Automatic migration of data via a distributed computer network

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the automatic migration of data via a distributed computer network allows a customer to select content files that are to be transferred to a group of edge servers. Origin sites store all of a customer's available content files. An edge server maintains a dynamic number of popular files in its memory for the customer. The files are ranked from most popular to least popular and when a file has been requested from an edge server a sufficient number of times to become more popular than the lowest popular stored file, the file is obtained from an origin site. The edge servers are grouped into two service levels: regional and global. The customer is charged a higher fee to store its popular files on the global edge servers compared to a regional set of edge servers because of greater coverage.

1 . A method implemented by a service provider on behalf of one or more content providers, comprising:
 organizing a cluster of network-connected edge servers into a cache for caching and serving popular, high-bandwidth video content, the cluster organized within a third party edge network close to end users;   filling the cache with popular, high-bandwidth video content;   directing requests for the popular, high-bandwidth video content to the network-connected edge servers; and   periodically updating contents of the cache based on application of a popularity-based algorithm.   
     
     
         2 . The method as described in  claim 1  wherein the popularity-based algorithm determines a popularity of given video content in a first geographical area relative to a second geographical area. 
     
     
         3 . The method as described in  claim 2  wherein each of the first and second geographical areas is a country. 
     
     
         4 . The method as described in  claim 1  further including locating a service provider server in association with the cluster so that content provider content is exchanged between the server and the network-connected edge servers without requiring the content provider content to traverse a wide area network (WAN). 
     
     
         5 . The method as described in  claim 1  further providing the content provider with a report identifying relative popularity of at least two or more videos. 
     
     
         6 . The method as described in  claim 3  further including collecting data from the edge servers identifying the relative popularity of at least two or more videos. 
     
     
         7 . The method as described in  claim 1  further including charging the content provider a fee. 
     
     
         8 . The method as described in  claim 4  wherein a content provider's most frequently-requested videos are cached and served from the plurality of edge servers in the cache while the content provider's less frequently-requested videos are stored on the service provider server.