Abstract: Systems and methods of operating a content node that caches digital content for end users are provided herein. The content node is configured to cache data. When the content node receives a request for content that is not presently cached, the content node identifies the origin server associated with the requested content. The content node monitors network characteristics for at least the origin server and one or more service providers that transfer content between the origin server and the content node. The content node selects a network address associated with a particular service provider based upon network characteristics and requests the origin server to deliver requested content and the selected address.

Abstract: Described herein are methods, systems, and software for accommodating failover of a content node in a content delivery network. In one example, a method of operating a control node includes receiving content requests issued by end user devices. The method further provides, for at least a first content request, mapping a first connection between a first end user device and a first content node, the first connection defined by at least a network address of the first end user device and a virtual next hop network address, and directing traffic associated with the first connection to the first content node using at least the virtual next hop network address. The method also includes identifying a service interruption associated with the first content node and, responsive to the service interruption, identifying a second content node to handle the communications for the first connection.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and software for operating a content node are provided herein. In one example, a method of operating a content node is presented. The method includes receiving a characteristic of an end user device, and configuring one or more transmission control protocol (TCP) parameter for communications with the end user device based on at least the characteristic of the end user device. The method also includes transferring the communications using the one or more TCP parameters for delivery to the end user device.

Abstract: A content delivery network is configured to receive information about wireless network conditions from a wireless device. The wireless device is configured to provide information about the conditions of the wireless device and/or the conditions of the network the wireless device is being served by. These conditions can then be used to help optimize content delivery to the wireless device or similarly situated wireless devices.

Abstract: Described herein are methods, systems, and software for accommodating failover of a content node in a content delivery network. In one example, a method of operating a content node includes receiving a communication for an end user device from a control node, wherein an interrupted content node previously handled the communication. The method further includes determining if the communication includes a synchronization packet and identifying connection information for the communication. The method also provides, if the communication includes a synchronization packet, accepting the communication and handling delivery for the end user device. The method also includes, if the communication does not include the synchronization packet, determining if a match exists between the connection information for the communication and connection information stored in a flow table, and handling the communication based on the match.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are enhancements for operating a content delivery network to load balance origin requests to origin servers. In one implementation, a method of operating a content delivery network comprising a plurality of cache nodes that cache content between end user devices and origin servers includes, in a first cache node of the plurality of cache nodes, obtaining distribution information indicative of how each cache node in the plurality of cache nodes has distributed content requests to the origin servers. The method further provides, in the first cache node maintaining a load balancing profile for the plurality of origin servers based on the distribution information, and distributing a content request to an origin server in the plurality of origin servers based at least in part on the load balancing profile for the plurality of origin servers.

Abstract: A communication system exchanges communications between end user devices, content delivery nodes (CDN) of a content delivery system, and a control system that selects CDNs of the content delivery system. The control system receives a domain name lookup request issued by an end user device for retrieving content cached by one or more CDNs of the content delivery system. The control system associates the end user device with a network performance profile to select a CDN of the content delivery system. The control system transfers a network address associated with the selected CDN for receipt by the end user device responsive to the domain name lookup request.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for a content delivery network that caches content for delivery to end user devices is presented. In one example, a method includes establishing domain name relationships for use by a top-level DNS to recurse DNS queries to a DNS node associated with the CDN. The method also includes establishing address correlations between prefixed IPv6 network addresses and PQDNs that comprise indicators for at least a routing provider identifier and a cache node grouping. The method also includes receiving recursed DNS queries and responsively translating domain names in the recursed DNS queries into associated IPv6 network addresses to reach content indicated by the domain names, the associated IPv6 network addresses each determined by at least selecting one of the prefixed IPv6 network addresses according to a desired routing provider and a desired cache node grouping indicated in the PQDNs.

