How do CDNs Work?
Thomas Bower Michelle Zhao
Tanmay Khanna Ali Yepifanova
Imperial College London
TopicsFest 2016
22nd March, 2016
The Problem
Frustrating!
What are CDNs?
Content Distribution Networks
Interconnected systems of servers
Spread across the globe
They can...
Save copies of websites, files, and media
Speed up websites
Allow for more traffic
Why do we need them?
Scalable
High-capacity
Boosts
performance
Saves money
Distributed
Components in a CDN
Origin Server
Surrogate Servers
Request Routing Mechanism
How They Work
First Request
How They Work
First Request
Second Request
Types of Selection Algorithms
The types of selection algorithms fall into two general schemes:
Active Schemes (with per-request monitoring)
Passive Schemes (with routing tables).
Active Scheme Routing
Each user request is sent to a pool of request routers.
The routers analyse each individual request.
Over a dozen parameters are checked.
Passive Scheme Routing
Uses an information table to decide which surrogate server to
redirect the request to.
Maps each request to the appropriate surrogate server.
Passive Scheme Routing
Table: Routing Information Table
Client
Location
Europe
America
Asia
Africa
Distance from Surrogate Locations
New York Paris
New Delhi
120
30
160
30
120
200
160
160
60
160
100
120
Passive Scheme Routing
Table: Routing Table
Client Location
Europe
America
Asia
Africa
Surrogate Server Location
Paris
New York
New Delhi
Paris
Topology of CDNs
Definition
Topology is the study relating to the internal structure of a
network.
For optimal performance, distribution of end nodes is
important
There are two approaches - co-location and network-core
Topology of CDNs
Co-location Approach
Nodes are scattered
Low capacity
Efficient in low-connectivity
areas
Closer proximity to user
High maintenance cost
Topology of CDNs
Network-core Approach
Nodes are consolidated
Large data centres
High capacity
Fewer locations
Performs better under
hacker attack
History
Who is This?
History
First Generation CDNs
Server farms and proxy caching kick things off
CDNs extremely expensive
Focus on optimising physical proximity to servers
Transition from copper to fiber wiring
Most content on the web is static
Static vs. Dynamic
History
Second Generation CDNs
Content becoming richer and more dynamic
Users have faster connections and better hardware
Demand for quicker internet increasing
Strain on First Generation CDNs
Consolidated topology more prevalent than scattered
Still not that affordable...
History
Third Generation CDNs
Anyone with a website can use CDN services
Main challenge is distributing mobile content
One approach is replacing HTTP
Topology is highly consolidated for security reasons
What next?
Want to Learn More?
To find out more, please visit our website.
[Link]
References I
1
Sipat Triukose, Zhihua Wen, Michael Rabinovich. Content Delivery Networks: How Big is Big Enough?,
Case Western Reserve University. 2009. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 28th
February 2016]
Incapsula. The Essential CDN Guide CDN Infrastructure. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 2nd March 2016]
Akamai. About Akamai Facts and Figures. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 2nd March 2016]
Sipat Triukose, Zhihua Wen, Michael Rabinovich. Measuring a Commercial Content Delivery Network,
Case Western Reserve University. 2011. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 28th February 2016]
Akamai. Akamai Reveals 2 Seconds as the New Threshold of Acceptability for E-Commerce Web Page
Response Times. Available from: [Link]
[Accessed 19th March 2016]
Kit Eaton. How One Second Could Cost Amazon $16bn in Sales. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 19th
March 2016]
DMJ Web Design. Prepare for Website Traffic Spikes. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 19th March 2016]
Todd Wasserman. Coca-cola, Acura Websites Crashed During Superbowl. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 19th March
2016]
References II
9
Mukaddim Pathan. Content Delivery Network (CDN) Research Directory. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 1st March 2016]
10
Nicholas C. Zakas. How content delivery networks (CDNs) work. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 17th
February 2016]
11
Dinesh C. Verma. Selecting the Right Site in a CDN In: Content Distribution Networks An Engineering
Approach. Wiley Interscience. 2002.
12
Stef Van Der Ziel. Multi CDN: Active Request Routing. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 10th March 2016]
13
Srini CR. CDNs: Not on the Last Mile Yet. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 21st March 2016]
14
Akamai Technologies Company History; How Akamai got its start. Akamai. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 17th February 2016]
15
Buyya R, Pathan M, Vakali A. Content Delivery Networks. 1st ed. Berlin: Springer-Verlag Berlin
Heidelberg; 2008.
16
Goran andrli. The History of Content Delivery Networks. Globaldots. Available from:
[Link] [Accessed 20th February 2016]
17
Bourreau M, Cambini C, Doan P. Access regulation and the transition from copper to fiber networks in
telecoms. Journal of Regulatory Economics. 2014;45(3): 233-258. Available from:
doi:10.1007/s11149-014-9245-z [Accessed 1st March 2016]
18
NTT Communications. The Value of a CDN. Available from:
[Link] alueo fa C DN2 [Link] [Accessed9thMarch2016]DanRayburn.
19
How Mobile Acceleration Works: An Inside Look At Cotendos Newly Announced Service. StreamingMedia.
Weblog. Available from: [Link] [Accessed 9th March
2016]
Thank you for listening.
Any questions?
