Dynamic Source Routing for CDN Data Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content providers face strain on computing resources due to high volumes of content requests from client devices, especially when requested content has multiple components, and existing CDN solutions typically rely on fixed data transfer sources without dynamic optimization.
Innovation Solution
A client device requests content through a CDN service provider, which allows for dynamic switching of data transfer sources based on performance information collected from both the client and monitoring nodes, enabling seamless transition to alternative endpoints for improved delivery without requiring new requests or client awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a fixed source endpoint is used for data transfer in CDN, then the system complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the delivery efficiency and speed cannot be optimized dynamically under varying network conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic source endpoint selection by allowing the system to switch between different data transfer sources based on real-time performance monitoring. The source management service continuously evaluates alternative endpoints and dynamically redirects data transfer to optimize delivery efficiency without requiring manual intervention, thus resolving the contradiction between fixed simplicity and dynamic performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs performance information collection and feedback mechanisms where monitoring nodes continuously report endpoint performance metrics to the source management service. This feedback loop enables automatic source endpoint selection and switching based on actual network conditions, improving delivery efficiency while maintaining automated operation that masks the underlying complexity from end users.
2Productivity
If CDN service provider maintains multiple computing devices for content delivery, then the productivity and delivery speed are improved, but the strain on content provider's computing resources increases due to high volume of requests
Solution Approach 1:
The source management service acts as an intermediary between the content provider and CDN computing devices. It receives performance information from monitoring nodes, evaluates alternative endpoints, and automatically selects optimal data transfer sources. This intermediary layer enables efficient utilization of CDN resources without requiring content providers to directly manage or strain their own computing resources, thus improving delivery capacity while conserving content provider resources.
3Reliability
If dynamic switching of data transfer sources is implemented, then the delivery speed and reliability are optimized, but the client device would require additional awareness and control mechanisms increasing operation complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by enabling automatic source endpoint selection and switching without requiring client device intervention. The source management service autonomously monitors performance, evaluates alternative endpoints, and executes source switching based on collected performance information. This self-service mechanism maintains delivery reliability while preserving client operation simplicity, as end users experience no additional complexity despite the sophisticated background operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer implemented system and method is provided for managing sources of data transfer from a content delivery network (CDN) service provider to a client device. Illustratively, the data transfer is initialized between a first endpoint of the CDN and the client device. While the data transfer is ongoing between the first endpoint and the client device, the system receives performance information regarding alternative endpoints which may replace the first endpoint as the source for the ongoing data transfer. The performance information may be generated by the client device that probes alternative endpoints, or may be generated by dedicated monitoring nodes deployed on the network. Should a change of data transfer source be desirable, the system may cause the first endpoint to stop data transmission and cause a selected alternative endpoint to continue the ongoing data transfer to the client in accordance with a current progress of the data transfer.