Abstract: Described herein are methods, systems, and software for handling packet buffering between end users and content servers, such as content delivery nodes. In one example, a method of operating a content server includes generating first and second data packets for first and second content requests. Once generated, the method provides storing the first packets in a packet buffer and transferring the first packets to a first user device. Upon transfer, the first packets are deleted from the packet buffer and replaced with the second packets. Theses second packets are then transferred to a second user device and deleted from the packet buffer. Further, once the packets are transferred to the user devices, the method further includes monitoring for an acknowledgment from the user devices to ensure the packets are received.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for operating content delivery networks are provided herein. In one example, a method of operating a domain name translation node in a first point-of-presence of a content delivery network is presented. The method includes receiving a translation message issued by an end user device for translation of a domain name into a content network address, and processing the translation message to identify a network address of a node that transferred the translation message. The method also includes selecting the content network address based at least in part on correlations between network addresses and performance factors to direct the end user device to a target cache node at a point-of-presence different than the point-of-presence of the domain name translation node, and transferring a response message indicating the content network address which directs the end user device to the target cache node at the second point-of-presence.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for provide a digital media caching environment are provided herein. In one example, a method of operating a content node to provide a digital media caching environment is provided. The method includes receiving a request transferred by an end user device for digital media content. Responsive to the request, the method includes retrieving at least a header portion and a content subset of the digital media content from an origin server and transmuxing the content subset of the digital media content from an origin format into a stream format suitable for streaming to the end user device, and streaming the content subset in the stream format for delivery to the end user device.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and software for bypassing a domain name system. In one example, a method of operating a user communication device includes receiving a user instruction requesting content within a user application of the user communication device. The method further provides, in response to the user instruction, processing at least a domain name system bypass data structure on the user communication device to identify a network address for retrieving the content. The method further includes, requesting the content from a content node using the network address.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and software for operating a content delivery system are provided herein. In one example, a method includes, in a first content delivery node, receiving a purge instruction to purge first content stored in the first content delivery node and responsively purging the first content. Responsive to purging the first content, the method includes transferring a content request for delivery to a second content delivery node, where the content request comprises a request for second content to replace the first content and a revision indicator of the first content. Responsive to the content request, the method includes receiving the second content for storage in the first content delivery node.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software that select network addresses of a content node of a content delivery network are provided herein. In one example, a method of operating a control node to perform network address selection that selects between different communication service providers according to network characteristics is presented. The control node receives a domain name lookup request from an end user device to reach a content node. The control node processes network characteristics and the domain name lookup request to select a network address that corresponds to one of the communication service providers. The end user device can use the selected network address to reach the content node over the selected communication service provider.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and software for operating a content delivery node to monitor requests for content transferred by at least an end user device to detect when the requests comprise an attack on the content delivery node. Responsive to detecting the attack on the content delivery node, the content delivery node establishes a rate limit in the content delivery node on at least the requests for the content associated with the end user device, and transfers an indication of the attack comprising the rate limit for delivery to another content delivery node that directs the other content delivery node to apply the rate limit to further requests for the content before the further requests are received by the other content delivery node.

Abstract: Described herein are methods, systems, and software to handle verification information in a content node. In one example, a method of operating a content node includes receiving a secure content request from an end user device and determining the availability of verification information stored on the content node to service the secure content request. The method further provides, if the verification information is available, verifying the end user device based on the verification information. The method also includes, if the verification information is unavailable, querying an origin server to verify the end user device.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and software for handling secure transport of data between end users and content serving devices. In one example, a method of operating a content server includes identifying a content request from an end user device. The method further includes, responsive to the user request, determining a transmission control protocol window size and a secure layer protocol block size. The method also provides scaling the secure layer protocol block size to match the transmission control protocol window size, and transferring secure layer protocol packets to the end user device using the scaled secure layer protocol block size.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and software for modifying a communication path based on content delivery performance data. In one example, a method of operating a content server that hosts content to be provided to a plurality of end user devices includes identifying latency data for a plurality of end user devices communicating with the content server, and identifying that the one or more end user devices in the plurality of end user devices exceed a latency threshold based on the latency data. The method further includes, in response to identifying that the one or more end user devices in the plurality of end user devices exceed the latency threshold, modifying the communication path between the content server and the one or more end user devices by modifying a domain name system (DNS) configuration for the content server.

Abstract: A privatized link between an origin server and a content delivery network is provided. A privatized link can be direct connection that does not route over the internet. Another privatized link is one that rotates IP addresses. An origin server may be assigned to use a set of multiple IP addresses for communication with the content delivery network. However, at any given time, the origin server is only using a small number of IP addresses. When one of the IP addresses being used to communicate with the content delivery network comes under attack, the origin server switches to another IP address in the set in order to continue serving content to the content delivery network via an IP address that is not under attack.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and software for a content delivery network that caches content for delivery to end user devices is presented. In one example, a method includes assigning prefixed network addresses for the sites of the content delivery network, with ones of the prefixed network addresses indicating associated pathways for routing network traffic to reach the sites over more than one backhaul packet network. The method includes announcing groups of the prefixed network addresses to selected ones of the backhaul packet networks, with each to the groups comprising a backhaul network-independent prefixed network address, a backhaul network-specific prefixed network address, and a failover prefixed network address. The method includes receiving the network traffic at the sites over ones of the backhaul packet networks that are selected among for routing the network traffic by source network addresses indicated in content requests issued from the sites.