Dynamic Anycast Capacity Adjustment via Server Address Redirection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Large-scale service deployments, such as content delivery networks, face challenges in resource optimization due to rapid and ephemeral changes in usage patterns, often resulting in service impact when additional equipment cannot be deployed quickly enough to meet sudden demand surges in specific regions.

Innovation Solution

The method involves dynamically modifying the capacity of one Anycast region by causing servers in another region to temporarily advertise the Anycast address of the first region, allowing for the redistribution of client requests and alleviating overload by utilizing available resources from a geographically or logically separate Anycast region.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If additional equipment is deployed in the affected region to meet sudden demand surges, then service capacity is improved, but deployment time is excessive and cannot keep up with rapid usage pattern changes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveserver capacityVSAvoiddeployment time

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges server resources from a second Anycast region with the first Anycast region by having servers in the second region advertise the first region's Anycast address. This combines available resources from geographically or logically separate regions to quickly address capacity shortages without physical deployment time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The Anycast address acts as an intermediary that redirects client requests from the overloaded first region to servers in the second region. This mediator mechanism enables rapid capacity adjustment by changing routing behavior rather than physically moving or deploying hardware

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If servers in the second Anycast region are caused to advertise the first Anycast address to provide additional capacity, then service continuity is improved, but network configuration complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice continuityVSAvoidnetwork configuration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic capacity adjustment where servers can be dynamically caused to advertise or cease advertising the first Anycast address based on real-time capacity needs. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the system to adapt to changing usage patterns while maintaining service continuity through automated or semi-automated processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20250016132A1Systems and methods to provide dynamic capacity adjustments in different anycast regions

Publication Date: 2025.01.09 CENTURYLINK INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LLC

AI summary

Multiple Anycast regions may be defined, and a separate Anycast address may be used for each region in order to localize client requests. In examples, when one or more Anycast servers in a first Anycast region fail or become overburdened (or are predicted to do so), one or more Anycast server in another, geographically or logically separate Anycast region that has additional capacity to handle client service requests may be dynamically added to the first Anycast region.