an object associated with the first DNS query exceeds a given size before making the determination.