Patent ID: 8683076

Claim:
A method for use in a system in which a plurality of content providers provide multiple resources to multiple clients, wherein each content provider provides at least some of its resources via one or more origin servers associated with that content provider, and wherein a web page of a content provider of said plurality of content providers includes at least one reference to a resource of said content provider, said reference comprising a first URL identifying said resource, said first URL including an original hostname associated with said content provider and a path, the original host name being an origin server name, the method comprising: (A) providing a plurality of repeater servers distinct from said origin servers and configured to serve resources on behalf of the plurality of content providers; (B) causing said first URL to be modified to produce a modified URL, said modified URL including at least a portion of said original hostname and a string of characters prepended to said at least portion of said original hostname, said string of characters being distinct from said original hostname, wherein at least some of said string of characters includes a repeater server name operable to cause the resource to be served to clients from at least one of the plurality of repeater servers instead of from an origin server associated with said content provider; (C) a step for determining a Group Reduction Table and a Link Cost Table, wherein said Group Reduction Table and said Link Cost Table are operable for use in identifying the named repeater server; and (D) providing, to said content provider, information related to the serving of at least the resource to clients by the at least one of the plurality of repeater servers.