Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing – Computer network access regulating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-16
2001-02-13
Lim, Krisna (Department: 2153)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
Computer network access regulating
C709S224000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189033
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to data access network systems. More particularly, this invention relates to a system and method for providing performance guarantees for content sites (e.g., world wide web sites) hosted in a data service system such that accesses to one content site do not affect the performance of accesses to other content sites.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a data access network system is an Internet/Intranet network system. An Internet/Intranet network system typically includes a data service system and an interconnect network that connects the data service system to subscriber or user terminals or other data service systems. The data service system is typically referred to as an Internet/Intranet Service Provider(ISP) system. The ISP system can host a number of content sites. The ISP system can also be connected to other ISP systems via an interconnect network, thus forming the Internet/Intranet network system. The users connected to the ISP system can access the content sites within the ISP system or the content sites within the other ISP systems via the network.
An ISP system typically includes web and/or content servers that host contents for various customers or applications. The customers are the owners of the contents and the ISP system is used for the customers to host their contents such that subscribers or users can access the contents via their computer terminals connected to the ISP system. The content servers typically utilize Internet applications, such as electronic mail, bulletin boards, news groups, and World Wide Web access. The hosted contents are arranged in the form of content sites within the content servers. This means a content site is for one customer while a particular customer may own a number of content sites. In addition, the ISP system may have a Proxy server that allows a network administrator to restrict access to the Internet. Another use of the Proxy server is to cache frequently accessed data from the Internet.
The ISP system can host multiple content sites for various customers. For example, the ISP system may host a content site for one customer and one or a number of content sites for another customer. This allows an individual customer to obtain the benefits provided by the ISP system without actually acquiring the physical ISP system. This also allows the resources of the ISP system to be effectively and efficiently used and managed.
However, one problem associated with such an arrangement is that the ISP system typically does not provide performance guarantees for the content sites it hosts. This means that the ISP system does not provide features like performance stability over a range of client demands, non-interference performance among co-hosted content sites, targeted performance, and overload protection for the hosted content sites. As is known, when a customer contracts the ISP system to host a content site, the customer typically desires that access requests to his content site can be quickly processed without delay. However, because the ISP system typically hosts multiple content sites and the content sites hosted by the ISP system can be accessed by multiple users, unbearably long delays or even deadlocks may occur when the total number of access requests received by the ISP system at one time greatly exceeds the total number of access requests permitted by the ISP system (i.e., the entire system is overloaded). When this occurs, the performance of each of the content sites is affected. This is true even when all of the user access requests may be directed to just one of the content sites. This thus hinders the ISP system to provide quality services for its customers who host their content sites in the ISP system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One feature of the present invention is to allow a data service system to provide performance guarantees for a content site hosted in the data service system.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide access throughput control for a content site hosted in a data service system, wherein the data service system hosts a number of content sites each of which can be accessed by multiple users at the same time.
A further feature of the present invention is to ensure that accesses to a content site hosted by a data service system are not affected by accesses to other content sites hosted by the same data service system.
A still further feature of the present invention is to allow a data service system to provide stable and targeted performance, overload protection, and tiered levels of request class performance for its hosted content sites.
A data service system is described that includes a plurality of data content sites and is coupled to a number of user terminals via a network. The data service system also includes a system for providing performance guarantees for the content sites. The system for providing performance guarantees includes a plurality of class processors, each for controlling access throughput of one of the content sites in accordance with a predetermined admission control policy of that content site. When one of the class processors receives an access request for one of the content sites, that class processor determines if the request should be accepted based on the corresponding admission control policy and sends the access request to the corresponding content site if the access request is determined to be accepted. The system also includes a classifier that determines to which one of the class processors the access request should be sent.
A method of controlling access throughput of the content sites is also described. The method includes the step of defining an admission control policy for one of the content sites. Upon receiving an access request, the method then determines to which one of the content sites the access request is sent. The method then determines if the access request should be allowed to access the corresponding content site based on the admission control policy for that content site. If the admission control policy allows the access request to access the corresponding content site, then the method allows the access request to access the corresponding content site.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5708780 (1998-01-01), Levergood et al.
patent: 5796952 (1998-08-01), Davis et al.
patent: 5913041 (1999-06-01), Ramanathan et al.
patent: 5961588 (1999-10-01), Cooper et al.
patent: 5961602 (1999-10-01), Thompson et al.
patent: 5999971 (1999-12-01), Buckland
patent: 6094680 (2000-07-01), Hokanson
Bhatti Nina T.
Friedrich Richard J.
Jin Tai
Salehi James D.
Hewlett--Packard Company
Li Thomas X.
Lim Krisna
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