1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to moving and storing data across a network and, more specifically, to managing content on a cache residing at an internet service provider location, internet exchange or other network facility.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional digital content distribution systems include a content server, an application server, a content player, and a communications network connecting the content server to the content player. The content server usually belongs to a content delivery network and is configured to store digital content items corresponding to different content assets that can be downloaded from the content server to the content player. The application server allows a user of the content player to browse through available digital content and manage account information, etc.
One major problem with conventional digital content distribution systems is the high volume of traffic, which results in network congestion, delays in delivering digital content to end-users, and even interruptions of service. To reduce the overall amount of traffic in a digital content distribution system, one ideally would like to store content assets on content servers that are located in the same geographical regions as the end-users requesting those content assets. That way, when an end-user requests a particular content asset, the content asset is already stored locally on a content server, and can be easily delivered to the end-user. Importantly, having to request the content asset from another content server within the content distribution system, which can significantly increase network traffic, is avoided. However, storing content assets on content servers local to the end-users requesting those content assets requires knowledge about which content assets those end-users are likely to request.
Unfortunately, conventional content servers in digital content distribution systems either do not have access to information that provides an understanding of what content assets end-users are likely to request or have access to only a limited amount of such information and, therefore, cannot generate an accurate understanding of what content assets end-users are likely to request. Again, when an end-user requests a content asset that is not stored on the content server receiving the particular request, the content asset has to be requested from a different content server in the network, which undesirably increases network traffic and delays when the end-user is able to access the requested content asset.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a more efficient way to distribute digital content throughout a digital content distribution system.