System, apparatus for content delivery for internet traffic and methods thereof

• US 8,982,738 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Li, Sanqi, Qian, Tao, Han, Houxiao, Tian, Hongbo, Lin, Kui
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGA, SORI A
• Application Number:
  US13/105,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20110280153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1489 dependent on congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/306 intercepting packet switched data communications, e.g. Web, Internet or IMS communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/143 Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 : in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 : in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 : for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 : Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 : Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/844 : Message, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 : characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/852 : Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 : Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/888 : severing connection after predetermined time or data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/80 : Arrangements enabling lawful interception [LI]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method of serving media includes receiving a request to serve media content to an user equipment, and receiving caching information regarding the media content. The caching information includes information regarding whether the media content requested by the user equipment is cacheable. A first media server is assigned from a hierarchical set of media servers to serve the user equipment if the media content to be served is cacheable. The hierarchical set of media servers includes a plurality of first type of media servers deployed in a plurality of layer2 (L2) access networks. The user equipment is coupled to the content delivery network through a layer2 access network of the plurality of L2 access networks.

Claims

1. A method of serving media, the method comprising:

receiving a request to serve media content to a user equipment;

receiving caching information regarding the media content, the caching information comprising information regarding whether the media content requested by the user equipment is cacheable; and

assigning a first media server from a hierarchical set of media servers to serve the user equipment if the media content to be served is cacheable, the hierarchical set of media servers comprising a plurality of first type layer3 (L3) based media servers deployed in a plurality of layer2 (L2) access networks and a plurality of second type L3 based media servers deployed in a plurality of L3 networks, the user equipment being coupled to a content delivery network through a layer2 access network of the plurality of L2 access networks, wherein a hierarchy of the hierarchical set of media servers comprises a first level, a second level, and a third level, wherein the first type L3 based media servers are configured to interface with L2 nodes in the L2 access networks via an inter working function unit (IWF) and with L3 nodes in the L3 networks via a separately routable internet protocol (IP) address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the layer2 access network is part of a mobile broad band network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the layer2 access network is part of a fixed broad band network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the caching information regarding the media content is received at a media controller deployed in the content delivery network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media server is a first type of media server of the plurality of L3 based media servers deployed in the plurality of L2 access networks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the caching information is received from a content deep packet inspection (DPI-C) node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the DPI-C node is in the content delivery network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request comprises:

receiving a forwarded GET request at a media controller;

generating a HTTP redirect message including the GET request to the user equipment; and

forwarding the GET request to the first media server through an inter-working function node in the L2 access network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a subset of packet data protocol context information through a direct RESTful API interface.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving context information after creation, update, or deletion of active packet data protocol context information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an augmented HTTP message, the augmented HTTP message comprising packet data protocol context information for the user equipment (UE).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning a first media server comprises:

selecting the first media server from;

the plurality of L3 based media servers deployed in the plurality of L2 access networks,

the plurality of second type of L3 based media servers deployed in a plurality of L3 networks,

a plurality of third type of media servers deployed in a transit network and/or border gateway location, and

a plurality of fourth type of media servers deployed in a peering point.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning a first media server comprises:

selecting a media server in a packet data protocol path of the user equipment, the media server being deployed in the L2 access network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting a media server in the packet data protocol path comprises performing at least one of the following operations:

using location information comprising routing area identity (RAI) or service area identity (SAI);

mapping a range of IP address of the user equipment to a L2 node in the L2 access network;

using a radio access network side Internet Protocol (IP) address of the media server; and

determining an identification number of a L2 node in the L2 access network, and selecting a media server based on the identification number of the L2 node.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning a first media server comprises performing at least one of the following operations:

selecting the media server currently serving the user equipment; and

assigning a first media server comprises using a stored policy.

16. A method of serving media, the method comprising:

receiving a request to serve media content to a user equipment, the user equipment being coupled to a content delivery network through a layer2 access network of a plurality of layer2 access networks;

determining whether the media content to be served is cacheable; and

redirecting the request to serve the media content to a first media server if the media content to be served is cacheable, wherein the first media server is a media server from a hierarchical set of media servers, the hierarchical set of media servers comprising a plurality of first type layer3 (L3) based media servers deployed in the plurality of layer2 (L2) access networks and a plurality of second type L3 based media servers deployed in a plurality of L3 networks, wherein a hierarchy of the hierarchical set of media servers comprises a first level, a second level, and a third level, wherein the first type L3 based media servers are configured to interface with L2 nodes in the L2 access networks via an inter working function unit (IWF) and with L3 nodes in the L3 networks via a separately routable internet protocol (IP) address.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

forwarding the request to a router en route towards a destination address of the request if the media content to be served is not cacheable.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

forwarding the request to a media controller if the media content to be served is cacheable.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the hierarchical set of media servers comprises:

a plurality of third type of media servers deployed in border gateway; and

a plurality of fourth type of media servers deployed in a peering point.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining is performed at a content deep packet inspection (DPI-C) node, and wherein the DPI-C node is deployed in the content delivery network.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining is performed at a content deep packet inspection (DPI-C) node, and wherein the DPI-C node is deployed in a layer3 core access network serving the layer2 access network.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the determining is performed at a content deep packet inspection (DPI-C) node, and wherein the DPI-C node is integrated with a layer3 node.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the L3 node is a gateway server node.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining is performed at a content deep packet inspection (DPI-C) node, and wherein receiving a request to serve media content comprises receiving a GET request at the DPI-C node.

25. A method of serving media, the method comprising:

receiving a request to serve media content to a user equipment;

determining a destination internet protocol (IP) address of the request;

determining whether the media content requested by the user equipment is cacheable;

assigning a first media server from a hierarchical set of media servers to serve the user equipment if the destination IP address matches a stored list of destination IP addresses and if the media content requested by the user equipment is cacheable, the hierarchical set of media servers comprising a plurality of first type layer3 (L3) based media servers deployed in a plurality of layer2 (L2) access networks and a plurality of second type L3 based media servers deployed in a plurality of L3 networks, the user equipment being coupled to a content delivery network through a layer2 access network of the plurality of L2 access networks, wherein a hierarchy of the hierarchical set of media servers comprises a first level, a second level, and a third level, wherein the first type L3 based media servers are configured to interface with L2 nodes in the L2 access networks via an inter working function unit (IWF) and with L3 nodes in the L3 networks via a separately routable internet protocol (IP) address;

repackaging the received request to serve media content into a TCP/IP message;

forwarding the received request to serve media content to the first media server;

at a first media server deployed in the L2 access network, receiving the request to serve the media content;

determining if the cacheable media content is stored in a cache of the first media server; and

serving the cacheable media content from the cache to the user equipment if the media content is stored in the cache of the first media server.