Content delivery and global traffic management network system

A system, comprising:

• a plurality of caching servers connected to a network;
• wherein the caching servers host customer content that can be cached and stored;
• wherein the caching servers respond to client requests for the hosted customer content;
• wherein customer Web servers serve Web pages containing links to a caching domain for hosted customer content;
• wherein the customer Web servers serve dynamic customer content that includes any of:
• search engines, auctions or shopping carts;
• wherein a traffic management means directs a client request for hosted customer content for a particular caching domain to an appropriate caching server by resolving a user client domain name resolution request to the appropriate caching server's address and returning the appropriate caching server's address to the client's local domain name server;
• and
• wherein the hosted customer content is static customer content that includes any of:
• images, video, text or software.

In a distributed network wherein mirrored customer servers serve pages that include links associated with cacheable content or links from which requests for dynamic content can be initiated, and wherein a service provider entity provides a plurality of caching servers that selectively receive and store the cacheable content on behalf of service provider entity customers, the improvement comprising:

• providing a traffic manager that is responsive to DNS queries from end user local name servers;
• wherein the traffic manager is operative to both (i) direct an end user client request associated with given cacheable content to a preferred caching server for handling by the preferred caching server or to (ii) direct an end user client request associated with given dynamic content to a preferred customer server for handling by the preferred customer server;
• and
• wherein the traffic manager identifies the preferred caching server or the preferred customer server, as the case may be, at the time it receives a DNS query and based on information selected from one of:
• a configuration file, server load information, network latency information, or a combination thereof.