Abstract: Some embodiments provide a multi-tenant over-the-top multicast solution that integrates the per user stream customizability of unicast with the large scale streaming efficiencies of multicast. The solution involves an application, different multicast groups streaming an event with different customizations, and a manifest file or metadata identifying the different groups and customizations. The solution leverages the different multicast groups in order to provide different time shifts in the event stream, different quality level encodings of the event stream, and different secondary content to be included with a primary content stream. The application configured with the manifest file or metadata dynamically switches between the groups in order to customize the experience for a user or user device on which the application executes. Switching from multicast to unicast is also supported to supplement available customizations and for failover.

Abstract: Localized and global detection and mitigation of network attacks in a distributed platform are provided. The localized detection identifies attacks occurring at individual nodes of the distributed platform based on packet analysis conducted by each individual node. The global detection identifies attacks occurring across the distributed platform based on packet analysis conducted on traffic aggregated from across the distributed platform. Either detection involves inspecting headers of the sampled packets. Each header property is scored based on an amount of deviation from threshold values. The sum of scores identifies the header properties that form an attack signature. Attack protections are implemented against subsequently arriving packets with header properties matching the attack signature.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a director agent, a server agent, and a specialized hand-off protocol for improving scalability and resource usage within a server farm. A first network connection is established between a client and the director agent in order to receive a content request from the client from which to select a server from a set of servers that is responsible for hosting the requested content. A second network connection is established between the server agent that is associated with the selected server and a protocol stack of the selected server. The first network connection is handed-off to the server agent using the specialized hand-off protocol. The server agent performs network connection state parameter transformations between the two connections to create a network connection through which content can be passed from the selected server to the client without passing through the director.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a capacity management agent that modifies bandwidth that is allocated between an end user and a carrier network by caching requested content that is streamed at a first rate and then providing the cached content to the end user through the carrier network at a second rate. The agent performs a process that includes receiving data intended for a service region of the carrier network from an external data network. The process identifies resource availability at the service region. Next, the process passes the data to the service region at the first rate when the resource availability at the service region is not less than a threshold amount and caches the data for passing to the service region at the second rate that consumes fewer carrier network resource than the first rate when the resource availability at the service region is less than the threshold amount.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide systems and methods for determining a server of a distributed hosting system to optimally distribute content to an end user. The method includes identifying an IP address of the end user. Based on the IP address, a set of servers send packets to the end user to derive performance metrics. The performance metrics are used to determine a server from the set of servers that optimally distributes content to the end user. The method modifies a configuration for resolving end user requests such that the optimal server is identified to the end user when the end user requests content from the hosting system. Some embodiments determine the optimal server by providing downloadable content that is embedded with a monitoring tool. The monitoring tool causes the end user to derive performance metrics for the hosting system when downloading a particular object from a set of servers.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a multi-tenant over-the-top multicast solution that integrates the per user stream customizability of unicast with the large scale streaming efficiencies of multicast. The solution involves an application, different multicast groups streaming an event with different customizations, and a manifest file or metadata identifying the different groups and customizations. The solution leverages the different multicast groups in order to provide different time shifts in the event stream, different quality level encodings of the event stream, and different secondary content to be included with a primary content stream. The application configured with the manifest file or metadata dynamically switches between the groups in order to customize the experience for a user or user device on which the application executes. Switching from multicast to unicast is also supported to supplement available customizations and for failover.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a multi-tenant over-the-top multicast solution that integrates the per user stream customizability of unicast with the large scale streaming efficiencies of multicast. The solution involves an application, different multicast groups streaming an event with different customizations, and a manifest file or metadata identifying the different groups and customizations. The solution leverages the different multicast groups in order to provide different time shifts in the event stream, different quality level encodings of the event stream, and different secondary content to be included with a primary content stream. The application configured with the manifest file or metadata dynamically switches between the groups in order to customize the experience for a user or user device on which the application executes. Switching from multicast to unicast is also supported to supplement available customizations and for failover.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a director agent, a server agent, and a specialized hand-off protocol for improving scalability and resource usage within a server farm. A first network connection is established between a client and the director agent in order to receive a content request from the client from which to select a server from a set of servers that is responsible for hosting the requested content. A second network connection is established between the server agent that is associated with the selected server and a protocol stack of the selected server. The first network connection is handed-off to the server agent using the specialized hand-off protocol. The server agent performs network connection state parameter transformations between the two connections to create a network connection through which content can be passed from the selected server to the client without passing through the director.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a director agent, a server agent, and a specialized hand-off protocol for improving scalability and resource usage within a server farm. A first network connection is established between a client and the director agent in order to receive a content request from the client from which to select a server from a set of servers that is responsible for hosting the requested content. A second network connection is established between the server agent that is associated with the selected server and a protocol stack of the selected server. The first network connection is handed-off to the server agent using the specialized hand-off protocol. The server agent performs network connection state parameter transformations between the two connections to create a network connection through which content can be passed from the selected server to the client without passing through the director.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a capacity management agent that modifies bandwidth that is allocated between an end user and a carrier network by caching requested content that is streamed at a first rate and then providing the cached content to the end user through the carrier network at a second rate. The agent performs a process that includes receiving data intended for a service region of the carrier network from an external data network. The process identifies resource availability at the service region. Next, the process passes the data to the service region at the first rate when the resource availability at the service region is not less than a threshold amount and caches the data for passing to the service region at the second rate that consumes fewer carrier network resource than the first rate when the resource availability at the service region is less than the threshold amount.