Invalidation systems, methods, and devices

• US 9,634,905 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Newton, Christopher, Varney, Lewis Robert, Lipstone, Laurence R., Crowder, William, Swart, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANIWANG, JOSEPH R
• Application Number:
  US13/802,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20140172944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 709202, 711113, 711118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0808 with cache invalidating means G06F12/0815 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• 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 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 : Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 : using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 : using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/58 : Caching of addresses or names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 : Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 : specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1078 : Resource delivery mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 : Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 : Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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 69/03 : Protocol definition or specification protocol conformance testing H04L1/244

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a service running on the hardware, invalidation information relating to one or more resources; and determining whether the invalidation information relates to any resources currently stored on the service. Based on the determining, when the invalidation information relates to at least one resource not currently cached on the service, maintaining on the service at least some of the invalidation information; and using the maintained invalidation information on the service to prevent subsequent use of a version of at least one resource not currently stored on the service.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method operable on a device comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, the method comprising:

(A) receiving, at a service running on said hardware, invalidation information, the invalidation information comprising one or more invalidation commands, wherein at least one of said one or more invalidation commands comprises at least one group invalidation command that specifies a group of resources, wherein said at least one group invalidation command may relate, at least in part, to resources not currently stored on said service;

(B) determining whether said invalidation information relates to information not currently stored on said service, and, based on said determining,

(B)(1) when said invalidation information relates to information not currently stored on said service, maintaining on said service at least some of said invalidation information that relates to said information not currently stored on said service; and

(C) said service using said maintained invalidation information to prevent subsequent use of a version of information not currently stored on said service.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

based on said determining in (B),

(B)(2) when said invalidation information relates to information already stored on said service, marking said information already stored on said service as not usable.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the invalidation information is received at said service as part of an invalidation manifest comprising said one or more invalidation commands.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a second at least one of said one or more invalidation commands is an invalidation command that specifies a single resource.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein, when an invalidation command specifies a group of resources, the group is specified by a pattern.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the pattern is specified by one or more of:

regular expressions and glob patterns.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said version of said information is obtained in response to a request made of said service.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the request is a request for a resource.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the information comprises the resource.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the information is used to derive a response to the request.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said invalidation information relates to a resource.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the resource is associated with an origin, the method further comprising:

associating a minimum origin version and a resource origin version with each resource, wherein said invalidation information for a resource specifies the minimum origin version for said resource, and wherein said service uses said minimum origin version for said resource and said resource origin version for an already-stored version of the resource to determine whether said already-stored version of the resource is considered not usable.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

(D) associating a minimum origin version and a latest origin version with each resource.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

(D) said service obtaining a copy of information not currently stored on said service, wherein said service uses at least one of said minimum origin version and said latest origin version to obtain said copy.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said service obtains said copy of said information from said origin, and wherein said copy is obtained based on a function of said latest origin version.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said service obtains said copy of said information from a peer, and wherein said copy is obtained based on a function of said minimum origin version and said latest origin version.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said service is a delivery service in a content delivery network.

18. A computer-implemented method operable on a device comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, the method comprising:

(A) receiving, at a service running on said hardware, invalidation information relating to one or more resources, the invalidation information comprising one or more invalidation commands, wherein at least one of said one or more invalidation commands comprises at least one group invalidation command that specifies a group of resources, wherein said at least one group invalidation command may relate, at least in part, to resources not currently cached on said service;

(B) determining whether said invalidation information relates to any resources not currently stored on said service, and, based on said determining,

(B)(1) when said invalidation information relates to at least one resource not currently cached on said service, maintaining on said service at least some of said invalidation information that relates to said at least one resource not currently cached on said service; and

(C) said service using said maintained invalidation information on said service to prevent subsequent use of at least one resource not currently stored on said service.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein, when an invalidation command specifies a group of resources, the group is specified by a pattern.

20. A device, comprising:

(a) hardware including memory and at least one processor, and

(b) a service running on said hardware, wherein said service is configured to;

(A) receive invalidation information comprising one or more invalidation commands, wherein at least one of said one or more invalidation commands comprises at least one group invalidation command that specifies a group of resources, wherein said at least one group invalidation command may relate, at least in part, to resources not currently stored on said service;

(B) determine whether said invalidation information relates to information not currently stored on said service, and, based on said determining,

(B)(1) when said invalidation information relates to information not currently stored on said service, maintain on said service at least some of said invalidation information that relates to said information not currently stored on said service; and

(C) use said maintained invalidation information to prevent subsequent use of a version of information not currently stored on said service.

21. A system comprising a device according to claim 20.

22. The device of claim 20 wherein, when an invalidation command specifies a group of resources, the group is specified by a pattern.

23. 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 on a device comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor and running a service on said hardware, said method comprising:

(A) receiving, at said service running on said hardware, invalidation information comprising one or more invalidation commands, wherein at least one of said one or more invalidation commands comprises at least one group invalidation command that specifies a group of resources, wherein said at least one group invalidation command may relate, at least in part, to resources not currently stored on said service;

(B) determining whether said invalidation information relates to information not currently stored on said service, and, based on said determining,

(B)(1) when said invalidation information relates to information not currently stored on said service, maintaining on said service at least some of said invalidation information that relates to said information not currently stored on said service; and

(C) said service using said maintained invalidation information to prevent subsequent use of a version of information not currently stored on said service.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein, when an invalidation command specifies a group of resources, the group is specified by a pattern.