System and method for optimizing real-time video-on-demand recording in a content delivery network

A method in a content delivery network, the method comprising:

• transmitting, with an edge server, a request for a content offering beginning at a predetermined time, the transmitting occurring at a request time occurring after the predetermined time;
• receiving, at the edge server, in response to the transmitting:
• one or more portions of the content offering;
• an index file corresponding to the one or more portions of the content offering;
• and
• an instruction to, when reaching a portion of the content offering occurring at the request time, obtain index fact datagrams corresponding to any additional portions of the content from a multicast server;
• and
• amending the index file with the index fact datagrams.

A server complex in a content delivery network, comprising:

• a central server;
• a multicast server;
• and
• an edge server;
• the central server comprising one or more processors to deliver, with the multicast server, a content offering to the edge server beginning at a predetermined time by transmitting, across a network, portions of content in succession, wherein each portion of content accompanied by an index fact datagram;
• the edge server comprising another one or more processors to store, in a memory device at the edge server, each index fact datagram in an index file;
• the one or more processors of the central server to receive a request for the content offering at a request time occurring after the predetermined time and to deliver one or more portions of the content offering, an index file portion comprising all index fact datagrams delivered by the multicast server between the predetermined time and the request time, and an instruction to the edge server to, when reaching a last index fact datagram of the index file portion, obtain any additional index fact datagrams corresponding to any additional portions of the content offering from the index file stored at the edge server.