F5 Networks, Inc.

Digital Equipment Corporation

Cabletron Systems, Inc.

Christian D Saether

Ryan C Kearny

Donald Joseph DeCaprio

Thomas E Kee

Bruce Eric Mann

Philip J Wells

David E Sloat

Peter Stoppani, Jr

A method and system for controlling provisioning and access to cache servers with an application programming interface (API). The API includes components for performing various actions including: (i) prepopulating content on at least one cache server from a content server; (ii) expiring content on at least one cache server; (iii) pinning content in a memory of at least one cache server; (iv) assigning resources on at least one cache server in accordance with a quota; (v) retrieving content from at least one cache server; and (vi) flushing deleted content from at least one selected cache. The API may include a security layer. The security layer determines whether a requestor has permission to cause the requested action to be performed.

Method and system for controlling and accessing content servers

A system and computer implementable method for updating content on servers coupled to a network. The method includes updating an origin server with a version of files used to provide content, retrieving data that indicates an action to be performed on one or more cache servers in conjunction with updating the origin server, and performing the action to update entries in the one or more cache servers. Each entry in each cache server is associated with a subset of the content on the origin server and may include an expiration field and/or a time to live field. An example of a subset of content to which a cache entry may be associated is a Web page. Cache servers are not required to poll origin servers to determine whether new content is available. Cache servers may be pre-populated using push or pull techniques.

Method and system for automatically updating the version of a set of files stored on content servers

Method and system for automatically updating content stored on servers connected by a network

A method and system for managing the replication and version synchronization of updates to a set of source files on geographically distributed heterogeneous content servers with minimal impact on a network's bandwidth. The configuration of each content server is either manually entered or automatically determined. The current version of the source files are created on at least one source server. A Primary global server stores a copy of the current version of the set of the source files along with the configuration of each content server. The Primary global server generates and distributes a particular version change container and version distribution list to each remotely located Secondary global server. Each Secondary global server employs the version distribution list and the contents of the version change container to identify the current version of each source file necessary to upgrade the set of source files on each local content server. Each identified source file is copied to a sub-directory on each local content server associated with the Secondary global server. At each local content server, the renaming of each copied source file is employed to update to the current version of the set of source files on the content server. A versioned file tree repository for the set of source files includes archived objects. When the version distribution list identifies a previous version, the current version of source files on the local content servers can be rolled back to the previous version.

Congestion control in a network

According to a first aspect of the invention, a DASUM (Durable Atomic Storage Update Manager) provides an extensible framework assuring complex changes to persistent storage of data within a computer system, including a distributed computer system. During normal runtime, modifications to permanent storage are broken down and organized as a plurality of simpler transactions. These simpler transactions are accomplished atomically by executing associated agents within the computer program under execution. Each agent need only have the ability to complete its own process, and need not be able to deal with side effects from other transactions. Without needing to know what steps may be required, each agent supplies three agent-specific procedures that can be called during recovery from a fault. The DASUM provides seven services that, during normal transaction execution, can store information in a logger necessary for recovery from a fault. The recovery information stored in the logger can be used to replicate a dynamic tree-like fault tolerant update set that is maintained by the DASUM on an atomic basis. According to a second aspect of the invention, the DASUM provides recovery from the effects of incompletely executed transactions in the event of a fault. During fault recovery, the DASUM calls the agent specific procedures, as needed, using the recovery and recovery sequence information stored during normal transaction execution. The present invention advantageously permits separating the agents from the logger, simplifies logger design, and improves durability of the data to be persistently stored.

Durable atomic storage update manager

A computer file system, having a multiplicity of distinct disk storage devices, includes a multiplicity of file directories, stored on various disks. Each file directory is used to translate file names into corresponding tag values. For each disk there is a file descriptor table with a file descriptor entry for every file stored on the disk. A single tag directory contains one tag entry for every file stored in the system. The tag directory is used by the file system to find a file by translating a tag value into a pointer to the disk on which the file is stored and a pointer to the file's file descriptor entry. To move a file from a first disk to a second disk, the file is copied to the second disk, a new file descriptor entry for the copied file is generated in the file descriptor table for the second disk, the copy of the file on the first disk is de-allocated, and the tag entry for the file is updated to point to the second disk and to the file's new file descriptor entry. Thus, a file can be moved from a first disk a second without having to locate and update all the corresponding file directory entries. In a preferred embodiment, the file system includes a routine that monitors disk loading and unused disk capacity. It determines when disk usage is imbalanced and automatically moves files among the disks so as to better balance disk usage.

System of device independent file directories using a tag between the

A message transfer arrangement includes a client node and a server node interconnected by a data link. The client node sequentially receives requests from user applications and generates, in response to each request, command messages for transmission by the interface. Each command message includes a command, a transmit slot identifier identifying the request in the sequence of requests received by the request receiver, and a transmit sequence identifier identifying the channel message in the sequence of command relating to the request. The selection of whether to transmit a command message related to one request or to a subsequent request is based on a received slot identifier and a received sequence identifier in a response message. The server node receives command messages from, and transmits response messages to, the client node over the data link. It selectively executes the command contained in each command message and generates, in response thereto, a response message including a response slot identifier and response sequence identifier corresponding to the commanmd slot identifier and command sequence identifier. The determination of whether to execute a command in a command message is based on the command slot identifier and command sequence identifier of the received command message and the command slot identifier and command sequence identifier of the command message containing the previously executed command.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Christian D Saether