System and method for high-performance delivery of Internet messages by selecting first and second specialized intermediate nodes to optimize a measure of communications performance between the source and the destination

• US 7,020,719 B1
• Filed: 09/10/2002
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Netli, Inc. (Akamai Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Netli, Inc. (Akamai Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tumarkin, Alexei, Kharitonov, Michael, Grove, Adam J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N.
• Application Number:
  US10/241,795
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/226, 709/230, 709/238, 709/242, 709/245, 709/227, 709/241, 370/328, 370/401
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention uses a distributed network of specialized nodes of different types dispersed around the Internet. In operation, web client'"'"'s requests are directed to a node of a first type chosen to be close to the client, and the client communicates with this node using a standard protocol such as HTTP. This first node receives the request, and locates a node of a second type, chosen to be an optimal initial relay on a path to the web server. The first node may communicates the request to the second node using a different, specialized, protocol that has been designed for improved performance and specifically to reduce traffic volume and to reduce latency. The second node receives communication from the first node using this specialized protocol, and relays it to an optimally chosen third node using the same, or possibly different internode communication protocol. This process may repeat over additional internode hops until finally, the last node receives the request from the previous network node, converts it back to a standard protocol such as HTTP, and forwards the request to the server. Responses from server to client can take the same or similar reverse route, and can also be carried over specialized protocols between the network nodes. In addition, these nodes can employ other techniques such as web caches that avoid or improve some communication steps.

Claims

1. A method for communicating an Internet message between a source and a destination over the Internet, comprising:

selecting a node of a first type, by determining a measure of communications performance for a sub-link between the source and a candidate node of a first type, to optimize the measure of communications performance for the sub-link between the source and the candidate node of a first type;

selecting a node of a second type, by determining a measure of communications performance for a sub-link between the destination and a candidate node of a second type, to optimize the measure of communications performance for the sub-link between the destination and the candidate node of a second type;

communicating an Internet message from the source to the selected node of a first type using a first communication protocol;

communicating the Internet message from the selected node of a first type to the selected node of a second type using a second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type, wherein the second communication protocol is designed to be of higher performance than a prevailing standard communication protocol used by the source; and

communicating the Internet message from the selected node of a second type to the destination using a third communication protocol.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of selecting a node of a second type comprises:

determining a measure of communications performance for a sub-link between a candidate node of a first type and a candidate node of a second type; and

selecting a node of a second type from among a plurality of candidate nodes of a second type to optimize the measure of communications performance for the sub-link between the candidate node of a first type and the candidate node of a second type.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein

the step of selecting a node of a first type comprises:

determining a first measure of communications performance for a sub-link between the source and a candidate node of a first type; and

selecting a node of a first type from among a plurality of candidate nodes of a first type to optimize the first measure of communications performance for the sub-link between the source and the candidate node of a first type; and

the step of selecting a node of a second type comprises;

determining a second measure of communications performance for a sub-link between the selected node of a first type and a candidate node of a second type, and a third measure of communications performance for a sub-link between the candidate node of a second type and the destination; and

selecting a node of a second type from among a plurality of candidate nodes of a second type to optimize a combination of the second and third measures of communications performance.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

communicating a second Internet message from the destination to the selected node of a second type using a fourth communication protocol;

communicating the second Internet message from the selected node of a second type to the selected node of a first type using a fifth communication protocol; and

communicating the second Internet message from the selected node of a first type to the source using a sixth communication protocol.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of communicating an Internet message from the source to the selected node of a first type comprises redirecting the Internet message from the source to the selected node of a first type.

6. A method for communicating an Internet message between a source and a destination over the Internet, comprising:

selecting a node of a first type, by determining a measure of communications performance for a sub-link between the source and a candidate node of a first type, to optimize the measure of communications performance for the sub-link between the source and the candidate node of a first type;

communicating an Internet message from the source to the selected node of a first type using a first communication protocol;

communicating the Internet message from the selected node of a first type to a node of a second type using a second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type, wherein the second communication protocol is designed to be of higher performance than a prevailing standard communication protocol used by the source; and

communicating the Internet message from the node of a second type to the destination using a third communication protocol.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of communicating an Internet message from the source to the selected node of a first type comprises redirecting the Internet message from the source to the selected node of a first type.

