Loading patent…
AssigneeLevel 3 Communications, LLC
InventorsDavid A. Farber, Richard E. Greer, Andrew D. Swart, James A. Balter
Estimating the term…
A method for delivering resources to clients in a distributed computing environment. At least a first resource associated with a first content provider and maintained on an origin server references a second resource. The second resource is associated with a network formed by a plurality of repeater servers operable to serve the second resource to clients on behalf of the first content provider, the origin server being distinct from the plurality of repeater servers. Responsive to a request that causes the first resource to be served to a client from the origin server, at least one of the plurality of repeater servers is selected to serve the second resource to the client. If a copy of the second resource is available on the selected repeater server, the copy of the second resource is served to the client from the selected repeater server; otherwise, if a copy of the second resource is not available on the selected repeater server, the second resource is replicated on the selected repeater server.
A method for delivering resources to clients in a distributed computing environment, wherein at least a first resource associated with a first content provider and maintained on a storage device associated with an origin server references a second resource, the method comprising:
A method for delivering resources to clients from a network of repeater servers on behalf of content providers, wherein at least a first resource maintained on a storage device associated with an origin server references a second resource, the method comprising
A method for delivering resources to clients in a distributed computing environment, wherein at least a first resource associated with a first content provider and maintained on a storage device associated with an origin server references a second resource, the method comprising:
An Internet content delivery method for delivering resources from multiple content providers to multiple clients via a network of repeater servers, said resources including web pages associated with said content providers, at least some of said web pages including references to other resources, and wherein a web page associated with a first content provider includes a reference to a first resource also associated with said first content provider, wherein the web page is maintained on a storage device associated with an origin server, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Term ended 5 Sep 2020 (estimated)
This invention relates to replication of resources in computer networks.
The advent of global computer networks, such as the Internet, have led to entirely new and different ways to obtain information. A user of the Internet can now access information from anywhere in the world, with no regard for the actual location of either the user or the information. A user can obtain information simply by knowing a network address for the information and providing that address to an appropriate application program such as a network browser.
The rapid growth in popularity of the Internet has imposed a heavy traffic burden on the entire network. Solutions to problems of demand (e.g., better accessibility and faster communication links) only increase the strain on the supply. Internet Web sites (referred to here as “publishers”) must handle ever-increasing bandwidth needs, accommodate dynamic changes in load, and improve performance for distant browsing clients, especially those overseas. The adoption of content-rich applications, such as live audio and video, has further exacerbated the problem.
The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the reference characters refer to like parts throughout and in which:
FIG. 1 depicts a portion of a network environment according to the present invention; and
FIGS. 2-6 are flow charts of the operation of the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows a portion of a network environment 100 according to the present invention, wherein a mechanism (reflector 108, described in detail below) at a server (herein origin server 102) maintains and keeps track of a number of partially replicated servers or repeaters 104a, 104b, and 104c. Each repeater 104a, 104b, and 104c replicates some or all of the information available on the origin server 102 as well as information available on other origin servers in the network 100. Reflector 108 is connected to a particular repeater known as its “contact” repeater (“Repeater B” 104b in the system depicted in FIG. 1). Preferably each reflector maintains a connection with a single repeater known as its contact, and each repeater maintains a connection with a special repeater known as its master repeater (e.g., repeater 104m for repeaters 104a, 104b and 104c in FIG. 1).
Thus, a repeater can be considered as a dedicated proxy server that maintains a partial or sparse mirror of the origin server 102, by implementing a distributed coherent cache of the origin server. A repeater may maintain a (partial) mirror of more than one origin server. In some embodiments, the network 100 is the Internet and repeaters mirror selected resources provided by origin servers in response to clients' HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) and FTP (file transfer protocol) requests.
A client 106 connects, via the network 100, to origin server 102 and possibly to one or more repeaters 104a etc.