Inter point of presence split architecture

• US 8,356,074 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2012
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Ehrlich, Ofir, Potekhin, Dima, Altman, Tomer, Fainberg, Leonid, Shai, Gil, Gadish, Ofer, Hofmann, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US13/571,320
• Time in Patent Office: 159 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709214-219, 709225-229, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

A system and method for accelerating web page delivery is disclosed in one embodiment. Web content requests are made to an edge server of a first point of presence (POP) of a content delivery network (CDN). The web content has embedded resource links. The first POP can rewrite the embedded resource links to route requests for the embedded resource links to any POP in the CDN or even the origin server. In some embodiments, the first POP can decide if the first POP and/or another POP referenced in a rewritten embedded resource link should cache and/or accelerate the resource referenced in the embedded resource link.

Claims

1. A content delivery network (CDN) having a plurality of points of presence (POPs), comprising:

one or more processors for executing instructions to;

receive a request for web content at a first POP from an end user for content stored on an origin server, wherein;

the web content includes a plurality of resource links,

the first POP is part of the plurality of POPs, and

the first POP comprises;

an front-end optimization engine, and

a front-end cache;

identify a second POP that is located closer to the origin server than the first POP, wherein;

the second POP is part of the plurality of POPs, and

the second POP comprises;

a back-end optimization engine, and

a back-end cache; and

rewrite a resource link of the plurality of resource links of the web content, wherein the rewritten resource link is changed to reference the second POP, another POP from the plurality of POPs or the origin server; and

one or more storage media for retaining the instructions.

2. The CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors that perform the instructions is located within the first POP.

3. The CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

determining the first POP is further away from the end user than a third POP, which is part of the plurality of POPs, wherein;

the another POP is referenced in the rewritten resource link, and

the another POP is the third POP.

4. The CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

determine if the first POP should accelerate the resource.

5. The CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

determine that the second POP should accelerate the resource.

6. The CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

choosing one or both of the front-end cache and the back-end cache to store a resource referenced by the resource link.

7. A content delivery network (CDN) having a plurality of points of presence (POPs) for delivering third party content to end users, the CDN comprising:

a first POP, which receives a request for web content from an end user for content stored on an origin server, wherein;

the web content includes a plurality of resource links,

the first POP is part of the plurality of POPs, and

the first POP comprises;

a front-end optimization engine, and

a front-end cache;

a second POP, located closer to the origin server than the first POP, wherein;

the second POP is part of the plurality of POPs, and

the second POP comprises;

a back-end optimization engine, and

a back-end cache; and

a decision engine that rewrites a resource link of the plurality of resource links of the web content, wherein the rewritten resource link is changed to reference the second POP, another POP from the plurality of POPs or the origin server.

8. The CDN having the plurality of POPs for delivering third party content to end users as recited in claim 7, wherein the decision engine is located in the first POP.

9. The CDN having the plurality of POPs for delivering third party content to end users as recited in claim 7, wherein the decision engine chooses the second POP to cache a resource specified by the resource link.

10. The CDN having the plurality of POPs for delivering third party content to end users as recited in claim 7, wherein the decision engine chooses the first POP to accelerate a resource specified by the resource link.

11. The CDN having the plurality of POPs for delivering third party content to end users as recited in claim 7, wherein the decision engine chooses the second POP to accelerate a resource specified by the resource link.

12. The CDN having the plurality of POPs for delivering third party content to end users as recited in claim 7, wherein the decision engine chooses the first POP to cache a resource specified by the resource link.

13. A method for accelerating delivery of third party content using a content delivery network (CDN) having a plurality of points of presence (POPs), the method comprising:

receiving a request for web content at a first POP from an end user for content stored on an origin server, wherein;

the web content includes a plurality of resource links,

the first POP is part of the plurality of POPs, and

the first POP comprises;

an front-end optimization engine, and

a front-end cache;

identifying a second POP that is located closer to the origin server than the first POP, wherein;

the second POP is part of the plurality of POPs, and

the second POP comprises;

a back-end optimization engine, and

a back-end cache; and

rewriting a resource link of the plurality of resource links of the web content, wherein the rewritten resource link is changed to reference the second POP, another POP from the plurality of POPs or the origin server.

14. The method for accelerating delivery of third party content using the CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

determining the first POP is further away from the end user than a third POP, which is part of the plurality of POPs, wherein;

the another POP is referenced in the rewritten resource link, and

the another POP is the third POP.

15. The method for accelerating delivery of third party content using the CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

determining that a resource identified by the resource link is dynamic; and

avoiding one or both of the front-end and/or back-end caches.

16. The method for accelerating delivery of third party content using the CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

choosing one or both of the front-end cache and the back-end cache to store a resource referenced by the resource link.

17. The method for accelerating delivery of third party content using the CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

choosing the front-end cache to cache accelerate delivery of a resource referenced by the resource link.

18. The method for accelerating delivery of third party content using the CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

choosing the front-end cache to cache store a resource referenced by the resource link.

19. One or more non-transitory machine-readable medium having machine-executable instructions configured to perform the machine-implementable method for accelerating delivery of third party content using the CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 13.

20. A computing system configured to perform the machine-implementable method for accelerating delivery of third party content using the CDN having the plurality of POPs as recited in claim 13.