Method for improving web performance by adapting servers based on client cluster characterization

Abstract

The present invention is a method for improving delivery of content to a client communicating with a server on the Web. Groups or clusters of clients are formed by processing the IP addresses of the clients according to a network-aware, radix-encoded trie classification process. The groups of clients are categorized based on information about one or more clients in each group that can be determined by the server. That information is used to help drive tailored actions on the part of Web servers. Users with poor connectivity may choose not to spend much time at a Web site if it takes a long time to receive a page, even if the Web server at the site is not the bottleneck. Retaining such clients may be of interest to a Web site. Better-connected clients may be able to receive enhanced representations of Web pages such as with higher quality images. Once a group of clients is characterized as poor, a variety of server actions can be taken by the server, including altering the delivered content or the manner in which content is delivered, including guiding server policy decisions, aiding in caching decisions and deciding when to redirect the client to a mirror site. Clustering permits those actions to be taken even if no client-specific categorization is available.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60 / 346,366, filed on Nov. 9, 2001, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. [0002] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 705,675 filed on Nov. 3, 2000, which claims benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60 / 215,302, filed on Jun. 30, 2000 and U.S. provisional application No. 60 / 234,511, filed Sep. 22, 2000, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. [0003] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 705,675 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 603,154 filed on Jul. 23, 2000, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60 / 151,194 filed Aug. 27, 1999, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0004] The present invention relates generally to the client-server model used extensively in the World Wide Web, and, more particularly, to...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013] The present invention addresses those needs by providing a method for improving performance of a server delivering content to a client. The server and client communicate through a connection. In one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided wherein a group of clients including the first client is formed by processing the IP addresses of the clients according to a radix encoded trie classification process. The group is classified into a group classification according to at least one criterion indicative of at least one connection through which content is delivered to at least one member of the group other than the first client. A request is received from the first client to serve content through the first connection. A response to the client request is altered in accordance with the group classification, and the response is sent to the client.

Problems solved by technology

Often that is due to a poor level of client connectivity.

Among the key reasons behind a client experiencing poor performance are low bandwidth, high latency, slow client, network congestion, delay at intermediaries between client and server, and a poorly equipped server.

A server may not be able to isolate the reasons for a given client experiencing poor performance, but can nevertheless take remedial action.

Simply downgrading the quality of the content to achieve those results may not be as effective in retaining a client as other means that do not affect content quality.

Each of those operations reduces the quantity of data to be sent to the client.

In each case, however, the content arriving at the client has a corresponding reduction in quality as compared with the original content delivered to high-bandwidth users.

Such a reduction in the quality of content may reduce client interest in a Web site, thereby reducing the effect of a decreased response time.

Images