Content delivery network

• US 9,451,045 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Newton, Christopher, Lipstone, Laurence R., Crowder, William, Koller, Jeffrey G., Fullagar, David, Yevmenkin, Maksim
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US13/714,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• 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 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• 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 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A device is operable in a content delivery network (CDN). The device has a cache server mechanism constructed and adapted to: upon joining the CDN, obtain global configuration data from a control core of the CDN; and, having joined the CDN, obtain updated global configuration data, if needed; and obtain customer configuration information associated with at least one customer of the CDN. The device serves a particular resource associated with a particular customer of the CDN in accordance with (i) the global configuration data, and (ii) customer configuration information obtained in and associated with the particular customer.

Claims

1. A device, operable in a content delivery network (CDN), said CDN serving resources on behalf of one or more customers of the CDN, the device comprising:

(i) hardware including memory and at least one processor; and

(ii) a cache server mechanism constructed and adapted to;

(b)(1) upon joining the CDN,

(b)(1)(1) obtain global configuration data from a control core of the CDN; and

(b)(2) having joined the CDN,

(b)(2)(1) obtain updated global configuration data, if needed; and

(b)(2)(2) obtain customer configuration information associated with at least one customer of the CDN;

(b)(2)(3) serve to a client a particular resource associated with a particular customer of the CDN in accordance with (i) the global configuration data, and (ii) customer configuration information obtained in (b)(2)(2) and associated with the particular customer.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said cache server mechanism is constructed and adapted to, upon joining the CDN,

(b)(1)(2) obtain data from one or more other locations in the CDN.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein processing by said cache server mechanism in (b)(2)(2) to obtain customer configuration information associated with a specific customer occurs upon receipt of a request for content associated with the specific customer.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein processing by said cache server mechanism in (b)(2)(2) to obtain customer configuration information associated with a specific customer occurs prior to receipt of a request for content associated with the specific customer.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein customer configuration information associated with the particular customer comprises one or more scripts to be used by the cache server mechanism to process requests for content associated with the particular customer.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the customer configuration information comprises at least one CDN resource.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the customer configuration information associated with the particular customer comprises at least one customer configuration script (CCS) associated with the particular customer.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the customer configuration information associated with the particular customer specifies customer-specific processing requirements for content served on behalf of that customer.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the global configuration data comprises at least one CDN resource.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the global configuration data comprises global configuration object (GCO).

11. The device of claim 2 wherein the one or more other locations in the CDN comprise at least one location selected from:

a cache server, a cache server site, a region of cache servers, a cache cluster, and a cache cluster site.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the one or more other locations in the CDN comprise at least one peer location.

13. The device of claim 2 wherein the cache server mechanism determines said one or more other locations using said information in said global configuration data.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein said cache server mechanism obtains said updated global configuration data from one or more locations in the CDN.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the one or more locations in the CDN comprise one or more locations selected from:

(i) the control core; and

(ii) one or more locations selected from;

a cache server, a cache server mechanism site, a region of cache server mechanisms, a cache cluster, and a cache cluster site.

16. The device of claim 1 wherein the control core comprises a distributed system consisting of a plurality of machines.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the control core uses a distributed consensus algorithm to achieve consensus among the plurality of machines.

18. The device of claim 1 wherein said cache server mechanism is further constructed and adapted to:

determine validity of a version of global configuration data stored on said cache server mechanism, and wherein said cache server mechanism obtains updated global configuration data in (b)(2)(1) when said cache server mechanism determines that said version of said global configuration data stored on said cache server mechanism is invalid.

19. The device of claim 1 wherein said cache server mechanism is further constructed and adapted to:

determine validity of a version of particular customer configuration information associated with a particular customer and stored on said cache server mechanism, and wherein said cache server mechanism obtains customer configuration information in (b)(2)(2) when said cache server mechanism determines that said version of said particular customer configuration information stored on said cache server mechanism is invalid.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein said cache server mechanism is constructed and adapted to determine said validity of said version of particular customer configuration information stored on said cache server mechanism in response to a request to serve content associated with said particular customer.

21. The device of claim 1 wherein the CDN further comprises:

(c) at least one rendezvous mechanism.

22. The device of claim 1 wherein the CDN further comprises:

(d) a collector system comprising one or more collector mechanisms, each of said collector mechanisms being constructed and adapted to;

(d)(1) obtain information from at least one cache server mechanism.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein said cache server mechanism is further constructed and adapted to:

(b)(3) generate information; and

(b)(4) provide at least some of said generated information to said collector system.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein said cache server mechanism provides at least some of said generated information in (b)(4) by streaming said at least some of said generated information to one or more collector mechanisms in said collector system.