8. A system for communicating an Internet message from a source to a destination over the Internet, comprising:

a plurality of nodes including one or more nodes of a first type, one or more nodes of a second type and one or more nodes of a third type;

a first selector to select a node of a first type from the one or more nodes of a first type and communicate the selection to the source, wherein the first selector selects the node of a first type to increase the performance of communicating the Internet message between the source and the destination; and

a second selector to selects a node of a second type from the one or more nodes of a second type and communicate the selection to a selected node of a first type, wherein the second selector selects the node of a first type to increase the performance of communicating the Internet message between the source and the destination;

wherein each node of a first type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from the source using a first communication protocol;

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to a selected node of a second type using a second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type, wherein the second communication protocol is designed to be of higher performance than a prevailing standard communication protocol used by the source;

each node of a second type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a selected node of a first type using the second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to the destination using a third communication protocol; and

each node of a third type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a node using the second communication protocol; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to another node using the second communication protocol.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the first selector selects a node of a first type that optimizes a first measure of communications performance for a sub-link between the source and each of a plurality of candidate nodes of a first type.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the second selector selects a node of a second type that optimizes a measure of communications performance for a sub-link between a selected node of a second type and the destination.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein:

each node of a second type further comprises a receiver to receive a second Internet message from the destination using a fourth communication protocol, and a transmitter to communicate the second Internet message to a node of a first type using a fifth communication protocol; and

each node of a first type further comprises a receiver to receive the second Internet message from a node of a second type using the fifth communication protocol, and a transmitter to communicate the second Internet message to the source using a sixth communication protocol.

12. A system for communicating an Internet message from a source to a destination over the Internet, comprising:

a plurality of nodes including one or more nodes of a first type, one or more nodes of a second type and one or more nodes of a third type; and

a selector to select a node of a first type from the one or more nodes of a first type and communicate the selection to the source, wherein the selector selects the node of a first type to increase the performance of communicating the Internet message between the source and the destination;

wherein each node of a first type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from the source using a first communication protocol;

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to a node of a second type using a second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type, wherein the second communication protocol is designed to be of higher performance than a prevailing standard communication protocol used by the source; and

each node of a second type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a selected node of a first type using the second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to the destination using a third communication protocol; and

each node of a third type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a node using the second communication protocol; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to another node using the second communication protocol.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the selector selects a node of a first type that optimizes a first measure of communications performance for a sub-link between the source and each of a plurality of candidate nodes of a first type.

14. A system for communicating an Internet message from a source to a destination over the Internet, comprising:

a plurality of nodes including one or more nodes of a first type, one or more nodes of a second type, and one or more nodes of a third type; and

a selector to select a node of a first type from the one or more nodes of a first type and communicate the selection to the source, and to select a node of a second type from the one or more nodes of a second type and provide the selection to a selected node of a first type;

wherein each node of a first type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from the source using a first communication protocol; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to a selected node of a second type using a second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type, wherein the second communication protocol is designed to be of higher performance than a prevailing standard communication protocol used by the source; and

each node of a second type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a selected node of a first type using the second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to the destination using a third communication protocol; and

each node of a third type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a node using the second communication protocol; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to another node using the second communication protocol.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the selector selects a node of a first type and a node of a second type that optimize a measure of communications performance for a sub-link between the source and the selected node of a first type, a sub-link between the selected node of a first type and the selected node of a second type, and a sub-link between the selected node of a second type and the destination.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the selector selects a node of a first type and a node of a second type that optimize a measure of communications performance for at least a sub-link in a link between the source and the destination.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein:

each node of a second type further comprises a receiver to receive a second Internet message from the destination using a fourth communication protocol, and a transmitter to communicate the second Internet message to a node of a first type using a fifth communication protocol; and

each node of a first type further comprises a receiver to receive the second Internet message from a node of a second type using the fifth communication protocol, and a transmitter to communicate the second Internet message to the source using a sixth communication protocol.

18. A system for communicating an Internet message from a source to a destination over the Internet, comprising:

a plurality of nodes including one or more nodes of a first type, one or more nodes of a second type and one or more nodes of a third type; and

a selector to select a node of a second type from the one or more nodes of a second type and provide the selection to a node of a first type;

wherein each node of a first type comprises;

an interceptor to intercept the Internet message from the source using a first communication protocol;

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to a selected node of a second type using a second communication protocol and via at least one node of the third type, wherein the second communication protocol is designed to be of higher performance than a prevailing standard protocol used by the source;

each node of a second type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a selected node of a first type using the second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to the destination using a third communication protocol; and

each node of a third type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a node using the second communication protocol; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to another node using the second communication protocols

wherein the selector selects a node of a second type to maximize the performance gain of using the second communication protocol.

