Conditional protocol control
First Claim
1. A method for managing delivery of content in a system comprising a server and an end user computer, comprising:
- establishing a first connection at the server for communicating with the end user computer;
receiving a request for content from the end user computer over the first connection;
determining a set of parameters relating to the performance of the first connection using information from the request, wherein the determined set of parameters relate to utilization of available processing or memory capabilities of part or all of a system supporting the first connection, link capacity, and a size or type of the content;
modifying values of attributes for the first connection at a transport layer based on the set of parameters, the values of the attributes for the first connection thereafter influencing utilization of the available processing or memory capabilities of the part or all of the system supporting the first connection;
changing, on a connection-specific basis, a connection protocol stack operator based upon the modified values of the attributes; and
sending the requested content from the server to the end user computer such that the transport layer manages delivery of the content in accordance with the modified values of the attributes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques for modifying the performance of a transport layer protocol in response to a request for content are disclosed. A connection can be established between a content distribution server and an end user computer according to preconfigured parameters. When a request for content is received over the connection, the content distribution server can determine one or more parameters relating to the performance of the connection using information from the request. The content distribution server can modify the connection at the transport layer according to the one or more parameters. Thereafter, the transport layer can manage delivery of the requested content to the end user computer in accordance with the modified parameters. In various embodiments, the content distribution server includes a modified TCP protocol stack which adjusts timing, pacing, and buffer allocation associated with a connection in response to requests from an application-layer data source.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for managing delivery of content in a system comprising a server and an end user computer, comprising:
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establishing a first connection at the server for communicating with the end user computer; receiving a request for content from the end user computer over the first connection; determining a set of parameters relating to the performance of the first connection using information from the request, wherein the determined set of parameters relate to utilization of available processing or memory capabilities of part or all of a system supporting the first connection, link capacity, and a size or type of the content; modifying values of attributes for the first connection at a transport layer based on the set of parameters, the values of the attributes for the first connection thereafter influencing utilization of the available processing or memory capabilities of the part or all of the system supporting the first connection; changing, on a connection-specific basis, a connection protocol stack operator based upon the modified values of the attributes; and sending the requested content from the server to the end user computer such that the transport layer manages delivery of the content in accordance with the modified values of the attributes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A content distribution server, comprising:
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a network interface having a plurality of ports configured to send and receive data over a connecting network; a processor coupled to the network interface and configured to manage a plurality of connections to end user computers; a protocol handler configured to establish the plurality of connections with the end user computers according to predetermined transport layer parameters of the content distribution server and to manage data transmission over the plurality of connections, and a data source configured to supply requested content to the end user computers over the plurality of connections, wherein the data source is configured to monitor a first connection for a request to; determine a set of transport layer parameters for the first connection based on the request, the determined set of transport layer parameters relating to utilization of available processing or memory capabilities of part or all of a system supporting the first connection, link capacity, and a size or type of the content, direct the protocol handler to modify values of attributes for the first connection based on the set of transport layer parameters independently of other connections of the content distribution server, the values of the attributes for the first connection thereafter influencing utilization of the available processing or memory capabilities of the part or all of the system supporting the first connection, and change a connection protocol stack operator based upon the modified values of the attributes. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for managing delivery of content in a system comprising a server and an end user computer, comprising:
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establishing a first connection at the server for communicating with the end user computer; receiving a request for content from the end user computer over the first connection; determining a set of parameters relating to the performance of the first connection using information from the request, wherein determined set of parameters relate to utilization of available processing or memory capabilities of part or all of a system supporting the first connection, link capacity, and a size or type of the content; modifying values of attributes for the first connection at the transport layer based on the set of parameters, the values of the attributes for the first connection thereafter influencing utilization of the available processing or memory capabilities of the part or all of the system supporting the first connection; changing a connection protocol stack operator based upon the modified values of the attributes; and sending the requested content from the server to the end user computer such that the transport layer manages delivery of the content in accordance with the modified values of the attributes.
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Specification