Managing content delivery network service providers by a content broker

• US 8,788,671 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2012
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Richardson, David R., Marshall, Bradley E., Sivasubramanian, Swaminathan, Saraf, Tal, Patel, Imran S.
• Primary Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US13/358,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20120124165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/217, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable medium for managing network storage provider and CDN service providers are provided. A content broker component obtains client computing device requests for content provided by a content provider. The content broker processes the client computing device requests and determines whether a subsequent request for the resource should be directed to a network storage provider or a CDN service provider as a function of the updated or processed by the content broker.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing resource requests comprising:

as implemented by one or more computing devices configured with specific executable instructions,

obtaining, by a storage management component, a domain name system (DNS) query from a client computing device, the DNS query corresponding to a resource maintained by a service provider on behalf of a content provider;

identifying, by the storage management component, a plurality of service providers for providing a requested resource to a client computing device, wherein the plurality of service providers are independent of the storage management component;

associating, by the storage management component, a financial cost with each of the identified service, providers, wherein the financial cost corresponds to a financial cost attributed to the content provider for providing the resource corresponding to the DNS query by each of the identified plurality of service providers respectively;

selecting, by the storage management component, at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers based at least in part on the associated financial cost; and

transmitting, by the storage management component to the client computing device, the selected one of the IP address and the alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of service providers include at least a network storage service provider and one or more content delivery network (CDN) service providers.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers based at least in part on the associated financial cost comprises selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers based on a financial cost for providing the requested resource below a cost threshold.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers is further based on at least one of a characteristic of the content provider and a characteristic of the client computing device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising causing, by the storage management component, the registration of the selected service provider such that the selected service provider will begin providing the requested resource.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the alternative resource identifier corresponds to a canonical name (CNAME).

7. A system for managing content requests comprising:

a memory operative to maintain request processing criteria corresponding to requested resources, the request routing criteria including financial cost information; and

a storage management component including at least one computing device associated with the memory, the storage management component operative to;

obtain a domain name system (DNS) query from a client computing device, the DNS query corresponding to a resource maintained by a service provider on behalf of a content provider;

identify a plurality of service providers for providing a requested resource to a client computing device, wherein the plurality of service providers are independent of the storage management component;

associate a financial cost with each of the identified service providers, wherein the financial cost corresponds to a financial cost attributed to the content provider for providing the resource corresponding to the DNS query by each of the identified plurality of service providers respectively;

select at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers based at least in part on the associated financial cost; and

transmit, to the client computing device, the selected one of the IP address and the alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of service providers include at least a network storage service provider and one or more content delivery network (CDN) service providers.

9. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers based at least in part on the associated financial cost comprises selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers based on a financial cost for providing the requested resource below a cost threshold.

10. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers is further based on at least one of a characteristic of the content provider and a characteristic of the client computing device.

11. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the storage management component is further operative to cause the registration of the selected service provider such that the selected service provider will begin providing the requested resource.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the registration of the selected service provider is completed automatically without requiring additional interaction from the content provider.

13. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the alternative resource identifier corresponds to a canonical name (CNAME).

14. A computer-implemented method for managing resource requests comprising:

as implemented by one or more computing devices configured with specific executable instructions,

obtaining, by a storage management component, information indicative of client computing device requests for a resource;

updating, by the storage management component, request processing criteria maintained in a data store corresponding to a request for the resource;

identifying, by the storage management component, a plurality of service providers for providing the requested resource to a client computing device, wherein the plurality of service providers are independent of the storage management component and wherein each of the plurality of service providers are operative to at least one of host or process the resource on behalf of a content provider, wherein the content provider is independent of the storage management component;

associating, by the storage management component, a financial cost with each of the plurality of service providers, wherein the financial cost corresponds to a financial cost attributed to a content provider for providing the requested resource by the plurality of service providers respectively;

selecting, by the storage management component, at least one service provider from plurality of service providers based at least in part on the corresponding financial cost for providing the requested resource; and

generating, by the storage management component, a recommendation for the content provider regarding the selected at least one service provider.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the plurality of service providers include at least a network storage service provider and one or more content delivery network (CDN) service providers.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers based at least in part on the associated financial cost comprises selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers based on a financial cost for providing the requested resource below a cost threshold.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers is further based on at least one of a characteristic of the content provider and a characteristic of the client computing device.

18. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising causing the registration of the selected service provider such that the selected service provider will begin providing the requested resource.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the registration of the selected service provider is completed automatically without requiring additional interaction from the content provider.

20. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising:

obtaining, by the storage management component, information indicative of subsequent client computing device requests for a resource;

updating, by the storage management component, the request processing criteria maintained in the data store corresponding to the subsequent request for the resource;

selecting, by the storage management component, a second service provider based at least on a financial cost for providing the requested resource below a cost threshold; and

generating, by the storage management component, an alternative recommendation regarding the selected second service provider.

21. A system for managing content requests comprising:

a memory operative to maintain request processing criteria corresponding to requested resources; and

a storage management component including at least one computing device associated with the memory, the storage management component operative to;

obtain information indicative of client computing device requests for a resource;

update the request processing criteria maintained in the data store corresponding to a request for the resource;

identify a plurality of service providers for providing the requested resource to a client computing device, wherein the plurality of service providers are independent of the storage management component and wherein each of the plurality of service providers are operative to at least one of host or process the resource on behalf of a content provider, wherein the content provider is independent of the storage management component;

associate a financial cost with each of the plurality of service providers, wherein the financial cost corresponds to a financial cost attributed to a content provider for providing the requested resource by the plurality of service providers respectively;

select at least one service provider from plurality of service providers based at least in part on the corresponding financial cost for providing the requested resource; and

generate a recommendation for the content provider regarding the selected at least one service provider.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the plurality of service providers include at least a network storage service provider and one or more content delivery network (CDN) service providers.

23. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers based at least in part on the associated financial cost comprises selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers based on a financial cost for providing the requested resource below a cost threshold.

24. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein selecting at least one of an IP address and an alternative resource identifier associated with one of the identified plurality of service providers is further based on at least one of a characteristic of the content provider and a characteristic of the client computing device.

25. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the storage management component is further operative to cause the registration of the selected service provider such that the selected service provider will begin providing the requested resource.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the registration of the selected service provider is completed automatically without requiring additional interaction from the content provider.

27. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the request processing criteria include at least one of a total number of requests obtained from client computing devices for a resource over a defined period of time, trends regarding an increase in requests from client computing devices for the resource, trends regarding a decrease in requests from client computing devices for the resource and a current financial cost associated with the delivery of the resource by a storage component.

28. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the storage management component is further operative to:

obtain information indicative of subsequent client computing device requests for a resource;

update the request processing criteria maintained in the data store corresponding to the subsequent request for the resource;

select a second service provider based at least on a financial cost for providing the requested resource below a cost threshold; and

generate an alternative recommendation regarding the selected second service provider.