19. A system for communicating an Internet message from a source to a destination over the Internet, comprising:

a plurality of nodes including one or more nodes of a first type, one or more nodes of a second type and one or more nodes of a third type; and

a first selector to select a node of a first type from the one or more nodes of a first type and communicate the selection to a redirector;

a second selector to select a node of a second type from the one or more nodes of a second type and provide the selection to a selected node of a first type;

the redirector to redirect the Internet message from the source to a selected node of a first type;

wherein each node of a first type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from the redirector using a first communication protocol;

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to a selected node of a second type using a second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type, wherein the second communication protocol is designed to be of higher performance than a prevailing standard communication protocol used by the source;

each node of a second type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a selected node of a first type using the second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type;

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to the destination using a third communication protocol; and

each node of a third type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a node using the second communication protocol; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to another node using the second communication protocol;

wherein the first selector selects a node of a first type and the second selector selects a node of a second type to maximize the performance gain of using the second communication protocol.

20. A system for communicating an Internet message from a source to a destination over the Internet, comprising:

a plurality of nodes including one or more nodes of a first type, one or more nodes of a second type, and one or more nodes of a third type; and

a selector to select a node of a first type from the one or more nodes of a first type and communicate the selection to a redirector;

the redirector to redirect the Internet message from the source to a selected node of a first type;

wherein each node of a first type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from the redirector using a first communication protocol;

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to a node of a second type using a second communication protocol and via at least one node of the third type, wherein the second communication protocol is designed to be of higher performance than a prevailing standard communication protocol used by the source; and

each node of a second type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a selected node of a first type using the second communication protocol and via at least one node of a third type; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to the destination using a third communication protocol; and

each node of a third type comprises;

a receiver to receive the Internet message from a node using the second communication protocol; and

a transmitter to communicate the Internet message to another node using the second communication protocol;

wherein the selector selects a node of a first type to maximize the performance gain of using the second communication protocol.

21. A method for communicating an Internet message between a source and a destination, comprising:

selecting a node of a first type from one or more nodes of a first type to increase the performance of communicating the Internet message between the source and the destination, wherein the selected node of a first type is close to the source;

selecting a node of a second type from one or more nodes of a second type to increase the performance of communicating the Internet message between the source and the destination, wherein the selected node of a second type is close to the destination;

selecting a node of a third type from one or more nodes of a third type to increase the performance of communicating the Internet message between the source and the destination;

communicating an Internet message from the source to the selected node of a first type using a first communication protocol;

communicating the Internet message from the selected node of a first type to the selected node of a third type using a second communication protocol, the second communication protocol being a high performance protocol;

communicating the Internet message from a node of a third type to the selected node of a second type using the second communication protocol; and

communicating the Internet message from the selected node of a second type to the destination using a third communication protocol.

22. A system for communicating Internet messages between a source and a destination, comprising:

a plurality of nodes of a first type;

a plurality of nodes of a second type;

a plurality of nodes of a third type; and

a selector to select a node of a first type;

wherein each of the plurality of nodes of a first type comprises;

a cache for storing content;

a receiver to receive an Internet message from the source using a first communication protocol; and

a transmitter to send an Internet message to a node of a second type or a node of a third type using a second communication protocol, the second communication protocol being a high performance communication protocol;

wherein each of the plurality of nodes of a third type comprises;

a receiver to receive an Internet message from a node of a first type or a node of a third type using the second communication protocol; and

a transmitter to send an Internet message to a node of a third type or a node of a second type using the second communication protocol;

wherein each of the plurality of nodes of a second type comprises;

a receiver to receive an Internet message from a node of a first type or a node of a third type using the second communication protocol; and

a transmitter to send an Internet message to the destination using a third communication protocol;

wherein the selector selects a node of a first type to maximize the performance gain of using the second communication protocol.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of nodes of a second type further comprises a cache for storing and serving content.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of nodes of a third type further comprises a cache for storing and serving content.