Routing mode and point-of-presence selection service

• US 10,097,448 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Howard, Craig Wesley, Uppal, Hardeep Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Chou, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US14/575,816
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 709239
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

Systems and methods for sloppy routing are provided. A client transmits a DNS query corresponding to a requested resource to a content delivery network (CDN) service provider. In some embodiments, the CDN service provider processes the DNS query to determine whether a threshold content delivery bandwidth has been exceeded by data links at cache servers. In other embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the CDN service provider determines whether a content provider has exceeded a threshold network usage that indicates a price at which the CDN service provider to provide content on behalf of the content provider. Using both or either of these thresholds, the CDN service provider can further process the DNS query by providing an alternative resource identifier or a cache IP address, both associated with an alternative POP. In some embodiments, the CDN service provider determines a routing mode for the response to the DNS query.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of a hardware computing device configured with specific computer executable instructions;

obtaining, at a first domain name system (DNS) server from a client computing device, a first DNS query, wherein a first point of presence (POP) of a content delivery network (CDN) service provider includes the first DNS server, wherein the first DNS query is associated with a requested resource, wherein the requested resource is associated with a content provider, and wherein the CDN service provider is different from the content provider;

determining whether the CDN service provider has exceeded a threshold content delivery bandwidth for the first POP, wherein the threshold content delivery bandwidth is determined based at least in part on CDN service provider cost information, wherein the CDN service provider cost information indicates a financial cost of content delivery bandwidth for the CDN service provider, and wherein the threshold content delivery bandwidth is less than a maximum available content delivery bandwidth for the first POP;

selecting, at the first DNS server, (a) an alternative resource identifier associated with a second DNS server at a second POP of the CDN service provider or (b) an IP address of a cache component associated with the second POP, if the CDN service provider is determined to have exceeded the threshold content delivery bandwidth for the first POP, wherein the alternative resource identifier includes information for causing a second DNS query to resolve to the second DNS server of the CDN service provider, wherein the alternative resource identifier is a uniform resource locator (URL) and wherein the second DNS server or the cache component at the second POP is suboptimal for servicing the requested resource; and

transmitting, to the client computing device, the alternative resource identifier or the IP address.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting the alternative resource identifier or the IP address is further based at least in part on a determination that the content provider has exceeded a threshold network usage.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the threshold network usage is determined based at least in part on content provider pricing information, wherein the content provider pricing information includes a flat-rate price for network usage by the content provider.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alternative resource identifier is associated with a CNAME.

5. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of a hardware computing device configured with specific computer executable instructions;

obtaining, at a first domain name system (DNS) server from a client computing device, a first DNS query, wherein a first point of presence (POP) of a content delivery network (CDN) service provider includes the first DNS server, wherein the first DNS query is associated with a requested resource, and wherein the requested resource is associated with a content provider;

determining whether the CDN service provider has exceeded a threshold content delivery bandwidth for the first POP, wherein the threshold content delivery bandwidth is determined based at least in part on CDN service provider financial cost information;

selecting, at the first DNS server, (a) an alternative resource identifier associated with a second DNS server at a second POP of the CDN service provider or (b) an IP address of a cache component associated with the second POP, if the CDN service provider is determined to have exceeded the threshold content delivery bandwidth for the first POP, wherein the alternative resource identifier includes information for causing a second DNS query to resolve to the second DNS server of the CDN service provider, wherein the alternative resource identifier is a uniform resource locator (URL) and wherein the second DNS server or the cache component at the second POP is suboptimal for servicing the requested resource; and

transmitting, to the client computing device, the alternative resource identifier or the IP address.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the CDN service provider is different from the content provider.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the CDN service provider financial cost information indicates a financial cost of content delivery bandwidth for the CDN service provider.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the financial cost information is associated with costs of data links provisioned by the CDN service provider.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the threshold content delivery bandwidth is less than a maximum available content delivery bandwidth for the first POP.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein an available content delivery bandwidth for the first POP varies based at least in part on a time of day.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the available content delivery bandwidth for the first POP is different than a maximum available content delivery bandwidth for another POP of the CDN service provider.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the alternative resource identifier is selected.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 further comprising:

obtaining a second DNS query from the client computing device at the second DNS server, wherein the second DNS query is associated with the alternative resource identifier provided by the CDN service provider;

selecting a cache component associated with the second POP for providing the requested resource; and

transmitting, to the client computing device, information identifying the selected cache component.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein selecting the alternative resource identifier or the IP address is further based at least in part on a determination that the content provider has exceeded a threshold network usage, wherein the threshold network usage is determined based at least in part on content provider pricing information.

15. A system comprising:

a first point of presence (POP) associated with a content delivery network (CDN) service provider, wherein the first POP includes a first domain name system (DNS) server that receives a first DNS query from a client computing device, wherein the first DNS query is associated with a requested resource associated with a content provider, and wherein the first DNS server is operative to;

determine whether the CDN service provider has exceeded a threshold bandwidth for a first cache component associated with the first POP, wherein the threshold bandwidth is determined based at least in part on CDN service provider financial cost information;

select (a) an alternative resource identifier associated with a second DNS server at a second POP of the CDN service provider or (b) an IP address of a second cache component associated with the second POP, if the CDN service provider is determined to have exceeded the threshold bandwidth for the first cache component associated with the first POP, wherein the alternative resource identifier includes information for causing a second DNS query to resolve to the second DNS server of the CDN service provider, wherein the alternative resource identifier is a uniform resource locator (URL) and wherein the second DNS server or the cache component at the second POP is suboptimal for servicing the requested resource; and

transmit, to the client computing device, the alternative resource identifier or the IP address.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the CDN service provider is different from the content provider.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the CDN service provider financial cost information indicates a financial cost of content delivery bandwidth for the CDN service provider.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the threshold content delivery bandwidth is less than a maximum available content delivery bandwidth for the first POP.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first DNS server is further operative to:

determine whether the content provider has exceeded a threshold network usage, wherein the threshold network usage is determined based at least in part on content provider pricing information.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein selecting the alternative resource identifier or the IP address is further based at least in part on the determination of whether the content provider has exceeded a threshold network usage.