Devices and methods supporting content delivery with rendezvous services having dynamically configurable log information

• US 9,660,875 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• 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): ALGIBHAH, HAMZA N
• Application Number:
  US13/715,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20140173045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 709219
• 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 device supporting content delivery is configured to run at least one content delivery (CD) service of a plurality of CD services. The plurality of CD services include rendezvous services with dynamically configurable log information.

Claims

1. A device, operable in a content delivery (CD) system comprising a plurality of computers, each computer comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, each computer configured to run at least two CD service of a plurality of CD services, wherein said CD services include adaptation services, and wherein at least one of said CD services on each computer of said plurality of computers is an adaptation service,

said device comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor and:

(i) a device configuration; and

(ii) an adaptation service configured to provision and configure CD services on said device in accordance with said device configuration; and

wherein said CD services include collector services, and control services, and wherein at least a first some of said plurality of computers run collector services, wherein said collector services running on said first some of said plurality of computers comprise a collector system, and at least a second some of said plurality of computers run control services, wherein and said control services running on said second some of said plurality of computers comprise a control system; and

wherein said collector system provides state information to said control system and to CD services in said CD system, said state information being based on event information input to said collector system from one or more CD services in said CD system, and wherein

said control system provides control information to CD services in said CD system, at least some of said control information being based on state information from the collector system; and

wherein

each particular CD service on the device is configured to;

(a) to generate information relating to operation of said particular CD service; and

(b) to provide at least some of said information as event information to at least one other CD service; and

(c) to obtain first information from other CD services in said CD system, said first information including;

(c)(1) control information from the control system, and (c)(2) state information from the collector system, and

(d) to base operation of said particular CD service on said first information,

wherein said CD services further include rendezvous services, and wherein at least one CD service on the device is a rendezvous service configured to provide rendezvous service on behalf of the CD system, and wherein information relating to operation of said rendezvous service, includes information about requests made of the rendezvous service.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said CD services further include reducer services, wherein at least a third some of said computers run reducer services, said third some of said computers running reducer services comprise a reducer services network;

and wherein at least some of said reducer services in said reducer services network provide event output to at least some collector services in said collector system, said event output being based on event output from said at least some of said CD services,

wherein said at least one other CD service to which said device is configured to provide event information in (b) is selected from;

(i) at least one collector service in said collector system; and

(ii) at least one reducer service in said reducer services network.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the first information obtained by the particular CD service in (c) includes invalidation information.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the rendezvous service is configured to configured to provide policy-based rendezvous service on behalf of the CD system.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the first information includes information about subscriber-specific rendezvous processing.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said rendezvous service is configured to provide rendezvous service on behalf of the CD system using a domain name system (DNS).

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said rendezvous service provides domain name system (DNS) name service on behalf of the CD system.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the rendezvous service is part of a rendezvous network, and wherein said rendezvous network provides DNS service on behalf of the CD system.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the rendezvous network directs requests for resources to corresponding locations in the CD system from which the content can be obtained.

10. The device of claim 2 wherein said first some of said plurality of computers that run collector services are distinct from said third some of said plurality of computers that run reducer services.

11. The device of claim 2 wherein at least some of:

(i) said first some of said plurality of computers that run collector services, and (ii) said second some of said plurality of computers that run control services, and (iii) said third some of said plurality of computers that run reducer services overlap.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the kind of information to be generated in (a) by each particular CD service on the computer relating to operation of said particular CD service on the computer is configurable.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the kind of information to be generated by each particular CD service on the device relating to operation of said particular CD service on the computer is configured during initialization of the particular CD service.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the kind of information to be generated by each CD service on the device is based on the kind of CD service.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein each CD service on the device provides information in (b) to at least two other CD services.

16. The device of claim 2 wherein each CD service on the device provides information in (b) to at least two or more reducers in the reducer system, and wherein at least one of the two or more reducers in the reducer system is a reducer service running on the device.

17. The device of claim 11 wherein each particular CD service on the device provides information to said at least one other CD service using information obtained during configuration of said particular CD service on the device.

18. The device of claim 1 wherein the kind of information generated by each particular CD service on the device is reconfigurable, under control of the adaptation service on the device, during operation of the particular CD service on the device.

19. The device of claim 1 wherein each particular CD service on the device provides information to the at least one other CD service in (b) as one or more event streams.

20. The device of claim 2 wherein each particular CD service on the device provides information to the at least one other CD service in (b) as one or more event streams, and where at least one of the one or more event streams is provided to multiple reducers in said reducer system.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein at least one of the multiple reducers in the reducer system is a reducer service running on the device.

22. The device of claim 20 where each of the one or more event streams is provided to multiple reducers in said reducer system using information obtained during configuration of each said particular CD service on the device.

23. The device of claim 20 wherein at least one particular CD service on the device provides information as two or more event streams, wherein a first of said two or more event streams being provided to a first group of reducers in said reducer system, and wherein a second of said two or more event streams being provided to a second group of reducers in said reducer system, said second group of reducers being distinct from said first group of reducers.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein at least one of the reducers in the first group of reducers is a reducer service running on the device.

25. The device of claim 1 wherein at least some of the first information obtained in (c) was derived based on information provided to said at least one other CD service by at least some of the plurality of CD services on the device.

