Content delivery network aggregation with selected content delivery

• US 8,943,170 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2011
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ming Li
• Original Assignee: Ming Li
• Inventors: Li, Ming, Lin, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le H
• Application Number:
  US13/178,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/239, 709/240, 709/241, 709/242, 709/243, 709/244, 709/224, 709/219, 709/223, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/225, 370/235, 370/351, 370/392, 705/1.1
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64723 Monitoring of network processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of network load traffic related reporting in data switching networks H04L43/062

Abstract

A content delivery network (CDN) aggregation system is disclosed. A user requesting content from a content provider has his or her DNS request forwarded to a CDN selector. The CDN selector intelligently selects an optimal CDN from amongst a number of partner CDNs to provide the requested content.

Claims

1. A content delivery network aggregator system, the system comprising:

a content delivery network evaluator operable to evaluate each of a plurality of unrelated content delivery networks, wherein each content delivery network of the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks comprises a separate plurality of content servers, wherein each content server is an edge server providing services; and

a content delivery network selector operable to select, based upon an evaluation from the content delivery network evaluator, one of the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks to provide content to a first user and further operable to select a different content delivery network to provide the same content to a second user, and wherein two or more content delivery networks of the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks supply different types of content, wherein said evaluation is based on a network prediction model, wherein said content delivery network selector is operable to communicate an identifier associated with said selected content delivery network to a DNS server.

2. The content delivery network aggregator system of claim 1 further comprising a monitor coupled to the content delivery network evaluator that monitors real-time Internet conditions which are used in evaluating the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks.

3. The content delivery network aggregator system of claim 1, wherein the content delivery network selector selects a particular content delivery network according to a plurality of factors corresponding to a the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks.

4. The content delivery network aggregator system of claim 1, wherein the content delivery network selector selects the particular content delivery network according to distance information.

5. The content delivery network aggregator system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks comprise a domain name server and a plurality of POP servers.

6. A method for providing content through a network comprising:

receiving a DNS request from a local DNS server;

selecting an IP address corresponding to a particular content delivery network from a plurality of unrelated content delivery networks based on a network prediction model, wherein each content delivery network of the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks comprises a separate plurality of content servers, wherein each content server is an edge server providing services, and wherein two or more content delivery networks of the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks supply different types of content;

forwarding the IP address to the local DNS server.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving a second DNS request from a second local DNS server;

selecting an IP address corresponding to a second content delivery network from the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks;

forwarding the IP address corresponding to the second content delivery network to the second DNS server, wherein content hosted by a website is provided to two different users through two different content delivery networks.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising applying an intelligent selection process to select an optimal content delivery network from the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the IP address forwarded to the local DNS server corresponds to a DNS server of the particular content delivery network that was selected.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising storing IP addresses corresponding to domain name servers corresponding to the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks.

11. A content delivery network aggregation system comprising:

a plurality of unrelated partner content delivery networks for providing content, wherein each partner content delivery network of the plurality of unrelated partner content delivery networks comprises a separate plurality of content servers, wherein each content server is an edge server providing services, and wherein two or more content delivery networks of the plurality of unrelated partner content delivery networks supply different types of content;

a content delivery network evaluator operable to evaluate each of the plurality of unrelated partner content delivery networks; and

a content delivery network selector coupled to the plurality of unrelated partner content delivery networks, wherein the content delivery network selector determines which of the unrelated content delivery networks is to provide the content to specific users based upon an evaluation from the content delivery network evaluator, wherein said evaluation is based on a network prediction model, wherein said content delivery network selector is operable to communicate an identifier associated with said selected content delivery network to a DNS server.

12. The content delivery network aggregation system of claim 11, wherein the content delivery network selector intelligently determines as a function of a plurality of variables, which of the content delivery networks is to provide the content to specific users.

13. A method of aggregating a plurality of content delivery networks comprising:

storing a plurality of IP addresses of a plurality of domain name servers corresponding to a plurality of unrelated content delivery networks, wherein each content delivery network of the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks comprises a separate plurality of content servers, wherein each content server is an edge server providing services, and wherein two or more content delivery networks of the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks supply different types of content;

receiving a DNS request to determine an IP address of a website;

forwarding an IP address from the plurality of IP addresses of a domain name server corresponding to a particular content delivery network selected from the plurality of unrelated content delivery networks, wherein said IP address is selected based on a network prediction model.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

forwarding a first IP address of a first domain server corresponding to a first content delivery network in response to a request from a first user;

forwarding a second IP address of a second domain server corresponding to a second content delivery network in response to a request from a second user, wherein the requests from first user and the second user are to the same website.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

selecting different IP addresses corresponding to different domain name servers belonging to different content delivery networks for providing the same content to different users.