Patent ID: 8510464

Claim:
A method, performed by a particular machine in a network, with the network including a client, a plurality of content servers, and network devices along a plurality of different paths between the client and the plurality of content servers, with the method comprising: initiating, by the particular machine, a measurement operation for each particular content server of the plurality of content servers to determine a plurality of delay-measured network devices and time delays to each of the plurality of delay-measured network devices among a respective path of the plurality of different paths, with the respective path being between the client and the particular content server; and receiving and analyzing, by the particular machine, an identification of, and measured time delays to, the plurality of delay-measured network devices for each of the plurality of content servers in order to: identify a particular delay-measured network device from said pluralities of delayed measured devices that is common to each of said respective paths between the client and the plurality of content servers; and select one of the plurality of content servers based on a corresponding least value of said measured time delays to the particular delay-measured network device.