26. The device of claim 23 wherein at least some of the first information obtained in (c) was derived based on information provided by at least some of the plurality of CD services running on other computers in the CD system.

27. A content delivery (CD) system comprising:

a plurality of computers, each computer comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, each computer configured to run at least two CD service of a plurality of CD services,

wherein said CD services include adaptation services, and collector services, and control services, and wherein at least one of said CD services on each computer of said plurality of computers is an adaptation service, and wherein at least a first some of said plurality of computers run collector services, wherein said collector services running on said first some of said plurality of computers comprise a collector system, and at least a second some of said plurality of computers run control services, wherein and said control services running on said second some of said plurality of computers comprise a control system; and

wherein said collector system provides state information to said control system and to CD services in said CD system, said state information being based on event information input to said collector system from one or more CD services in said CD system, and wherein

said control system provides control information to CD services in said CD system, at least some of said control information being based on state information from the collector system; and

wherein,

at least one of said computers is a device comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor and;

(i) a device configuration; and

(ii) an adaptation service configured to provision and configure CD services on said device in accordance with said device configuration; and

each particular CD service on the device is configured to;

(a) to generate information relating to operation of said particular CD service; and

(b) to provide at least some of said information as event information to at least one other CD service; and

(c) to obtain first information from other CD services in said CD system, said first information including;

(c)(1) control information from the control system, and (c)(2) state information from the collector system, and

(d) to base operation of said particular CD service on said first information,

wherein said CD services further include rendezvous services, and wherein at least one CD service on the device is a rendezvous service configured to provide rendezvous service on behalf of the CD system, and wherein information relating to operation of said rendezvous service, includes information about requests made of the rendezvous service.

28. The CD system of claim 27 wherein said CD services further include reducer services, wherein at least a third some of said computers run reducer services, said third some of said computers running reducer services comprise a reducer services network;

and wherein at least some of said reducer services in said reducer services network provide event output to at least some collector services in said collector system, said event output being based on event output from said at least some of said CD services,

wherein said at least one other CD service to which said device is configured to provide event information in (b) is selected from;

(i) at least one collector service in said collector system; and

(ii) at least one reducer service in said reducer services network.

29. The CD system of claim 27 wherein the first information includes invalidation information.

30. The CD system of claim 27 wherein the rendezvous service is configured to configured to provide policy-based rendezvous service on behalf of the CD system.

31. The CD system of claim 30 wherein the first information includes information about subscriber-specific rendezvous processing.

32. The CD system of claim 27 wherein said rendezvous service is configured to provide rendezvous service on behalf of the CD system using a domain name system (DNS).

33. The CD system of claim 27 wherein said rendezvous service provides domain name system (DNS) name service on behalf of the CD system.

34. The CD system of claim 27 wherein the rendezvous service is part of a rendezvous network, and wherein said rendezvous network provides DNS service on behalf of the CD system.

35. The CD system of claim 34 wherein the rendezvous network directs requests for resources to corresponding locations in the CD system from which the content can be obtained.

36. The CD system of claim 27 wherein the kind of information to be generated in by each particular CD service on the device relating to operation of said particular CD service on the device is configurable under control of the adaptation service on the device, during operation of the particular CD service on the device.

37. The CD system of claim 27 wherein the at least one other CD service to which the device is to provide information is configurable under control of the adaptation service on the device, during operation of the particular CD service on the device.

38. A computer-implemented method, operable on a device in a content delivery (CD) system comprising a plurality of computers, each computer comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, each computer configured to run at least two CD service of a plurality of CD services, wherein said CD services include adaptation services, and wherein at least one of said CD services on each computer of said plurality of computers is an adaptation service, said device comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, said method comprising:

(A) by an adaption service on said device;

provisioning and configuring CD services on said device in accordance with a device configuration;

(B) by a particular CD service on said device;

(B)(1) generating information relating to operation of said particular CD service on said device; and

(B)(2) providing at least some of said information as event information to at least one other CD service; and

(B)(3) obtaining first information from other CD services in said CD system, said first information including;

(B)(3) (1) control information from a control system, and

(B)(3) (2) state information from a collector system;

wherein said CD services include collector services and control services, and wherein at least a first some of said plurality of computers in said CD system run collector services, wherein said collector services running on said first some of said plurality of computers comprise a collector system, and at least a second some of said plurality of computers in said CD system run control services, wherein and said control services running on said second some of said plurality of computers comprise a control system; and

wherein said collector system provides state information to said control system and to CD services in said CD system, said state information being based on event information input to said collector system from one or more CD services in said CD system, and wherein said control system provides control information to CD services in said CD system, at least some of said control information being based on state information from the collector system; and

(B)(4) basing operation of said particular CD service on said first information,

wherein said CD services further include rendezvous services, and wherein at least one CD service on the device is a rendezvous service configured to provide rendezvous service on behalf of the CD system, and wherein information relating to operation of said rendezvous service, includes information about requests made of the rendezvous service.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said CD services further include reducer services, wherein at least a third some of said computers run reducer services, said third some of said computers running reducer services comprise a reducer services network;

and wherein at least some of said reducer services in said reducer services network provide event output to at least some collector services in said collector system, said event output being based on event output from said at least some of said CD services,

wherein said at least one other CD service is selected from;

(i) at least one collector service in said collector system; and

(ii) at least one reducer service in said reducer services network.