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 proprietary 64-bit consistent distribution scheme that preserves the efficiencies of CARP while providing a significantly more balanced distribution of requests that is on par with schemes reliant on computationally expensive cryptographic hashes. The scheme performs hashing of requested URLs and identifiers of available servers over a 64-bit space while optimizing the hashing to remove computationally expensive operations. Some embodiments provide a variant of the scheme to provide a differentiated distribution on the basis of one or more differentiating factors. A first variant utilizes load factor values to adjust the resulting hashes and to produce a first distribution of differentiated content that varies from a second distribution of undifferentiated content.

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 transport session discovery protocol that enables load balancing devices of an Anycast reliant distributed platform to route legacy control messages to destinations within the distributed platform that manage the sessions or connections implicated by the legacy control messages, even when the implicated sessions or connections cannot be directly identified from the control message headers. The modified load balancing operation as a result of the transport session discovery protocol involves identifying a message header mapping to an unrecognized session or connection, extracting session or connection identifying information and an error or condition from the message body, generating a new messaging construct to encapsulate the extracted information, and multicasting the messaging construct to other load balancing devices operating within a common point-of-presence.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a proprietary 64-bit consistent distribution scheme that preserves the efficiencies of CARP while providing a significantly more balanced distribution of requests that is on par with schemes reliant on computationally expensive cryptographic hashes. The scheme performs hashing of requested URLs and identifiers of available servers over a 64-bit space while optimizing the hashing to remove computationally expensive operations. Some embodiments provide a variant of the scheme to provide a differentiated distribution on the basis of one or more differentiating factors. A first variant utilizes load factor values to adjust the resulting hashes and to produce a first distribution of differentiated content that varies from a second distribution of undifferentiated content.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a proprietary 64-bit consistent distribution scheme that preserves the efficiencies of CARP while providing a significantly more balanced distribution of requests that is on par with schemes reliant on computationally expensive cryptographic hashes. The scheme performs hashing of requested URLs and identifiers of available servers over a 64-bit space while optimizing the hashing to remove computationally expensive operations. Some embodiments provide a variant of the scheme to provide a differentiated distribution on the basis of one or more differentiating factors. A first variant utilizes load factor values to adjust the resulting hashes and to produce a first distribution of differentiated content that varies from a second distribution of undifferentiated content.

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 transport session discovery protocol that enables load balancing devices of an Anycast reliant distributed platform to route legacy control messages to destinations within the distributed platform that manage the sessions or connections implicated by the legacy control messages, even when the implicated sessions or connections cannot be directly identified from the control message headers. The modified load balancing operation as a result of the transport session discovery protocol involves identifying a message header mapping to an unrecognized session or connection, extracting session or connection identifying information and an error or condition from the message body, generating a new messaging construct to encapsulate the extracted information, and multicasting the messaging construct to other load balancing devices operating within a common point-of-presence.

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 proprietary 64-bit consistent distribution scheme that preserves the efficiencies of CARP while providing a significantly more balanced distribution of requests that is on par with schemes reliant on computationally expensive cryptographic hashes. The scheme performs hashing of requested URLs and identifiers of available servers over a 64-bit space while optimizing the hashing to remove computationally expensive operations. Some embodiments provide a variant of the scheme to provide a differentiated distribution on the basis of one or more differentiating factors. A first variant utilizes load factor values to adjust the resulting hashes and to produce a first distribution of differentiated content that varies from a second distribution of undifferentiated content.

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 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: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for efficient and effective multicast delivery over hub and spoke networks, including satellite-based hub and spoke networks. In one embodiment, a method of establishing a multicast connection with a plurality of receiving stations includes receiving with a gateway port a unicast connection, such as a TCP connection, from a sending station, mapping the unicast connection to a multicast connection on a first multicast group IP address, and initiating the multicast connection to a plurality of receiving stations. In alternative embodiments, the multicast connection is established over a satellite link, and/or is unidirectional.

Abstract: According to the present invention a telecommunications apparatus for providing transport of packetized information over large distances. The apparatus provides a bi-directional flow of information from a first satellite gateway using a connection over a satellite network to a second satellite gateway. The apparatus uses a gateway that translates the information using the TCP protocol into information using a satellite protocol, which is suitable for transmission of such information over the satellite network.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a technique for controlling information flow in TCP connections over a wireless wide area network is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides methods and systems for controlling the rate that information flows over a TCP connection to an Xpress Transport Protocol (herein “XTP”) connection, for example. Embodiments can determine those connections likely to use relatively large amounts of system resources and apply flow control techniques to these connections.

Abstract: According to the present invention a telecommunications method for providing transport of packetized information over large distances. The method includes providing a bi-directional flow of information using a connection over a satellite network. The method uses a gateway, which translates the information using the TCP protocol into information using a satellite protocol, which is suitable for transmission of such information over the satellite network.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for efficient and effective multicast delivery over hub and spoke networks, including satellite-based hub and spoke networks. In one embodiment, a method of establishing a multicast connection with a plurality of receiving stations includes receiving with a gateway port a unicast connection, such as a TCP connection, from a sending station, mapping the unicast connection to a multicast connection on a first multicast group IP address, and initiating the multicast connection to a plurality of receiving stations. In alternative embodiments, the multicast connection is established over a satellite link, and/or is unidirectional.

Abstract: According to the present invention a telecommunications system for providing transport of packetized information over large distances. The system includes a first satellite station gateway for providing a bi-directional flow of information using a connection over a satellite network to a second satellite gateway. The system uses a gateway that translates the information using the TCP protocol into information using a satellite protocol, which is suitable for transmission of such information over the satellite network.