Time-Based CDN Traffic Allocation via Dynamic DNS Shunting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) face challenges in efficiently managing varying traffic demand over time, leading to underutilization of capacity during non-peak periods and increased costs due to the need to maintain peak capacity, as demand fluctuates significantly throughout the day.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a time-varying traffic allocation system within CDNs, utilizing a traffic engine that evaluates analytics information to determine whether to 'serve' or 'shunt' traffic based on demand, by transmitting authoritative IP addresses or alternate domain names to the DNS, allowing for dynamic routing of requests to optimize resource utilization and revenue generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If CDN maintains peak capacity to meet demand fluctuations, then service reliability is improved, but cost increases due to underutilization during non-peak periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic traffic allocation where the CDN system continuously monitors demand patterns and adjusts traffic routing in real-time. The traffic engine dynamically shifts between serving traffic directly from CDN edge servers and shunting traffic to origin servers based on current load conditions, enabling the system to maintain reliability during peak periods while reducing resource utilization during non-peak periods, thus resolving the contradiction between service reliability and operational cost.
2Productivity
If CDN serves all traffic requests, then revenue is maximized, but resource utilization efficiency decreases during low-demand periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operational parameters of traffic routing based on demand conditions. During high-demand periods, the system parameters are adjusted to serve maximum traffic and maximize revenue. During low-demand periods, the system dynamically changes parameters to shunt excess traffic to origin servers, improving resource utilization efficiency. This parameter adaptation allows the CDN to optimize both revenue and efficiency across varying demand conditions.
3Reliability
If CDN maintains full capacity for peak demand, then service availability is improved, but infrastructure cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the traffic engine - that acts as a mediator between CDN edge servers and origin servers. This traffic engine intelligently routes traffic based on real-time conditions, allowing the CDN to leverage origin server capacity as an intermediary resource during non-peak periods while maintaining full CDN capacity availability during peak periods, thus improving service availability without proportionally increasing infrastructure costs.
Data Source
AI summary
A content delivery network (CDN) performs time varying traffic allocation. The network includes: one or more edge servers that store content corresponding to a domain name that is associated with a content provider, and are configured to deliver the content to end users in response to requests received at the edge servers from the end users; analytics information characterizing the CDN; and a traffic engine that periodically evaluates a service function as having a serve value or a shunt value for the domain name, based at least in part on the analytics information. The traffic engine transmits one or more IP addresses of the edge servers to an interface to a domain name service (DNS) while the service function has the serve value for the domain name; and transmits alternate domain name information of a different network to the interface while the service function has the shunt value.