Patent ID: 7991883

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, at hardware including one or more processors and one or more memory devices effecting a server, a first request for content; determining whether the content is available locally at the server; when the content is available locally at the server, retrieving the content locally at the server; and transmitting the content to at least one downstream server; and when the content is not available locally at the server, transmitting, to the at least one downstream server, a notification that the content is not available locally and that a second request for the content is being transmitted; and transmitting the second request for the content to at least one upstream server; transmitting a third request for the content to another server when neither the content nor a notification that the content is not available locally is transmitted by the at least one upstream server within a time out failure limit of the server receiving the first request for content; and transmitting a notification identifying the at least one upstream server that failed to transmit within the time out failure limit of the server receiving the first request for content.