Customer-specific request-response processing in a content delivery network

• US 9,516,136 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• 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:
  US14/302,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20140372589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 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 computer-implemented method in a content delivery network (CDN) includes, at a mechanism in said CDN: responsive to a request, determining a particular sequencer to handle the request, the particular sequencer comprising a sequence of one or more handlers, wherein the request is associated with a particular customer of said CDN and wherein a first at least some of the one or more handlers in the particular sequence are determined based on the particular customer; and processing the request in accordance with the particular sequencer by invoking the one or more handlers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method in a content delivery network (CDN), the method comprising, at a mechanism in said CDN:

(A) responsive to a request, determining a particular sequencer to handle the request, said particular sequencer comprising a sequence of one or more handlers, wherein said request is associated with a particular customer of said CDN and wherein a first at least some of said one or more handlers in said particular sequence are determined based on said particular customer; and

(B) processing the request in accordance with the particular sequencer by invoking the one or more handlers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first at least some of said one or more handlers in said particular sequence that are determined based on said particular customer are specified by said particular customer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said first at least some of said one or more handlers in said particular sequence that are specified by said particular customer are determined based on a customer configuration script (CCS) associated with said particular customer.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said first at least some of said one or more handlers in said particular sequence that are specified by said particular customer are specified in said customer configuration script (CCS) associated with said particular customer.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

(A)(0) responsive to said request, (i) obtaining said CCS associated with said particular customer.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said obtaining of said CCS comprises:

determining whether said CCS is stored locally at a cache server mechanism, and when said particular CCS is not stored locally at said cache server mechanism, attempting to obtain said CCS from another data source.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said CDN comprises a control core and wherein said cache server mechanism attempts to obtain said CCS from said control core.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising including any customer-specific handlers specified in said CCS in said particular sequence of one or more handlers.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a default request-response sequencer is available for processing requests for resources, and wherein said customer-specific handlers specified in said CCS are combined with said default request-response sequencer.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said customer-specific handlers specified in said CCS are combined with said default request-response sequencer by replacing at least some handlers in said default request-response sequencer.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said default request-response sequencer includes one or more locations at which customer-specific processing may take place and wherein said CCS specifies at least one handler for at least one of said one or more locations.

12. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

determining whether said CCS is valid.

13. The method of claim 3 wherein one or more handlers in said CCS are stored in compiled form.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more handlers are stored in a database.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(A)(0) responsive to said request, determining said particular customer associated with said request, wherein said particular sequencer is determined in (A) based on said particular customer.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether said customer is a valid customer prior to processing said request in (B).

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the mechanism in the CDN is a cache server in the CDN.

18. A device, operable in a content delivery network (CDN), the device comprising:

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

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

(A) responsive to a request, determine a particular sequencer to handle the request, said particular sequencer comprising a sequence of one or more handlers, wherein said request is associated with a particular customer of said CDN and wherein a first at least some of said one or more handlers in said particular sequence are determined based on said particular customer; and

(B) process the request in accordance with the particular sequencer by invoking the one or more handlers.

19. 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) comprising:

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

(A) responsive to a request, determine a particular sequencer to handle the request, said particular sequencer comprising a sequence of one or more handlers, wherein said request is associated with a particular customer of said CDN and wherein a first at least some of said one or more handlers in said particular sequence are determined based on said particular customer; and

(B) process the request in accordance with the particular sequencer by invoking the one or more handlers.