Content Delivery Failover Using Timed Primary Server Retry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional content delivery networks face challenges in efficiently switching to backup servers when the primary server fails, leading to difficulties in redirecting communication devices and ensuring uninterrupted content distribution.
Innovation Solution
A communication device is configured to monitor the inability to retrieve content from a primary server, switch to a backup server using a secondary resource identifier, and implement a time-based mechanism to retry the primary server after a threshold, allowing for seamless content retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional content delivery network uses a primary server and secondary server to distribute content, then content availability is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring server failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication device autonomously monitors its own ability to retrieve content from the primary server and automatically switches to the backup server without requiring external notification. The device self-detects retrieval failures and manages the failover process independently, eliminating the need for separate failure detection mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback through the communication device's own retrieval attempts to the primary server. When a retrieval failure occurs, this feedback signal triggers the automatic switch to the backup server. The time monitor function provides continuous feedback on the primary server's availability status.
2Reliability
If the communication device continuously monitors server availability, then the reliability of content delivery is improved, but the loss of time for monitoring and switching increases
Solution Approach 1:
The time monitor function operates periodically by tracking the passage of time since the last successful content retrieval from the primary server. Instead of continuous monitoring, the system checks availability at discrete time intervals, reducing the time overhead while maintaining reliable detection of server failures.
3Productivity
If the communication device switches to backup server immediately upon failure detection, then the productivity of content delivery is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The backup server is pre-configured and its resource identifier is stored in the communication device before any failure occurs. When a primary server failure is detected, the switch to the backup server can be executed immediately without requiring additional configuration or resolution steps, thus minimizing interruption time while keeping the complexity low.
Data Source
AI summary
In response to detecting an inability to retrieve a first portion of a first title of content from a primary server using a first resource identifier (locator) value, a communication management resource associated with the communication device switches to use of a second resource identifier (locator) value to retrieve the first portion of the first title of content from a backup server. The communication management resource monitors passage of time in response to the detected inability. During the monitoring and switch over, the communication management resource retrieves segments of content from the backup server. Based on the monitored passage of time, such as after a predetermined time duration, the communication management resource eventually attempts to retrieve another portion of the first title of content from the primary server again using the first resource identifier value as an alternative to use of the second resource identifier value.