Cisco Technology, Inc.

Dmitry Stavisky

Stephen Jeffrey Morris

Barbara Liskov

Dan Li

Kenneth Earl Mueller, Ii

Zheng Yang

Arun Raghavendra Desai

An apparatus and method for defining content distribution paths in a content distribution network integrate unicast and multicast connections. Content engines in the content distributed network are organized into channels with a master content engine maintaining specific content. The content distribution network is further organized into a distribution hierarchy based on network topology and channel definitions, first by establishing unicast paths through the content distributed network and then by integrating multicast paths into the unicast hierarchy. The further organization of the content distribution network establishes distribution trees from the channel masters to the network edges.

Method and apparatus for multicast cloud with integrated multicast and unicast channel routing in a content distribution network

Conventional replication status reporting techniques in a Content Delivery Network (CDN) tend to produce large, unwieldy reports which are difficult to transmit, consume large amounts of bandwidth, and require a large share of CPU resources to process. A replication status reporter which identifies an ordered list of events corresponding to content items (files) for replication (pre-positioning) in a content delivery network, and determines a point of progression along a sequence represented by the ordered list of files, allows a management server to avoid computationally expensive endeavors which itemize and transmit lists of every replicated file in the CDN. The servers in a CDN channel receive files as a series of ordered events. Origin servers deliver the files generally according the event. A replication status report indicates the progression in the list, rather than enumerating the entire list, avoids cumbersome and unnecessary processing and delays in reporting replication status.

Content delivery network (CDN) replication status reporter

Mechanisms and techniques provide a system that operates in a computerized device(s) to establish a data distribution path for content within a content distribution network by receiving a network topology definition defining at least one hierarchical interconnection of network groups. Each network group comprises at least one content engine. The system also receives a channel definition comprising a selection of a plurality of content engines that are to distribute content within the content distribution network. The plurality of content engines in the channel definition is selected from content engines within the network groups defined within the network topology definition. The system determines an assignment of at least one root content engine within the channel definition and applies a content distribution path determination technique to the network topology definition in relation to the channel definition to determine a set of content distribution paths in the content distribution network to be used for distribution of content from the root content engine(s) to the content engines defined in the channel definition.

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Wayland, MA, United States of America

Dmitry Stavisky