Dynamic fill target selection in a content delivery framework

• US 9,887,885 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• 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: Varney, Lewis Robert, Lipstone, Laurence R., Crowder, William, Swart, Andrew, Newton, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ye, Zi
• Application Number:
  US14/579,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20150180724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 709226, 709240, 709223, 709217, 714 44, 726 13
• 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

In a content delivery framework including a network with multiple delivery service endpoints running on devices, the multiple service endpoints forming a plurality of sub-clusters, a group is defined from a set of nodes comprising delivery service instances across the devices of the plurality of sub-clusters. Each node in the group assumes one or more discrete responsibilities involved in processing of a request across the group, the discrete responsibilities including being fill-responsible. A fill-responsible node is selected from the group to be responsible for processing a request made at a node of the group, the request relating to a particular resource. Selection of the fill-responsible node is based on the particular resource, and the fill-responsible node is selected from a set of one or more nodes in the group that are fill-responsible for the particular resource, the set being defined based on a policy associated with the particular resource.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, in a content delivery framework including a network comprising multiple content delivery service endpoints, said content delivery service endpoints running on a plurality of devices, wherein said multiple content service endpoints form a plurality of sub-clusters, the method operable on a device comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, the method comprising:

(A) defining a group from a first set of nodes comprising content delivery service instances across the devices of said plurality of sub-clusters, wherein each node in the group assumes one or more discrete responsibilities involved in processing of a content delivery request across the group, wherein said discrete responsibilities include being fill-responsible for said content delivery request, and wherein the defining of the group is according to a peering policy at least based on capabilities and capacities of nodes in the group, wherein said peering policy maps different request types to different responsibility chains;

(B) selecting, from a second set, a particular fill-responsible node to be responsible for processing a particular content delivery request made at a node of the group, said particular content delivery request relating to particular content comprising a particular resource, said particular resource comprising content deliverable by the content delivery framework, said selecting of said particular fill-responsible node being based on said particular resource,

wherein the second set comprises nodes that are fill-responsible for the particular resource, including (i) one or more nodes in the group that are fill-responsible for the particular resource, and (ii) at least one fill-responsible node outside the group,

said second set being defined based on a policy associated with the particular resource; and

(C) one of;

(C)(1) redirecting said particular content delivery request to said particular fill-responsible node; and

(C)(2) filling the particular resource from said particular fill-responsible node, wherein, in (C)(1) and (C)(2), if said particular fill-responsible node does not have said particular resource in a cache thereof, said particular fill-responsible node fills the particular resource from a remote fill target.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second set of fill-responsible nodes for the particular resource is defined based on one or more of:

(i) popularity of the particular resource, (ii) cacheability of the particular resource, and (iii) size of the particular resource.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the policy associated with the particular resource is determined at request time.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the policy associated with the particular resource is determined at request time based on one or more of:

(i) estimates of the particular resource'"'"'s popularity, (ii) the particular resource'"'"'s cacheability, and (iii) the particular resource'"'"'s size.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the policy associated with the particular resource is also determined using at least one capability of a receiving cluster.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the defining of the group in (A) is repeated.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the defining of the group in (A) is based on capacity of nodes in the group.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(D) processing the particular content delivery request using the particular fill-responsible node.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more fill-responsible nodes in the sat are selected based on (i) a policy in effect at the time of the particular content delivery request, and (ii) a capacity of nodes in the group.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the policy associated with the particular resource is defined for a group of resources deliverable by the content delivery framework.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the group of resources comprises a property, said property comprising one or more resources associated with a subscriber to the content delivery framework.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said group comprises a peer group.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein two or more of said sub-clusters form a super-cluster.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein act (C) to comprises one of (C)(1), (C)(2), and

(C)(3) proxying said particular content delivery request to said particular fill-responsible node,

wherein, in (C)(3), if said particular fill-responsible node does not have said particular resource in a cache thereof, said particular fill-is responsible node fills the particular resource from a remote fill target.

14. A device, operable in a content delivery framework including a network comprising multiple delivery service endpoints, said delivery service endpoints running on a plurality of devices, wherein said multiple service endpoints form a plurality of sub-clusters, the device comprising:

hardware including memory and at least one processor, and

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

(a) define a group from a first set of nodes comprising content delivery service instances across the devices of said plurality of sub-clusters, wherein each node in the group assumes one or more discrete responsibilities involved in processing of a content delivery request across the group, wherein said discrete responsibilities include being fill-responsible for said content delivery request, and wherein the defining of the group is according to a peering policy at least based on capabilities and capacities of nodes in the group, wherein said peering policy maps different request types to different responsibility chains; and

(b) select, from a second set, a particular fill-responsible node to be responsible for processing a particular content delivery request made at a node of the group, said particular content delivery request relating to a particular resource, said selecting of said particular fill-responsible node being based on said particular resource,

wherein the second set comprises nodes that are fill-responsible for the particular resource, including (i) one or more nodes in the group that are fill-responsible for the particular resource, and (ii) at least one fill-responsible node outside the group,

said particular resource comprising content deliverable by the content delivery framework, said second set being defined based on a policy associated with the particular resource; and

(c) one of;

(c)(1) redirect said particular content delivery request to said particular fill-responsible node; and

(c)(2) fill the particular resource from said particular fill-responsible node, wherein, in (c)(1) and (c)(2), if said particular fill-responsible node does not have said particular resource in a cache thereof, said particular fill-responsible node fills the particular resource from a remote fill target.

15. A system comprising at least two devices according to claim 14.

18. The device of claim 14 wherein (c) comprises one of (c)(1), (c)(2), and

(c)(3) proxy said particular content delivery request to said particular fill-responsible node,

wherein, in (c)(3), if said particular fill-responsible node does not have said particular resource in a cache thereof, said particular fill-responsible node fills the particular resource from a remote fill target.

16. An article of manufacture, comprising non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, 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 operable in a content delivery framework including a network comprising multiple delivery service endpoints, said delivery service endpoints running on a plurality of devices, wherein said multiple service endpoints form a plurality of sub-clusters, the method operable on a device comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor,

said method comprising:

(A) defining a group from a first set of nodes comprising delivery service instances across the devices of said plurality of sub-clusters, wherein each node in the group assumes one or more discrete responsibilities involved in processing of a content delivery request across the group, wherein said discrete responsibilities include being fill-responsible for said content delivery request, and wherein the defining of the group is according to a peering policy at least based on capabilities and capacities of nodes in the group, wherein said peering policy maps different request types to different responsibility chains;

(B) selecting, from a second set, a particular fill-responsible node to be responsible for processing a particular content delivery request made at a node of the group, said particular content delivery request relating to a particular resource, said selecting of said fill-responsible node being based on said particular resource,

wherein the second set comprises nodes that are fill-responsible for the particular resource, including (i) one or more nodes in the group that are fill-responsible for the particular resource, and (ii) at least one fill-responsible node outside the group,

said particular resource comprising content deliverable by the content delivery framework, said second set being defined based on a policy associated with the particular resource;

(C) one of;

(C)(1) redirect said particular content delivery request to said particular fill-responsible node;

or

(C)(2) fill the particular resource from said particular fill-responsible node, wherein, in (C)(1) and (C)(2), if said particular fill-responsible node does not have said particular resource in a cache thereof, said particular fill-responsible node fills the particular resource from a remote fill target.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein (C) comprises one of (C)(1), (C)(2), and

(C)(3) proxy said particular content delivery request to said particular fill-responsible node,

wherein, in (C)(3), if said particular fill-responsible node does not have said particular resource in a cache thereof, said particular fill-responsible node fills the particular resource from a remote fill target.