Server load balancing using geodata

• US 8,850,013 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2010
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Waldman, Jaron, Ben-David, Moran, Leslie, John Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuoc
• Assistant Examiner(s): John, Clarence
• Application Number:
  US12/777,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/203, 709/234, 709/235
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/502 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system

Abstract

The present technology relates to serving geodata based on location of a requesting device. More specifically, the technology efficiently services requests for geodata, e.g., map data, by directing requests to a server that stores a shard of an entire database of geodata. A request for geodata includes an unencrypted header having a location of a device making the request for geodata. The present technology relates the location to a shard storing data relevant to the location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for storing and manipulating map data describing map objects, the method comprising:

receiving, from a mobile computing device, a request for map data describing one or more map objects located in a first geographic region, wherein the request includes an unencrypted header portion and an encrypted message portion, and the unencrypted header portion stores approximate location coordinates of the mobile computing device identifying an approximate location of the mobile computing device within the first geographic region;

identifying one or more servers storing the one or more map objects for the first geographic region based on the approximate location coordinates in the unencrypted header portion; and

routing the request to at least one of the identified one or more servers, wherein the request is serviced based on the encrypted message portion and the encrypted message portion stores detailed location coordinates of the mobile computing device identifying an actual location of the mobile computing device within the first geographic region, and the actual location of the mobile computing device is not identified via the unencrypted header portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted message portion comprises the detailed location coordinates of the mobile computing device and one or more search parameters.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the encrypted message portion is configured to be decrypted and processed by the at least one of the identified one or more servers to service the request for map data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the identified one or more servers is configured to decrypt the encrypted message portion and service the request for map data by returning a map object located in the first geographic region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the map data describing the one or more map objects is redundantly stored on a plurality of servers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request is routed based on one or more factors, and at least one of the factors comprises a response time of each server of the plurality of servers redundantly storing the one or more map objects and one or more associated attributes for the first geographic region, thereby balancing a load on each server of the plurality of servers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the approximate location coordinates comprise an approximate longitude of the mobile computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the approximate location coordinates further comprise an approximate latitude of the mobile computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second request for map data describing one or more map objects located in a second geographic region different from the first geographic region, the second request comprising a second unencrypted header portion and a second encrypted message portion;

determining an approximate location associated with the second geographic region; and

including the approximate location in the second unencrypted header portion.

10. A system for storing and manipulating map data describing map objects, the system comprising:

a plurality of servers collectively storing map data in random access memory (RAM),

wherein the map data is divided into a plurality of shards and each server has one or more shards of the plurality of shards of map data stored thereon; and

a content switch configured to;

receive, from a mobile computing device, a request for at least a portion of the map data describing one or more map objects located in a first geographic region, wherein the request includes an unencrypted header portion and an encrypted message portion, and the unencrypted header portion stores approximate location coordinates of the mobile computing device identifying an approximate location of the mobile computing device within the first geographic region,

identify at least one server from among the plurality of servers that stores the one or more map objects for the first geographic region based on the approximate location coordinates in the unencrypted header portion, and

route the request for at least a portion of the map data to the identified at least one server, wherein the request is serviced based on the encrypted message portion and the encrypted message portion stores detailed location coordinates of the mobile computing device identifying an actual location of the mobile computing device within the first geographic region, and the actual location of the mobile computing device is not identified via the unencrypted header portion.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the encrypted message portion comprises the detailed location coordinates of the mobile computing device and one or more search parameters.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein each shard of the plurality of shards includes map data for a defined geographic area.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein one or more shards of the plurality of shards are redundantly stored on two or more servers of the plurality of servers.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein more than one shard of the plurality of shards is stored on a same server.

15. A product for storing and manipulating map data describing map objects, the product comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed by a processor included in a computing device, cause the computing device to carry out steps that include;

receiving a request for the map data describing one or more map objects from a mobile computing device, the one or more map objects located in a first geographic region;

including, in the request, an unencrypted header portion and an encrypted message portion, wherein the unencrypted header portion stores approximate location coordinates of the mobile computing device identifying an approximate location of the mobile computing device within the first geographic region;

extracting the approximate location coordinates from the unencrypted header portion;

identifying one or more servers storing the one or more map objects for the first geographic region based on the approximate location coordinates extracted from the unencrypted header portion;

selecting one of the identified one or more servers based on one or more load balancing considerations; and

routing the request to the selected server, wherein the request is serviced based on the encrypted message portion and the encrypted message portion stores detailed location coordinates of the mobile computing device identifying an actual location of the mobile computing device within the first geographic region, and the actual location of the mobile computing device is not identified via the unencrypted header portion.

16. The product of claim 15, wherein the map data is redundantly stored on a plurality of servers.

17. The product of claim 16, wherein one of the load balancing considerations includes a response time of each server of the plurality of servers.

18. The product of claim 15, wherein the approximate location coordinates comprise an approximate longitude of the mobile computing device making the request for map data.

19. The product of claim 15, wherein the approximate location coordinates comprise an approximate latitude of the mobile computing device.

20. The product of claim 15, wherein the selected server is configured to decrypt the encrypted message portion and service the request for the map data.