Methods and apparatus for making byte-specific modifications to requested content

• US 9,654,550 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Ludin, Stephen L., Brookins, Nicholas S., Olugbile, Akinwale O., So, Ronnie
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/498,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20150019633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/38 by adapting coding or compression rate
• 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 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• 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: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

According to this disclosure, a proxy server is enhanced to be able to interpret instructions that specify how to modify an input object to create an output object to serve to a requesting client. Typically the instructions operate on binary data. For example, the instructions can be interpreted in a byte-based interpreter that directs the proxy as to what order, and from which source, to fill an output buffer that is served to the client. The instructions specify what changes to make to a generic input file. This functionality extends the capability of the proxy server in an open-ended fashion and enables it to efficiently create a wide variety of outputs for a given generic input file. The generic input file and/or the instructions may be cached at the proxy. The teachings hereof have applications in, among other things, the delivery of web content, streaming media, and the like.

Claims

1. Computer apparatus for delivering content to a client over a computer network, the apparatus being a server in a distributed computer system, the apparatus comprising:

circuitry forming at least one processor and memory storing first instructions that, upon execution by the at least one processor, provide a special purpose machine that;

receives a client'"'"'s request for content;

obtains first and second content in response to the request, the first and second content being made up of binary data, the first content being associated with a first source and the second content being associated with a second source;

obtains second instructions from another server in the distributed computer system, in response to the request;

applies the second instructions, which specify how to order, modify, or replace one or more bytes within the binary data to create output data in an output buffer, the output buffer including bytes from the first content and from the second content that are contiguous to one another;

wherein the second instructions further specify a function to apply to a group of bytes that includes the bytes from the first content and from the second content that are contiguous in the output buffer;

after the application of the function to the contiguous bytes, sends the contents of the output buffer to the client in response to the request.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first content is obtained by being received from an origin server associated with a content provider.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first content is retrieved from a cache local to the computer apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer apparatus is comprises a proxy server in a content delivery network operated by a content delivery network service provider.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein upon execution the stored first instructions provide a special purpose machine that caches the second instructions in a cache local to the computer apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein upon execution the stored first instructions provide a special purpose machine that obtains replacement data from another server and, in accordance with the second instructions, replaces at least one byte in the binary data with the replacement data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content is at least a portion of a media stream and the application of the second instructions converts the stream from one format to another.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the application of the second instructions watermarks the content.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the function includes at least one of a cipher and a hash function.

9. A method of delivering content to a client over a computer network, the method operative in a server in a distributed computer system, the method comprising:

receiving a client'"'"'s request for content;

obtaining first and second content in response to the request, the first and second content being made up of binary data, the first content being associated with a first source and the second content being associated with a second source;

obtaining instructions from another server in the distributed computer system, in response to the request;

applying the instructions, which specify how to order, modify, or replace one or more bytes within the binary data to create output data in an output buffer, the output buffer including bytes from the first content and from the second content that are contiguous to one another;

wherein the instructions further specify a function to apply to a group of bytes that includes the bytes from the first content and from the second content that are contiguous in the output buffer;

after the application of the function to the contiguous bytes, sending the contents of the output buffer to the client in response to the request.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method operates in a proxy server in a content delivery network.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising caching for re-use any of:

the first content and the instructions.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the function includes at least one of a cipher and a hash function.