Policy based processing of content objects in a content delivery network using mutators

• US 8,615,577 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2011
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Black, Bryan, Roersma, Jacob S., Boelens, Jared, Knol, Luke, Dunbar, Neil, Lange, Sig, Swanson, Wylie
• Primary Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US13/336,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20120198041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709217-219, 709223-226, 709231-232
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV

Abstract

A method for processing content objects with resources associated with a content delivery network (CDN) having a plurality of geographically distributed points of presence (POPs) is disclosed. The resources are enrolled to be accessible from the CDN. Each resource is categorized using tags that categorize the resources. Selection of a policy from a plurality of policies is received, where the plurality of policies define processes to perform on content objects. The selected policy includes an applicability criteria and a call to the resource. Metadata is received at the CDN, the metadata being related to a content object, a requester of the content object and/or a provider of the content object. It is determined that the policy is applicable through analysis of the metadata and/or applicability criteria. The resource is called according to the call in the policy to cause the resource to perform specified processing on the content object.

Claims

1. A content delivery network (CDN) having a plurality of geographically distributed points of presence (POPs) for processing content objects with a plurality of resources, the CDN comprising:

a landing pad to receive a content object from a client;

one or more databases comprising a list of the plurality of resources, each of the plurality of resources being associated with one or more tags, each tag indicating a characteristic of the associated resource; and

a policy reconciliation service (PRS) for maintaining and processing policies, the PRS being coupled to the one or more databases, the PRS comprising;

a policy store comprising a plurality of policies, each of the plurality of policies defining specific processing of content objects, the plurality of policies including a first policy and a second policy,

wherein each of the first policy and the second policy comprises an applicability parameter indicating criteria that a content object must satisfy in order for the content object to be processed in accordance with the respective first or second policy, the criteria indicated in the first policy'"'"'s applicability parameter being different from the criteria indicated in the second policy'"'"'s applicability parameter,

wherein the first policy comprises a disposition parameter indicating criteria that a resource must satisfy in order for the resource to effect the first policy, and

wherein the first policy comprises one or more mutators, each mutator comprising a template for inclusion of an address of a resource and/or a location of a received content object; and

a policy manager configured to;

determine that the first policy is applicable to the received content object and that the second policy is not applicable to the received content object, the determination being based on the first policy'"'"'s criteria and metadata related to the received content object, a requester of the received content object and/or a provider of the received content object at the CDN; and

identify a resource of the plurality of resources for effecting the first policy based on the disposition parameter and a tag associated with the first policy.

2. The CDN having a plurality of geographically distributed POPs for processing content objects with a plurality of resources as recited in claim 1, wherein the mutator comprises a template for a universal resource locator.

3. The CDN having a plurality of geographically distributed POPs for processing content objects with a plurality of resources as recited in claim 1, wherein the resource comprises an HTTP-based application programming interface.

4. The CDN having a plurality of geographically distributed POPs for processing content objects with a plurality of resources as recited in claim 1, wherein the specific processing defined in the first policy comprises storing the content object.

5. The CDN having a plurality of geographically distributed POPs for processing content objects with a plurality of resources as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more databases comprise the metadata related to a content object, a requester of the content object and/or a provider of the content object at the CDN.

6. The CDN having a plurality of geographically distributed POPs for processing content objects with a plurality of resources as recited in claim 1, wherein one of the one or more mutators comprises a template for inclusion of the address of the resource and a location of the received content object.

7. The CDN having a plurality of geographically distributed POPs for processing content objects with a plurality of resources as recited in claim 1, wherein the resource comprises a storage device located outside of the CDN.

8. A method for processing content objects with a plurality of resources associated with a content delivery network (CDN) having a plurality of geographically distributed points of presence (POPs), the method comprising:

Enrolling, using a registration interface, the plurality of resources to be accessible from the CDN;

categorizing each of the plurality of resources using a plurality of tags that categorize the plurality of resources, and the plurality of resources includes a resource;

receiving selection of a policy from a plurality of policies, wherein the plurality of policies define processes to perform on content objects stored at the CDN, wherein the selected policy includes an applicability criteria and a call to the resource;

receiving, at the CDN, metadata related to a content object, a requester of the content object and/or a provider of the content object

receiving the content object for storage at the CDN;

determining, with a policy manager, that the policy is applicable and that other policies are not applicable to the received content object based on an analysis of the metadata and the applicability criteria of the policy; and

calling, with the policy manager, the resource according to the call in the policy to cause the resource to perform specified processing on the received content object.

9. The method for processing content objects with the plurality of resources associated with the CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs as recited in claim 8, wherein calling the resource comprises embedding a delivery path into a uniform resource locator (URL).

10. The method for processing content objects with the plurality of resources associated with the CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

detecting a change to the metadata or one of the plurality of resources associated with one of the tags; and

determining if the policy still applies to the received content object.

11. The method for processing content objects with the plurality of resources associated with the CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs as recited in claim 8, further comprising choosing the resource from a larger group of resources all associated with a tag from the plurality of tags, wherein the tag is identified in the policy.

12. The method for processing content objects with the plurality of resources associated with the CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs as recited in claim 8, further comprising the resource:

parsing a file location for the received content object from the call;

parsing a variable from the mutator;

reading the received content object from the file location; and

processing the received content object according to the variable with the resource.

13. The method for processing content objects with the plurality of resources associated with the CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs as recited in claim 8, further comprising resolving overlap between the policy and the other policies found applicable to the content object.

14. The method for processing content objects with the plurality of resources associated with the CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the applicability criteria specifies a tag, and

the tag is used to select the resource from a plurality of resources.

15. The method for processing content objects with the plurality of resources associated with the CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs as recited in claim 8, wherein the specified processing includes storing the received content object on a storage medium that has a tag specified in the policy.

16. A content delivery network (CDN) having a plurality of geographically distributed points of presence (POPs) for processing content objects with a plurality of resources, the CDN comprising two or more hardware servers having one or more processors for:

enrolling the plurality of resources to be accessible from the CDN;

categorizing each of the plurality of resources using a plurality of tags that categorize the plurality of resources, and the plurality of resources includes a resource;

receiving selection of a policy from a plurality of policies, wherein the plurality of policies define processes to perform on content objects stored at the CDN, wherein the selected policy includes an applicability criteria and a call to the resource;

receiving, at the CDN, metadata related to a content object, a requester of the content object and/or a provider of the content object;

receiving the content object for storage at the CDN;

determining that the policy is applicable and that other policies are not applicable to the received content object based on an analysis of the metadata and the applicability criteria of the policy; and

calling the resource according to the call in the policy to cause the resource to perform specified processing on the received content object.

17. The CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs for processing content objects with a plurality of resources as recited in claim 16, wherein the resource is a storage brick.

18. The CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs for processing content objects with a plurality of resources as recited in claim 16, wherein at least some of the plurality of resources are located outside the CDN.

19. The CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs for processing content objects with a plurality of resources as recited in claim 16, wherein the resource is a storage medium, an application program interface (API) to a software processor, a transcoder, a compression engine, an ad insertion function, a syndication engine, an cryptoengine, a thumbnail generator, an ad insertion engine, or a content syndication service.

20. The CDN having the plurality of geographically distributed POPs for processing content objects with a plurality of resources as recited in claim 16, wherein the policy further includes a storage disposition defining how to store the received content object.