Enhanced multicast-based web server

• US 20030023738A1
• Filed: 07/27/2001
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boivie, Richard H., Feldman, Nancy K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,981,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for distributing web content efficiently across a network preferably using multicast transmission techniques. An information server receives a first request for a portion of information from a first networked device. It then receives a second request for the portion of information from a second networked device. The information server collects the first request and the second request into a bucket. The information server creates a combined response, destined for reception by the first networked device and the second networked device, and then provides the combined response including the portion of information requested by both the first and second networked devices, to a network interface.

Claims

1. A method of delivering information to a plurality of networked devices, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first request from a first networked device, the first request requesting a portion of information;

receiving a second request from a second networked device, the second request requesting substantially the same portion of information;

collecting the first request and second request into a bucket; and

creating a combined response, destined for reception by the first networked device and by the second networked device, the combined response including substantially the same portion of information requested by the first and second networked devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing the combined response to a network interface, the combined response being destined for reception by the first and second networked devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the combined response comprises at least one TCP packet destined for reception by the first and second networked devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the least one TCP packet utilizes multicast transmission for delivering the at least one packet to the first and second networked devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the multicast transmission comprises a Small Group Multicast protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first request and the second request comprises an acknowledgment (ACK) requesting a portion of information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first request and the second request comprises an HTTP request requesting a portion of information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the HTTP request includes a URL to at least partially identify a requested portion of information.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining that a retransmit time associated with communication with the first networked device is substantially the same as a retransmit time associated with communication with the second networked device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of retransmitting substantially the same portion of information to the first and second networked devices by using multicast transmission.

11. A computer readable medium including computer instructions for an information serving system, the computer instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving a first request from a first networked device, the first request requesting a portion of information;

receiving a second request from a second networked device, the second request requesting substantially the same portion of information;

collecting the first request and second request into a bucket; and

creating a combined response, destined for reception by the first networked device and by the second networked device, the combined response including substantially the same portion of information requested by the first and second networked devices.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further including computer instructions for:

providing the combined response to a network interface the combined response being destined for reception by the first and second networked devices.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the combined response comprises at least one TCP packet destined for reception by the first and second networked devices.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the least one TCP packet utilizes multicast transmission for delivering the at least one packet to the first and second networked devices.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the multicast transmission comprises a Small Group Multicast protocol.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first request and the second request comprises an acknowledgment (ACK) requesting a portion of information.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first request and the second request comprises an HTTP request requesting a portion of information.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the HTTP request includes a URL to at least partially identify a requested portion of information.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further including computer instructions for:

determining that a retransmit time associated with communication with the first networked device is substantially the same as a retransmit time associated with communication with the second networked device.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further including computer instructions for:

retransmitting substantially the same portion of information to the first and second networked devices by using multicast transmission.

21. An information serving system, comprising:

a plurality of networked devices including first and second networked devices; and

an information server comprising;

a network interface for communication at least with the plurality of networked devices;

a controller communicatively coupled to the network interface;

a data memory for storing data including

content,

a first request corresponding to the first networked device, the first request requesting a portion of the content, and

a second request corresponding to the second networked device, the second request requesting substantially the same portion of content; and

a program memory for storing computer program instructions for the controller, the computer instructions including instructions for

collecting the first request and second request into a bucket, and

creating a combined response, destined for reception by the first networked device and by the second networked device, the combined response including substantially the same portion of content requested by the first and second networked devices.

22. The information serving system of claim 21, further comprising:

a portion transmitter, communicatively coupled to the controller, for providing the combined response to a network interface, the combined response being destined for reception by the first and second networked devices.

23. The information serving system of claim 21, wherein the combined response comprises at least one TCP packet destined for reception by the first and second networked devices.

24. The information serving system of claim 23, wherein the least one TCP packet utilizes multicast transmission for delivering the at least one packet to the first and second networked devices.

25. The information serving system of claim 24, wherein the multicast transmission comprises a Small Group Multicast protocol.

26. The information serving system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the first request and the second request comprises an acknowledgment (ACK) requesting a portion of information.

27. The information serving system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the first request and the second request comprises an HTTP request requesting a portion of information.

28. The information serving system of claim 27, wherein the HTTP request includes a URL to at least partially identify a requested portion of information.

29. The information serving system of claim 21, further comprising a retransmit timer, communicatively coupled to the controller, for determining that a retransmit time associated with communication with the first networked device is substantially the same as a retransmit time associated with communication with the second networked device.

30. The information serving system of claim 29, wherein the computer instructions further including instructions for:

retransmitting substantially the same portion of information to the first and second networked devices by using multicast transmission.

31. The information serving system of claim 30, wherein the multicast transmission comprises a Small Group Multicast protocol.

32. An information server, comprising:

a network interface for communication to first and second networked devices;

a controller communicatively coupled to the network interface;

a data memory for storing data including

content,

a first request corresponding to the first networked device, the first request requesting a portion of the content, and

a second request corresponding to the second networked device, the second request requesting substantially the same portion of content; and

a program memory for storing computer program instructions for the controller, the computer instructions including instructions for

collecting the first request and second request into a bucket, and

creating a combined response, destined for reception by the first networked device and by the second networked device, the combined response including substantially the same portion of content requested by the first and second networked devices.

33. The information server of claim 32, further comprising:

a portion transmitter, communicatively coupled to the controller, for providing the combined response to a network interface, the combined response being destined for reception by the first and second networked devices.

34. The information server of claim 33, wherein the portion transmitter provides the combined response to the network interface for transmitting the combined response by using multicast transmission for delivering the combined response to the first and second networked devices.

35. The information server of claim 32, further comprising a retransmit timer, communicatively coupled to the controller, for determining that a retransmit time associated with communication with the first networked device is substantially the same as a retransmit time associated with communication with the second networked device.

36. The information server of claim 35, wherein the computer instructions further including instructions for:

retransmitting substantially the same portion of content requested by the first and second networked devices by using multicast transmission for delivering the same portion of content to the first and second networked devices.

37. The information server of claim 36, wherein the multicast transmission comprises a Small Group Multicast protocol.