Scalable content delivery network request handling mechanism with usage-based billing

• US 9,736,271 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Stevens, Matthew J., Shotton, Frederick R., Janardhan, Vaishnav
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pena-Santana, Tania
• Application Number:
  US14/135,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• 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 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• 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 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

Described herein are improved systems, methods, and devices for delivering and managing metadata in a distributed computing platform such as a content delivery network (CDN) so as to configure content servers to handle client requests. The teachings hereof provide, among other things, scalable and configurable solutions for delivering and managing metadata, preferably by leveraging dynamically obtained control information. For example, in one embodiment, a given content server may store metadata, e.g., in a configuration file, that references dynamic, late-bound control information for use in satisfying dependencies. This dynamic control information can be requested by the CDN content server, typically from a remote host, when needed to parse and execute the metadata.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a server managed by a content delivery network service provider on behalf of a plurality of content providers for delivering content associated with the content providers, the server having circuitry forming one or more processors coupled to memory holding non-transitory computer-program instructions to be executed by the one or more processors to run an HTTP proxy server application and with the HTTP proxy server application cause the server to;

receive a first request for particular content from a client device over a network interface, the particular content being associated with a given content provider;

in response to the first request, determine a configuration file stored at the server to apply for handling the first request, the configuration file being associated with any of;

the given content provider and a service provider to the given content provider that is distinct from the content delivery network service provider;

identify, within the configuration file, a content control that indicates how to handle the first request from within a set of content controls stored at the server in the configuration file, the content control comprising a function that relies on a variable;

wherein the content control has at least one dependency on particular control information, wherein the dependency comprises a reference to the particular control information that sets the value of the variable;

extract an identifier from the first request, the extracted identifier comprising any of (i) at least part of a URI, (ii) at least part of a hostname, and (iii) at least part of a request header field;

in response to the identification of the content control with the at least one dependency, send a second request that includes the extracted identifier to a remote host for the particular control information that will satisfy the dependency;

receive the particular control information from the remote host, the particular control information comprising a policy with logic for the server to execute to set the value of the variable;

satisfy the at least one dependency with the particular control information;

apply the content control to determine how to handle the first request, said application of the content control comprising executing the policy and the logic therein, said application occurring prior to serving a response to the first request;

determine a processing cost associated with the one or more processors of the server executing the policy and the logic therein;

log the processing cost;

the remote host having circuitry forming one or more processors coupled to memory holding non-transitory computer-program instructions to be executed by the one or more processors to cause the remote host to;

receive the second request for the particular control information;

select the policy from amongst a plurality of policies, based at least in part on the extracted identifier sent with the second request; and

,

send the policy to the server, in response to the second request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing cost comprises a CPU cycle count.

3. The system of claim 2, the executed instructions further causing the server to determine the CPU cycle count by taking a plurality of CPU cycle count readings during the execution of the policy and the logic therein.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the CPU cycle count includes only CPU cycles occurring during execution of the policy.

5. The system of claim 2, the executed instructions further causing the server to determine the CPU cycle count by taking one or more CPU cycle count readings using a first counter and one or more CPU cycle count readings using a second counter, wherein reading the first counter is any of:

faster and less costly than reading the second counter.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein reading the second counter is performed to validate a reading from the first counter.

7. The system of claim 1, the executed instructions further causing the server to:

enforce a predetermined limit on the number of CPU cycles that are allowed for executing the policy and the logic therein;

abort execution of the policy and the logic therein if the predetermined limit is exceeded.

8. The system of claim 1, the executed instructions further causing the server to:

send the logged processing cost to a remote computer, the remote computer receiving processing cost data from a plurality of servers, and generating a charge based on the processing cost.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy and logic therein defines one or more categories of traffic to which the particular control information applies.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy and logic therein contains one or more conditions that the server evaluates.

22. The system of claim 1, the executed instructions further causing the server to:

after applying the content control and determining how to handle the first request, send a third request to an origin server for the particular content that was requested by the client device.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the first request comprises an HTTP request.

11. A method implemented with a server managed by a service provider on behalf of a plurality of content providers for delivering content associated with the content providers, and a remote host, the method comprising:

A. with the server;

receiving a first request for particular content from a client device over a network interface, the particular content being associated with one of the content providers;

in response to the first request, determining a configuration file stored at the server to apply for handling the first request, the configuration file being associated with any of;

the given content provider and a service provider to the given content provider that is distinct from the content delivery network service provider;

identifying, within the configuration file, a content control that indicates how to handle the first request from within a set of content controls stored at the server in the configuration file, the content control comprising a function that relies on a variable;

wherein the content control has at least one dependency particular control information, wherein the dependency comprises a reference to the particular control information that sets the value of the variable;

extracting an identifier from the first request, the extracted identifier comprising any of (i) at least part of a URI, (ii) at least part of a hostname, and (iii) at least part of a request header field;

in response to the identification of the content control with the at least one dependency, sending a second request that includes the extracted identifier to a remote host for the particular control information that will satisfy the dependency;

receiving the particular control information from the remote host, the particular control information comprising a policy with logic for the server to execute to set the value of the variable;

satisfy the at least one dependency with the particular control information;

applying the content control to determine how to handle the first request, said application of the content control comprising executing the policy and the logic therein;

determining a processing cost associated with the one or more processors of the server executing the policy and the logic therein;

logging the processing cost;

B. with the remote host;

receiving the second request for the particular control information;

selecting the policy from amongst a plurality of policies, based at least in part on the extracted identifier sent with the second request; and

,

sending the policy to the server, in response to the second request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the processing cost comprises a CPU cycle count.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining the CPU cycle count by taking a plurality of CPU cycle count readings during the execution of the policy.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the CPU cycle count includes only CPU cycles occurring during execution of the policy.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining the CPU cycle count by taking one or more CPU cycle count readings using a first counter and one or more CPU cycle count readings using a second counter, wherein reading the first counter is faster or less costly than reading the second counter.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein-a reading the second counter is performed to validate a reading from the first counter.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

enforcing a predetermined limit on the number of CPU cycles that are allowed for executing the policy and the logic therein;

aborting execution of the policy and the logic therein if the predetermined limit is exceeded.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sending the logged processing cost to a remote computer, the remote computer receiving processing cost data from a plurality of servers, and generating a charge based on the processing cost.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the policy and logic therein defines one or more categories of traffic to which the particular control information applies.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the policy and logic therein contains one or more conditions that the server evaluates.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the policy comprises a content policy.

23. The method of claim 11, further comprising the server, after applying the content control and determining how to handle the first request, sending a third request to an origin server for the particular content that was requested by the client device.

25. The method of claim 11, wherein the first request comprises an HTTP request.