25. The device of claim 1 wherein the CDN has customer configuration information associated therewith, and wherein said cache server mechanism serves CDN content in accordance with the global configuration data and the customer configuration information associated with the CDN.

26. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

an executive system supporting concurrent processing of tasks on said device.

27. A computer program product having computer readable instructions stored on non-transitory computer readable media, the computer readable instructions including instructions for implementing a computer-implemented method, said method operable in a content delivery network (CDN), said CDN serving resources on behalf of one or more customers of the CDN, said method comprising:

(a) a control core; and

(b) a plurality of cache servers, the method comprising, by hardware and software on a cache server mechanism of said plurality of cache servers;

(A) obtaining global configuration data from the control core;

(B) selectively obtaining updated global configuration data; and

(C) obtaining customer configuration information associated with a particular customer of the CDN;

(D) serving to a client particular content associated with the particular customer in accordance with (i) the global configuration data; and

(ii) the customer configuration information associated with the particular customer.

28. The computer program product of claim 27 further comprising:

(A)(2) obtaining data from one or more other locations in the CDN.

29. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the obtaining of said customer configuration information in (C) occurs upon receipt of a request of said cache server mechanism for content associated with the particular customer.

30. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the obtaining of said customer configuration information in (C) occurs prior to receipt of a request of said cache server mechanism for content associated with the particular customer.

31. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the customer configuration information comprises one or more scripts to be used by the cache server mechanism to process requests for content associated with the particular customer.

32. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the customer configuration information comprises at least one CDN resource.

33. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the customer configuration information comprises at least one customer configuration script (CCS) associated with the particular customer.

34. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the customer configuration information associated with the particular customer specifies customer-specific processing for content served on behalf of that customer.

35. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the global configuration data comprises at least one CDN resource.

36. The computer program product of claim 35 wherein the global configuration data comprises global configuration object (GCO).

37. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein the one or more other locations in the CDN comprise at least one location selected from:

a cache server, a cache server site, a region of cache servers, a cache cluster, and a cache cluster site.

38. The computer program product of claim 37 wherein the one or more other locations in the CDN comprise at least one peer location.

39. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein the cache server mechanism determines said one or more other locations using said information in said global configuration data.

40. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein said cache server mechanism obtains said updated global configuration data in (B) from one or more locations in the CDN.

41. The computer program product of claim 40 wherein the one or more locations in the CDN comprise one or more locations selected from:

(i) the control core; and

(ii) one or more locations selected from;

a cache server, a cache server site, a region of cache servers, a cache cluster, and a cache cluster site.

42. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the control core comprises a distributed system consisting of a plurality of machines.

43. The computer program product of claim 42 wherein the control core uses a distributed consensus algorithm to achieve needed consensus among the plurality of machines.

44. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the method further comprises:

(F) determining validity of a version of global configuration data stored on said cache server mechanism, and wherein said cache server mechanism obtains updated global configuration data in (B) when said cache server mechanism determines that said version of said global configuration data stored on said cache server mechanism is invalid.

45. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the method further comprises:

(G) determining validity of a version of particular customer configuration information associated with the particular customer and stored on said cache server mechanism, and wherein said cache server mechanism obtains customer configuration information in (C) when said cache server mechanism determines that said version of said particular customer configuration information stored on said cache server mechanism is invalid.

46. The computer program product of claim 45 wherein said cache server mechanism determines validity of said version of particular customer configuration information in (G) in response to a request to serve content associated with said particular customer.

47. The computer program product of claim 45 wherein said cache server mechanism determines validity of said version of particular customer configuration information in (G) prior to a request to serve content associated with said particular customer.

48. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the CDN further comprises:

(d) a collector system comprising one or more collector mechanisms, each of said collector mechanisms being constructed and adapted to obtain information from at least one cache server, and wherein the method further comprises;

(E) generating information; and

(F) providing at least some of said generated information to said collector system.

49. The method of claim 48 wherein said providing in (F) comprises:

(F)(1) streaming said at least some of said generated information to one or more collector mechanisms in said collector system.

50. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the method further comprises:

(E) obtaining second customer configuration information associated with a second customer of the CDN, said second customer being distinct from said particular customer; and

(F) serving second particular content associated with the second customer in accordance with (i) the global configuration data, and (ii) the second customer configuration information associated with the second customer.

51. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the CDN has customer configuration information associated therewith, and wherein the cache server mechanism serves CDN content in accordance with the global configuration data and the customer configuration information associated with the CDN.