Request routing utilizing client location information

• US 8,321,588 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Richardson, David R., Cormie, John, Patel, Imran S., Redman, Benjamin W. S., Sheehan, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): BOUTAH, ALINA A
• Application Number:
  US13/232,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/203, 709/217, 709/226, 709/230
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/741 Routing in networks with a plurality of addressing schemes, e.g. with both IPv4 and IPv6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A system, method, and computer-readable medium for request routing based on client location information are provided. A content delivery network service provider receives a DNS query from a client computing device. The DNS query corresponds to a resource identifier for requested content from the client computing device. The content delivery network service provider transmits an alternative resource identifier in response to the client computing device DNS query. The alternative resource identifier is selected as a function of client location information. The client location information is obtained from information corresponding to a mapping of at least partial IP addresses to known locations. The client computing device then issues a second DNS query to the same content delivery network service provider. The content delivery network service provider can then either resolve the second DNS query or transmit another alternative resource identifier.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a DNS query from a client computing device at a first DNS server, wherein the DNS query corresponds to a requested resource associated with an original resource identifier provided by a content provider and wherein the first DNS server corresponds to a content delivery network service;

obtaining a query IP address associated with the DNS query at the first DNS server, wherein the query IP address is associated with the client computing device;

obtaining, at the first DNS server, a location-based identifier associated with the obtained query IP address, wherein the location-based identifier corresponds to location information associated with the client computing device and wherein the location-based identifier is different from the obtained query IP address;

selecting a network point of presence associated with the content delivery network service based on the location-based identifier;

determining whether the first DNS server is authoritative to the DNS query based on the selected network point of presence; and

if the first DNS server is not authoritative;

obtaining an alternative resource identifier based on the selected network point of presence, wherein the alternative resource identifier includes information for causing a DNS query to resolve to a domain corresponding to the selected network point of presence; and

transmitting the alternative resource identifier to the client computing device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising determining a destination identifier associated with the DNS query, wherein selecting a network point of presence is further based on the destination identifier.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the destination identifier is determined as a function of the location-based identifier.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising overriding the determined destination identifier based on an identity of the content provider.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising overriding the determined destination identifier based on the original resource identifier, wherein the original resource identifier provides information associated with an alternative destination identifier.

6. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the destination identifier is determined based on an identity of the content provider.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the destination identifier is further determined based on the obtained location-based identifier.

8. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein selecting a network point of presence comprises selecting a network point of presence from a set of network points of presence capable of servicing resource requests associated with the determined destination identifier.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the selected network point of presence is available prior to determining whether the first DNS server is authoritative to the DNS query based on the selected network point of presence;

if the selected network point of presence is available, maintaining the selected network point of presence; and

if the selected network point of presence is not available, selecting an alternative network point of presence.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

if the first DNS server is determined to be authoritative;

selecting a cache component for providing content associated with the original resource request; and

transmitting information identifying the selected cache component.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising obtaining a confidence factor corresponding to a degree of confidence associated with the accuracy of the location-based identifier to query IP address association.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the location-based identifier is obtained from a data store containing query IP address to location-based identifier mapping entries.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the query IP address being associated with the client computing device comprises the query IP address corresponding to a local DNS resolver of the client computing device.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the location-based identifier corresponds to at least one of a physical, logical, or relative location associated with the client computing device.

15. A system for request routing comprising:

a first network point of presence associated with a content delivery network service provider, wherein the first network point of presence includes a first DNS server that receives a DNS query from a client computing device, wherein the DNS query corresponds to a requested resource associated with a first resource identifier, and wherein the DNS server in the first network point of presence comprises at least one computing device and is operable to;

obtain a query IP address associated with the DNS query at the first DNS server, wherein the query IP address is associated with the client computing device;

obtain a location-based identifier associated with the query IP address, wherein the location-based identifier corresponds to location information associated with the client computing device and wherein the location-based identifier is different from the obtained query IP address;

select a network point of presence associated with the content delivery network service provider based on the location-based identifier;

determine whether the first DNS server is authoritative to the DNS query based on the selected network point of presence; and

if the first DNS server is not authoritative;

obtain an alternative resource identifier based on the selected network point of presence, wherein the alternative resource identifier includes information for causing a DNS query to resolve to a domain corresponding to the selected network point of presence; and

transmit the alternative resource identifier to the client computing device.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the first DNS server in the first network point of presence is further operable to determine a destination identifier associated with the DNS query, wherein selecting a network point of presence is further based on the destination identifier.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the destination identifier is determined as a function of the location-based identifier.

18. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the first DNS server in the first network point of presence is further operable to override the determined destination identifier based on an identity of the content provider.

19. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein selecting a network point of presence comprises selecting a network point of presence from a set of network points of presence capable of servicing resource requests associated with the determined destination identifier.

20. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the first DNS server in the first network point of presence is further operable to:

determine whether the selected network point of presence is available prior to determining whether the first DNS server is authoritative to the DNS query based on the selected network point of presence;

maintain the selected network point of presence if the selected network point of presence is available; and

select an alternative network point of presence if the selected network point of presence is not available.

21. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the availability of the selected network point of presence is based on health information indicative of the availability of the selected network point of presence to process incoming resource requests.

22. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein selecting an alternative network point of presence comprises selecting an alternative network point of presence from a failover list of alternative network points of presence.

23. The system as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

a second network point of presence associated with a content delivery network service provider, wherein the second network point of presence includes a second DNS server component that receives a subsequent DNS query from a client computing device, wherein the subsequent DNS query corresponds to a requested resource associated with the alternative resource identifier, and wherein the DNS server in the second network point of presence is operable to;

resolve the subsequent DNS query to identify a cache component for providing content associated with the original resource request; and

transmit information identifying the identified cache component to the client computing device.

24. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the query IP address is associated with a DNS resolver component associated with the client computing device.

25. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the location-based identifier corresponds to at least one of a physical, logical, or relative location associated with the client computing device.