Request routing using a popularity identifier at a DNS nameserver

• US 9,191,458 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2014
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Richardson, David R., Marshall, Bradley E., Sivasubramanian, Swaminathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Murray, Daniel C
• Application Number:
  US14/297,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20140289319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/242, 709/245, 370/351, 370/392
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/668 Internet protocol [IP] address subnets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/566 Routing instructions carried by the data packet, e.g. active networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1036 Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers
• 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 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 : Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739

Abstract

A system, method and computer-readable medium for request routing based on content popularity information are provided. A client computing device transmits a first DNS query to a content delivery network service provider. The content delivery network service provider transmits an alternative resource identifier in response to the client computing device DNS query. The alternative resource identifier is selected as a function of popularity information pertaining to the requested resource. The client computing device then transmits a second DNS query to the content delivery network service provider. The content delivery network service provider can then either resolve the second DNS query with an IP address of a cache component or transmit another alternative resource identifier that will resolve to the content delivery network service provider. The process can repeat until a DNS nameserver resolves a DNS query from the client computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining a DNS query at a first DNS nameserver from a client computing device, the DNS query including at least a portion of a first uniform resource locator associated with a resource, wherein a popularity identifier is included in a DNS portion of the at least a portion of the first uniform resource locator accessible to the first DNS nameserver, and wherein the popularity identifier is associated with the resource;

processing the at least a portion of the first uniform resource locator at the first DNS nameserver to obtain the popularity identifier;

obtaining an alternative resource identifier in response to the DNS query, wherein the alternative resource identifier is selected, at least in part, as a function of the popularity identifier; and

transmitting the alternative resource identifier to the client computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a second DNS query from the client computing device at a second DNS nameserver, wherein the second DNS query corresponds to the alternative resource identifier;

selecting a cache component to provide the resource associated with the alternative resource identifier; and

transmitting information identifying the selected cache component to the client computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second DNS queries are received by one or more content delivery network service providers that are different from an original content provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative resource identifier comprises at least a portion of the information contained within the first uniform resource locator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative resource identifier includes information that causes a DNS query using the alternative resource identifier to resolve to a domain corresponding to a content delivery network service provider.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative resource identifier includes additional routing information not included in the first uniform resource locator.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

parsing the at least a portion of the first uniform resource locator to obtain the popularity identifier; and

obtaining popularity information corresponding to the popularity identifier.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the popularity information is obtained from a content delivery network service provider associated with the first DNS nameserver.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the popularity information corresponds to a frequency at which the resource is requested from the content delivery network service provider.

10. A system comprising:

a computing device, having a processor and a memory to present a first network point of presence associated with a content delivery network service provider,

wherein the first network point of presence includes a first DNS nameserver component that receives a DNS query from a client computing device,

wherein the DNS query corresponds to a resource associated with a first resource identifier,

wherein a popularity identifier is included in a DNS portion of the first resource identifier accessible to the first DNS nameserver component,

wherein the popularity identifier is associated with the resource, and

wherein the first network point of presence is operative to;

process the DNS query at the first DNS nameserver to obtain the popularity identifier;

obtain an alternative resource identifier in response to the DNS query, wherein the alternative resource identifier is selected, at least in part, as a function of the popularity identifier; and

transmit the alternative resource identifier to the client computing device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first network point of presence is further operative to:

obtain a second DNS query from the client computing device at a second DNS nameserver, wherein the second DNS query corresponds to the alternative resource identifier;

select a cache component to provide the resource associated with the alternative resource identifier; and

transmit information identifying the selected cache component to the client computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second DNS queries are received by one or more content delivery network service providers that are different from an original content provider.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the alternative resource identifier comprises at least a portion of the information contained within the first uniform resource locator.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the alternative resource identifier includes information that causes a DNS query using the alternative resource identifier to resolve to a domain corresponding to the content delivery network service provider.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the alternative resource identifier includes additional routing information not included in the first uniform resource locator.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the first network point of presence is further operative to:

parse the first uniform resource locator to obtain the popularity identifier; and

obtain popularity information corresponding to the popularity identifier.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the popularity information is obtained from the content delivery network service provider.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the popularity information corresponds to a frequency at which the resource is requested from the content delivery network service provider.

19. A system comprising:

a computing device, having a processor and a memory to present a first network point of presence associated with a content delivery network service provider,

wherein the first network point of presence includes a first DNS nameserver component that receives a DNS query from a client computing device,

wherein the DNS query corresponds to a resource associated with a first resource identifier,

wherein a popularity identifier is included in a DNS portion of the first resource identifier accessible to the first DNS nameserver component, and

wherein the first network point of presence is operative to;

parse, by the first DNS nameserver component, at least a portion of the first resource identifier so as to obtain the popularity identifier for use in further obtaining popularity information regarding the resource, wherein the popularity information corresponds to the popularity identifier;

generate a second resource identifier based at least upon at least a portion of the popularity information, wherein the second resource identifier resolves to a domain corresponding to the content delivery network service provider; and

transmit the second resource identifier to the client computing device.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor perform operations comprising:

receiving a DNS query from a client computing device by a computing device associated with a content delivery network service provider, wherein the DNS query corresponds to a resource associated with a first resource identifier, wherein a popularity identifier is included in a DNS portion of the first resource identifier accessible to a DNS nameserver component;

parsing, by the DNS nameserver component, at least a portion of the first resource identifier so as to obtain the popularity identifier for use in further obtaining popularity information regarding the resource, wherein the popularity information corresponds to the popularity identifier;

generating a second resource identifier based at least upon at least a portion of the popularity information, wherein the second resource identifier corresponds to a resource cache component of the content delivery network service provider; and

transmitting the second resource identifier to the client computing device.