Centralized Content Redirection for JIT Packager Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing content delivery networks face challenges in managing and scaling the distribution of live content assets due to the complexity of updating content location data across multiple, geographically dispersed JIT packagers, leading to inefficiencies and increased latency.
Innovation Solution
A digital content manager apparatus and method that utilizes a centralized content management process to provide location data to network-based client processes using existing protocols, such as HTTP, enabling efficient redirection of content requests and reducing the need for extensive hardware and software updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a centralized content management process is used to manage content location data, then scalability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a digital content manager as an intermediary component that mediates between content delivery nodes and storage locations. This manager maintains a unified database of content location information and uses HTTP redirects to direct requests to correct storage locations, eliminating the need for complex peer-to-peer coordination among distributed nodes while enabling scalable content management across the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The digital content manager serves multiple functions: it acts as a content location database, a redirect server using HTTP protocols, and a coordination point for JIT packagers and other content delivery processes. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional component, the system achieves scalability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If content location data is updated across multiple JIT packagers, then content delivery reliability is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the digital content manager receives requests from JIT packagers, queries its unified database for current content location information, and returns redirect instructions. This feedback loop ensures that all packagers receive up-to-date location information centrally, eliminating the time-consuming process of individual updates while maintaining delivery reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of updating each JIT packager individually, the system creates a centralized copy of content location data in the digital content manager's database. All packagers access this single source of truth through HTTP requests, ensuring consistent information across the network without the latency of distributed updates.
3Ease of operation
If existing protocols like HTTP are used for content redirection, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The digital content manager leverages the self-service capabilities of existing HTTP protocols to perform content redirection. By using standard HTTP redirect responses (301, 302 status codes), the system enables JIT packagers to automatically redirect to correct storage locations without requiring custom protocols or complex client-side logic, thus improving ease of operation while managing complexity centrally.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods for managing provision of digital content within a content distribution network. In one embodiment, a content application manager (CAM) process is used to provide one or more centralized redirection functions for network client processes such as just-in-time (JIT) packagers and cloud digital video recorders (cDVRs). A local database accessible to the CAM is updated with “live” or other content storage locations within the network, and accordingly each of the client processes can be made simpler and not require any intrinsic knowledge of content asset storage locations. This simplifies the client process configuration, enhances performance in terms of reduced end-user request servicing latency, and allows for single-point automated database updates versus having to provide updates to each client process as under the prior art.