Prefixed Network Addressing for CDN Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content delivery networks face challenges in managing and routing traffic efficiently over multiple packet networks due to limitations in existing addressing systems, leading to potential overload of origin servers and increased latency for end users.
Innovation Solution
Implementing prefixed network addresses in content delivery networks, which include a backhaul network-independent address, a backhaul network-specific address, and a failover address, to enable efficient routing and automatic failover in case of network failures, using IPv6 addressing and classless inter-domain routing (CIDR) notation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple backhaul packet networks are used to deliver content to end users, then routing flexibility and network reliability are improved, but routing complexity and difficulty of managing traffic increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network addressing into multiple components: a common prefix shared across all backhaul networks and a suffix that identifies the specific backhaul network. This segmentation allows independent management of each backhaul network's traffic while maintaining a unified routing structure, thereby reducing routing complexity while supporting multiple networks for improved reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a proxy server as an intermediary between origin servers and cache nodes. The proxy server receives content requests, determines the appropriate backhaul network based on the suffix of the network address, and forwards requests accordingly. This intermediary simplifies the routing decision process for cache nodes by centralizing the network selection logic in the proxy server.
2Productivity
If prefixed network addresses with multiple backhaul networks are implemented, then routing efficiency is improved, but device complexity and configuration requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal addressing scheme where the same prefix structure can be used across all backhaul networks. The common prefix portion is shared universally, while only the suffix needs to be configured for each specific network. This multi-functionality reduces configuration complexity by allowing cache nodes to handle multiple backhaul networks using a single standardized approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The proxy server performs self-service by automatically determining which backhaul network to use based on the network address suffix without requiring explicit routing configuration at cache nodes. The system self-droutes traffic by examining the address structure, thereby improving routing efficiency while reducing configuration complexity at edge devices.
3Reliability
If automatic failover with multiple network addresses is implemented, then system reliability is improved, but measurement and detection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring multiple network addresses with different suffixes corresponding to different backhaul networks. When a network failure is detected, the system can immediately switch to an alternative network without needing to detect and measure alternative routes in real-time, as they are already prepared and configured. This reduces the complexity of failure detection while maintaining high reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for a content delivery network that caches content for delivery to end user devices is presented. In one example, a method includes assigning prefixed network addresses for the sites of the content delivery network, with ones of the prefixed network addresses indicating associated pathways for routing network traffic to reach the sites over more than one backhaul packet network. The method includes announcing groups of the prefixed network addresses to selected ones of the backhaul packet networks, with each to the groups comprising a backhaul network-independent prefixed network address, a backhaul network-specific prefixed network address, and a failover prefixed network address. The method includes receiving the network traffic at the sites over ones of the backhaul packet networks that are selected among for routing the network traffic by source network addresses indicated in content requests issued from the sites.