Content request routing and load balancing for content distribution networks

A computerized device comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory unit that stores instructions associated with an application executed by the processor;
• and
• an interconnect coupling the processor and the memory unit, enabling the computerized device to execute the application and perform operations of:
• advertising, by a first Domain Name System (DNS) device, a common address to a plurality of routers within a network, the common address assigned to the first DNS device and a second DNS device, the first DNS device associated with a first cache server system having a first unique address, the second DNS device associated with a second cache server system having a second unique address, wherein the common address is transmitted to the plurality of routers within the network in association with Border Gateway Patrol messages;
• monitoring one or more load characteristics of the first cache server system in the network, wherein the first cache server system and the second cache server system are geographically distributed across the network;
• determining if the one or more load characteristics of the first cache server system exceed a predefined overload metric;
• discontinuing, by the first DNS device, advertising of the common address to the plurality of routers, in response to determining that the one or more load characteristics of the first cache server system exceed the predefined overload metric;
• determining, after the discontinuing the advertising of the common address to the plurality of routers, whether the one or more load characteristics satisfy the predefined overload metric;
• and
• restarting, by the first DNS, advertising of the common address to the plurality of routers in the network, in response to determining that the one or more of the load characteristics satisfy the predefined overload metric.

A system for content delivery in a network comprising:

• a plurality of nodes;
• wherein each node comprises a Domain Name System (DNS) device, each DNS device associated with a corresponding cache server system having a unique address;
• wherein the DNS devices are assigned a common address, and wherein each DNS device is operable to advertise the common address to a plurality of routers within the network, the common address being transmitted to the plurality of routers within the network in association with Border Gateway Patrol (BGP) messages;
• wherein each node is operable to monitor one or more load characteristics of the associated cache server system in the node, each associated cache server system being geographically distributed across the network;
• wherein each DNS device is operable to discontinue advertising of the common address to the plurality of routers within the network, if the associated cache server system has a load characteristic that exceeds a predefined overload metric;
• and
• wherein a DNS device associated with a cache server system determined to have the load characteristic that exceeds the predefined overload metric is operable to restart advertising of the common address to the plurality of routers within the network in response to the load characteristic satisfying the predefined overload metric.