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a capacity management agent that modifies bandwidth that is allocated between an end user and a carrier network by caching requested content that is streamed at a first rate and then providing the cached content to the end user through the carrier network at a second rate. The agent performs a process that includes receiving data intended for a service region of the carrier network from an external data network. The process identifies resource availability at the service region. Next, the process passes the data to the service region at the first rate when the resource availability at the service region is not less than a threshold amount and caches the data for passing to the service region at the second rate that consumes fewer carrier network resource than the first rate when the resource availability at the service region is less than the threshold amount.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a log reporting system for a federation of independently operated CDNs so that logs, performance, analytics, and billing can be obtained for customers irrespective of which servers of which federation participants the customers' configurations are deployed to. The system includes a log aggregator, splitter, management agent, archival storage, dissemination agent, data log analyzer, and portal. The log aggregator aggregates server logs from servers of the federation participants. The splitter produces customer logs by regrouping the server logs on a per customer basis irrespective of which servers of which federation participants produced entries for each customer. The management agent controls operations of the archival storage, dissemination agent, and log analyzer. The archival storage archives customer logs. The dissemination agent disseminates customer logs. The log analyzer processes the customer logs to produce reports, analytics, and billing.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a multi-tenant over-the-top multicast solution that integrates the per user stream customizability of unicast with the large scale streaming efficiencies of multicast. The solution involves an application, different multicast groups streaming an event with different customizations, and a manifest file or metadata identifying the different groups and customizations. The solution leverages the different multicast groups in order to provide different time shifts in the event stream, different quality level encodings of the event stream, and different secondary content to be included with a primary content stream. The application configured with the manifest file or metadata dynamically switches between the groups in order to customize the experience for a user or user device on which the application executes. Switching from multicast to unicast is also supported to supplement available customizations and for failover.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a director agent, a server agent, and a specialized hand-off protocol for improving scalability and resource usage within a server farm. A first network connection is established between a client and the director agent in order to receive a content request from the client from which to select a server from a set of servers that is responsible for hosting the requested content. A second network connection is established between the server agent that is associated with the selected server and a protocol stack of the selected server. The first network connection is handed-off to the server agent using the specialized hand-off protocol. The server agent performs network connection state parameter transformations between the two connections to create a network connection through which content can be passed from the selected server to the client without passing through the director.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide firewalls and methods for guarding against attacks by leveraging the Document Object Model (DOM). The firewall renders the DOM tree to produce a white-list rendering of the data which presents the non-executable elements of the data and, potentially, outputs of the executable elements of the data without the executable elements that could be used to carry a security threat. Some embodiments provide control over which nodes of the DOM tree are included in producing the white-list rendering. Specifically, a configuration file is specified to white-list various nodes from the DOM tree and the white-list rendering is produced by including the DOM tree nodes that are specified in the white-list of the configuration file while excluding those nodes that are not in the white-list. Some embodiments provide a hybrid firewall that executes a set of black-list rules over white-listed nodes of the DOM tree.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide systems and methods for determining a server of a distributed hosting system to optimally distribute content to an end user. The method includes identifying an IP address of the end user. Based on the IP address, a set of servers send packets to the end user to derive performance metrics. The performance metrics are used to determine a server from the set of servers that optimally distributes content to the end user. The method modifies a configuration for resolving end user requests such that the optimal server is identified to the end user when the end user requests content from the hosting system. Some embodiments determine the optimal server by providing downloadable content that is embedded with a monitoring tool. The monitoring tool causes the end user to derive performance metrics for the hosting system when downloading a particular object from a set of servers.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a capacity management agent that modifies content requests to adjust bandwidth consumption when streaming requested content from a content provider to a requesting user. The modifications include modifying a URL or header information of the request. The agent performs a process that receives a request for content of a content provider. The process identifies a parameter of the carrier network and modifies the request when the parameter satisfies a threshold. The process passes the request to the content provider and the content provider provides content that consumes a first set of resources in response to an unmodified request and a second set of resources in response to a modified request. When the parameter identifies congestion, the first set of resources is greater than the second set of resources. When the condition parameter identifies underutilization, the first set of resources is less than the second set of resources.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide systems and methods for implementing discrete mapping for targeted caching in a carrier network. In some embodiments, discrete mapping is implemented using a method that caches content from a content provider to a caching server. The method modifies a DNS entry at a particular DNS server to resolve a request that identifies either a hostname or a domain for the content provider to an address of the caching server so that the requested content is passed from the cached content of the caching server and not the source content provider. In some embodiments, the particular DNS server is a recursive DNS server, a local DNS server of the carrier network, or a DNS server that is not authoritative for the hostname or domain of the content provider.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a repository that manages configurations for a distributed platform and that automatedly configures servers of the distributed platform with different hierarchical sets of configurations while ensuring integrity and consistency across the servers and in the repository. In some embodiment, the repository includes a data store that stores configurations for a first set of servers that are operated by a first service provider and a second set of servers that are operated by a second service provider. The data store also identifies different sets of configurations to deploy to different sets of servers from the first and second sets of servers. The repository also includes a function processor to automatedly deploy the different sets of configurations to the different sets of servers and to perform functions for updating the configurations in a manner that ensures integrity and consistency.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide methods and systems for improving the scalability and redundancy of a distributed content streaming system. Such scalability and redundancy is provided with zero configuration changes to the addressing used by content providers to publish content and zero configuration changes to existing servers of the system. The system includes ingest servers and edge servers. Content providers supply content streams to the ingest servers using a virtual or load balanced address that distributes the content streams across the ingest servers. Accordingly, ingest servers can be added or removed without changing content provider configurations. The ingest servers are configured to notify the edge servers of which content streams are available for streaming at which ingest server. When an ingest server is added to the system, its functionality may be assimilated without modifying the configurations of the other servers. Some embodiments also provide multiple caching layers.