Framework supporting content delivery with reducer services network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9628344-B2
Application number	US-201213714475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2012
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A framework includes a plurality of devices, each device configured to run at least one content delivery (CD) service of a plurality of CD services. The plurality of CD services include reducer services forming one or more reducer service networks.

First claim

We claim:

1. A framework comprising a plurality of devices, each device comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, each device configured to run at least one content delivery (CD) service of a plurality of CD services, wherein
(A) said plurality of CD services comprise: collector services, reducer services, and control services; and wherein
(B) (i) at least some CD services are configured to obtain control input from other CD services, and
(ii) at least some CD services are configured to produce control output for other CD services; and
(iii) at least some CD services are configured to obtain state input from other CD services, and
(iv) at least some CD services are configured to produce state output for other CD services; and
(v) at least some CD services are configured to obtain event input from other CD services, and
(vi) at least some CD services are configured to produce event output for other CD services; and

(C) at least some of said CD services produce, as event output, one or more event streams relating to their respective operation; and
(D) at least some of said event output is provided to at least some of said reducer services as event input to said reducer services; and
(E) at least some of said reducer services:
(E)(1) determine their respective reducer output based on their event input, and
(E)(2) provide their respective reducer output to at least some collector services;

(E2) at least some of said reducer services:
(E2)(1) provide their respective reducer output to at least some other of said reducer services; and

(F) at least some of said collector services:
(F)(1) obtain their event input from one or more CD services, and
(F)(2) produce, as their respective state output, state information, said state information being based on said event input from said one or more CD services, and
(F)(3) provide at least some of said state information to said control services; and

(G) at least some of said control services:
(G)(1) obtain state information from said collector services as their respective state input and

(G)(2) produce control information based on said state information from said collector services; and
(G)(3) provide control information to at least some of said CD services to control operation or configuration of said at least some of said CD services, wherein at least some of said control information provided to control operation or configuration of said at least some CD services was based on specific event information produced by at least one of said CD services,
wherein at least some of said plurality of devices run reducer services, and wherein said reducer services running on said at least some of said plurality of devices comprise at least one reducer services network.

2. The framework of claim 1 wherein for each particular CD service of said CD services, at least some event output to be produced by the particular CD service is dynamically controlled and configured based on at least one of: (1) control information received at said particular CD service from said control services, and (2) state information received at said particular CD service from said collector services.

3. The framework of claim 1 wherein for each particular CD service of said CD services, at least some reducer services to which a particular CD service is to provide event output is dynamically controlled and configured based on at least one of: (1) control information received at said particular CD service from said control services, and (2) state information received at said particular CD service from said collector services.

4. The framework of claim 3 wherein, the other services to which the particular reducer service is to provide reducer output comprise CD services selected from: (a) one or more collector services; and (b) one or more reducer services.

5. The framework of claim 1 wherein, for each particular reducer service of the reducer services, at least some reducer output to be produced by the particular reducer service is dynamically controlled and configured based on at least one of (1) control information received at said particular reducer service from said control services; and (2) state information received at said particular reducer service from said collector services.

6. The framework of claim 1 wherein, for each particular reducer service of the reducer services, at least some other services to which the particular reducer service is to provide reducer output is dynamically controlled and configured based on at least one of (1) control information received at said particular reducer service from said control services; and (2) state information received at said particular reducer service from said collector services.

7. The framework of claim 1 , wherein each reducer service is configured to:
(i) generate information relating to operation of said reducer service; and
(ii) to provide at least some of said information as event information to at least one other CD service.

8. The framework of claim 7 wherein the at least one other CD service to which the particular reducer service is to provide event information in (ii) comprise at least one CD service selected from: (a) one or more collector services; and (b) one or more reducer services.

9. The framework of claim 1 wherein each reducer service is further configured to obtain control information from said control services.

10. The framework of claim 9 wherein each reducer service is further configured to modify its operation or configuration based on control information from said control services.

11. The framework of claim 1 wherein each reducer service is further configured to obtain state information from said collector services.

12. The framework of claim 11 wherein each reducer service is further configured to modify its operation or configuration based on state information from said collector services.

13. The framework of claim 1 wherein each reducer service is configured to:
(H) obtain, as input, one or more input event streams from one or more CD services in the CDN;
(I) produce one or more output reducer streams based on said one or more input event streams; and
(J) provide said one or more output reducer streams to at least one other CD service.

14. The framework of claim 13 wherein the at least one other CD service to which the reducer service is to provide said one or more output reducer streams comprise CD services selected from: (a) one or more collector services; and (b) one or more reducer services.

15. The framework of claim 1 wherein the one or more CD services from which said collector services obtain event input in (F)(1) comprise one or more reducer services.

16. The framework of claim 1 wherein at least some of said collector services:
(F)(4) provide at least some of said state information to CD services.

17. A content delivery network (CDN) comprising a plurality of devices, each device comprising hardware including memory and at least one processor, each device configured to run at least one content delivery (CD) service of a plurality of CD services, wherein said CD services are selected from the services comprising: collector services, reducer services, and control services; and wherein
(A) at least some of said CD services produce event output relating to their respective operation; and wherein
(B) at least some of said event output from at least some of said CD services is provided to at least some of said reducer services as event input to said reducer services; and wherein
(C) at least some of said reducer ser

Assignees

• Level 3 Communications Llc

Inventors

• Newton Christopher
• Varney Lewis Robert
• Lipstone Laurence R
• Crowder William
• Swart Andrew

Classifications

• H04L43/04

  Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation · CPC title

• H04L41/0869

  Validating the configuration within one network element · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L41/5041

  characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service · CPC title

• H04L69/03

  Protocol definition or specification  (protocol conformance testing H04L1/244) · CPC title