Load balancing service

Abstract

A load balancing service for a plurality of customers performs load balancing among a plurality of customer Web servers. Requests for Web content are load balanced across the customer Web servers. The load balancing service provider charges a fee to the customers for the load balancing service. A caching service is also provided that comprises a plurality of caching servers connected to a network. The caching servers host customer content that can be cached and stored, e.g., images, video, text, and/or software. The caching servers respond to requests for Web content from clients. The load balancing service provider charges a fee to the customers for the Web caching service

1 . A method, comprising:
 allowing a customer to add at least one of the customer's Web servers to a plurality of customer Web servers that a content delivery service performs a customer Web server load balancing service upon, the content delivery service providing a Web caching service for content offloaded to the content delivery service from customer Web servers; and   displaying traffic performance data for at least one specified domain name being handled by the content delivery service to a customer.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the Web caching service includes a plurality of caching servers, and wherein the plurality of caching servers store cacheable customer content. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the content delivery service performs load balancing among a plurality of caching servers for user requests for cacheable content. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the cacheable content includes any of: movies, audio, images, text, plug-in program data, programs, streaming audio data, and video data. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the content delivery service selects an appropriate caching server to serve a user content request using service metric measurements of caching servers that serve the requested content and selects the appropriate caching server with a service metric measurement that offers more appropriate performance for the user request than other caching servers. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wherein the content delivery service provider charges a fee to its customers for use of the content delivery service. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the content delivery service selects an appropriate customer Web server to serve a user content request using traffic load measurements of customer Web servers that serve the requested content and selects the appropriate customer Web server with a traffic load measurement that offers more appropriate performance for the user request than other customer Web servers. 
   
   
       8 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a user interface that allows a customer to add at least one of the customer's Web servers to a plurality of customer Web servers that a content delivery service performs a customer Web server load balancing service upon, the content delivery service providing a Web caching service for content offloaded to the content delivery service from customer Web servers; and   wherein the user interface displays traffic performance data for at least one specified domain name being handled by the content delivery service to a customer.   
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the Web caching service includes a plurality of caching servers, and wherein the plurality of caching servers store cacheable customer content. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the content delivery service performs load balancing among a plurality of caching servers for user requests for cacheable content. 
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the cacheable content includes any of: movies, audio, images, text, plug-in program data, programs, streaming audio data, and video data. 
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the content delivery service selects an appropriate caching server to serve a user content request using service metric measurements of caching servers that serve the requested content and selects the appropriate caching server with a service metric measurement that offers more appropriate performance for the user request than other caching servers. 
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the wherein the content delivery service provider charges a fee to its customers for use of the content delivery service. 
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the content delivery service selects an appropriate customer Web server to serve a user content request using traffic load measurements of customer Web servers that serve the requested content and selects the appropriate customer Web server with a traffic load measurement that offers more appropriate performance for the user request than other customer Web servers. 
   
   
       15 . A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:
 allowing a customer to add at least one of the customer's Web servers to a plurality of customer Web servers that a content delivery service performs a customer Web server load balancing service upon, the content delivery service providing a Web caching service for content offloaded to the content delivery service from customer Web servers; and   displaying traffic performance data for at least one specified domain name being handled by the content delivery service to a customer.   
   
   
       16 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the Web caching service includes a plurality of caching servers, and wherein the plurality of caching servers store cacheable customer content. 
   
   
       17 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the content delivery service performs load balancing among a plurality of caching servers for user requests for cacheable content. 
   
   
       18 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the cacheable content includes any of: movies, audio, images, text, plug-in program data, programs, streaming audio data, and video data. 
   
   
       19 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the content delivery service selects an appropriate caching server to serve a user content request using service metric measurements of caching servers that serve the requested content and selects the appropriate caching server with a service metric measurement that offers more appropriate performance for the user request than other caching servers. 
   
   
       20 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the wherein the content delivery service provider charges a fee to its customers for use of the content delivery service. 
   
   
       21 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the content delivery service selects an appropriate customer Web server to serve a user content request using traffic load measurements of customer Web servers that serve the requested content and selects the appropriate customer Web server with a traffic load measurement that offers more appropriate performance for the user request than other customer Web servers.