A Practical Guide to Content Delivery Networks

by Held; Gilbert

• ISBN13: 9780849336492
• ISBN10: 084933649X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-09-14
• Publisher: Auerbach Pub

Summary

A Practical Guide to Content Delivery Networks offers an organized approach to implementing the networks responsible for the distribution of various types of Web traffic, including standard Web pages and streaming audio and video. Because CDN operations are normally performed by independent organizations, the successful use of vendor facilities requires knowledge of how CDNs operate--this volume describes how these networks function and the pros and cons of their use.This book also examines Web architecture and TCP/IP, enabling an understanding of the clients, servers, and back-end databases that combine within a CDN to satisfy organizational requirements. It also explores the evolution of technologies that distribute Web content, pointing out advantages and disadvantages and explaining how these networks can deliver an organization's Web-based information to users worldwide.This vendor-neutral guide benefits anyone building HR or financial applications, Web sites, or any services in which reliability, scalability, and availability are paramount.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
Acknowledgments	xvii
Chapter 1 Introduction to Content Delivery Networking	1	(20)
1.1 The Modern Content Delivery Network	1	(1)
Advantages	1	(1)
Disadvantages	2	(1)
1.2 Evolution	2	(14)
Client-server computing	3	(1)
Client-to-mainframe data flow	3	(2)
Modern client-server operations	5	(2)
Server network architecture	7	(1)
Two-tier architecture	7	(1)
Three-tier architecture	7	(1)
The road to push technology	8	(1)
Teletext systems	8	(1)
Videotext	9	(1)
Pull technology	10	(1)
Role of caching	10	(1)
Pull limitations	10	(2)
Multicast	12	(1)
Advantages	12	(1)
Addresses	13	(1)
Limitations	13	(1)
Push technology	13	(1)
Evolution	14	(1)
Crawling	15	(1)
Advantages	15	(1)
Disadvantages	15	(1)
1.3 Content Delivery Networking	16	(5)
Client-server operations on the Internet	16	(1)
Client server operating on the same network	16	(1)
Client-server operations on different networks	17	(1)
Peering point	17	(4)
Chapter 2 Client-Server Models	21	(26)
2.1 Overview	22	(1)
2.2 Client Operations	22	(14)
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)	22	(2)
Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)	24	(1)
Hyper Text links	25	(1)
Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP)	25	(1)
Versions	26	(1)
Operation	26	(1)
Request message	26	(2)
Response message	28	(1)
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 1.1	29	(1)
State maintenance	30	(1)
Cookies	30	(1)
Types of cookies	31	(1)
Hidden fields	32	(1)
Browser programs	32	(1)
Helpers	32	(1)
Plug-ins	32	(1)
Java	33	(1)
Java bytecodes	33	(1)
The Java Application Programming Interface (Java API)	34	(1)
Java programs	34	(1)
Visual Basic Scripting (VBScript)	35	(1)
ActiveX	36	(1)
2.3 Server Operations	36	(6)
Evolution	36	(1)
Common Web server programs	37	(1)
Web server directories	37	(1)
Server characteristics	38	(1)
Common Gateway Interface (CGI scripts)	39	(1)
Servlets	39	(1)
Internet Server Application Programming Interfaces (ISAPI)	40	(1)
Application servers	40	(1)
Access	40	(1)
Java application servers	41	(1)
General server tools	42	(1)
2.4 Distance Relationship	42	(5)
Using ping	43	(1)
Using traceroot	44	(3)
Chapter 3 Understanding TCP/IP	47	(22)
3.1 The Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
Suite	47	(1)
Protocol suite components	47	(1)
Physical and data link layers	48	(1)
Media Access Control (MAC) addressing	48	(1)
Layer 3 addressing	49	(2)
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)	51	(1)
The network layer	51	(1)
Internet Protocol (IP) header	52	(1)
Time-to-Live (TTL) field	52	(1)
Protocol field	52	(1)
Source and destination addresses fields	52	(2)
The transport layer	54	(1)
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)	54	(1)
Sequence Number	54	(1)
Acknowledgment Number field	55	(1)
Window field	55	(1)
Checksum field	55	(1)
User Datagram Protocol (UDP)	55	(1)
Length field	56	(1)
Checksum field	56	(1)
Port meanings	56	(1)
Destination Port	56	(1)
Source Port	57	(1)
Port numbers ranges	57	(1)
3.2 The Domain Name System	58	(11)
Need for address resolution	58	(1)
Domain name servers	58	(1)
Top-level domain	59	(1)
DNS operation	60	(1)
Configuring your computer	60	(1)
Root name servers	61	(2)
The NSLOOKUP tool	63	(1)
Expediting the name resolution process	63	(1)
DNS resource records	64	(1)
Start of Authority (SOA) resource record	64	(1)
Name Server (NS) Records	65	(1)
Address (A) records	66	(1)
Host Information (HINFO) record	66	(1)
Mail Exchange (MX) records	66	(1)
Carnonical Name (CNAME) Records	66	(1)
Other records	66	(3)
Chapter 4 The CDN Model	69	(38)
4.1 Why Performance Matters	69	(4)
Economics of poor performance	69	(1)
Predictability	70	(1)
Customer loyalty	71	(1)
Scalability	71	(1)
Flexibility	72	(1)
Company perception	72	(1)
Summary	72	(1)
4.2 Examining Internet Bottlenecks	73	(22)
Entry and egress considerations	73	(1)
Access delays	74	(4)
Egress delays	78	(4)
Benefits of edge servers	82	(1)
Peering points	82	(1)
Rationale	82	(1)
Transit and peering operations	83	(2)
Global structure of peering points	85	(1)
Representative peering points	86	(1)
European Internet Exchange (Euro-IX)	86	(1)
The Vienna Internet Exchange (VIX)	86	(1)
Membership costs	86	(4)
Belgian National Internet Exchange (BNIX)	90	(1)
London Internet Exchange, Ltd. (LINX)	91	(1)
Membership costs	91	(1)
Peering point delays	91	(1)
Using tracert	92	(2)
Propagation delay	94	(1)
4.3 Edge Operations	95	(9)
Operation	95	(1)
The Akamai network	96	(1)
Type of content support	96	(1)
Centralized Web site access	96	(1)
Edge server model	97	(2)
Limitation	99	(1)
Edge Side Includes (ESI)	100	(1)
Edge Side Includes support	101	(1)
Inclusion and conditional inclusion	101	(1)
Environmental variables	102	(1)
Exception and error handling	102	(1)
Language tags	102	(1)
The ESI template	102	(1)
Edge Side Includes for Java	103	(1)
Statistics	104	(1)
4.4 Summary	104	(3)
Chapter 5 Caching and Load Balancing	107	(24)
5.1 Caching	107	(18)
Browser cache	108	(1)
Other types of Web caches	108	(1)
Proxy caches	108	(2)
Gateway caches	110	(1)
Server caches	110	(1)
Application caching	111	(1)
Cache operation	112	(1)
Cache control methods	113	(1)
META tags	113	(1)
Types of META tags	113	(1)
Style and format	113	(2)
HTTP headers	115	(1)
Overview	115	(1)
Expires header	116	(1)
Cache-control header	116	(2)
Directive application	118	(1)
Cache-request directives	118	(1)
The no-cache directive	118	(1)
The no-store directive	118	(1)
The max-age directive	118	(1)
The max-stale directive	119	(1)
The min-fresh directive	119	(1)
The no-transform directive	119	(1)
The only-if-cached directive	119	(1)
Cache control extensions	119	(1)
Cache-response directives	120	(1)
The public directive	120	(1)
The private directive	120	(1)
The no-cache directive	120	(1)
The no-store directive	120	(1)
The no-transform directive	120	(1)
The must-revalidate directive	121	(1)
The proxy-revalidate directive	121	(1)
The max-age directive	121	(1)
The s-maxage directive	121	(1)
Cache-extension	121	(1)
Viewing HTTP headers	121	(3)
Considering authentication	124	(1)
Enhancing cacheability	124	(1)
Minimize use of SSL/TLS	124	(1)
Use URLs consistently	124	(1)
Use a common set of images	125	(1)
Store images and pages that change infrequently	125	(1)
Make caches recognize scheduled updates	125	(1)
Do not unnecessarily change files	125	(1)
Only use cookies when necessary	125	(1)
Minimize the use of POST	125	(1)
5.2 Load Balancing	125	(6)
Rationale	126	(1)
Load balancing techniques	126	(1)
DNS load balancing	126	(1)
Internet Protocol address mapping	127	(1)
Virtual Internet Protocol addressing	127	(1)
Load balancing methods	127	(1)
Random allocation	128	(1)
Round-robin allocation	128	(1)
Weighted round-robin allocation	128	(1)
Hardware versus software	128	(1)
DNS load balancing	129	(1)
DNS load sharing methods	129	(1)
Using CNAMES	129	(1)
Using A records	130	(1)
Chapter 6 The CDN Enterprise Model	131	(24)
6.1 Overview	131	(3)
Rationale	132	(1)
Concentrated customer base	132	(1)
Distributed locations available for use	132	(1)
Knowledgeable staff	133	(1)
Control	133	(1)
Economics	133	(1)
6.2 Traffic Analysis	134	(14)
Using Web logs	134	(1)
Using logging strings	134	(1)
Web log analysis	135	(1)
Top referring domains	136	(1)
Web log statistics	137	(1)
Origination country	137	(1)
Originating time zone	138	(1)
Other statistics	138	(1)
Other logging information	139	(1)
Microsoft's Performance Monitor	139	(1)
Activating Performance Monitor	140	(1)
Adding counters and instances	140	(3)
Working with Performance Monitor	143	(1)
Summary	144	(2)
Using a network analyzer	146	(1)
Other tools to consider	147	(1)
6.3 Content Delivery Models	148	(7)
Single-site, single-server model	148	(1)
Advantages	148	(1)
Disadvantages	149	(1)
Single-site, multiple-servers model	149	(1)
Advantages	149	(1)
Disadvantages	150	(1)
Multiple-sites, single-server per site model	150	(1)
Advantages	151	(1)
Disadvantages	151	(1)
Multiple-site, multiple-server per site model	152	(1)
Advantages	152	(1)
Disadvantages	152	(3)
Chapter 7 Web Hosting Options	155	(10)
7.1 Rationale	155	(5)
Cost elements and total cost	155	(1)
Performance elements	156	(2)
Server side language support	158	(1)
Web service tools	158	(1)
Facility location(s)	158	(2)
7.2 Type of Web Hosting Facilities	160	(2)
Dedicated hosting	160	(1)
Shared server hosting	160	(1)
Co-located hosting	161	(1)
7.3 Evaluation Factors	162	(3)
Index	165