Patent Document

BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    A service provider is an entity (e.g., a business or an organization) that sells bandwidth provided by or access to a network (e.g., the Internet, a data network, a telecommunication network, etc.) associated with the service provider. Service providers may include telecommunications companies, data carriers, wireless communications providers, Internet service providers, cable television operators offering high-speed Internet access, etc. The rapid growth in the use of content, such as, for example, video, audio, images, and software downloads, is creating much higher bandwidth demands on service providers, with sharp peaks around viral content and events. 
         [0002]    The content may be served to a client device from servers, such as origin servers, mirror servers, cache servers, etc., installed across a service provider&#39;s network. A client device may request access to such content using Internet protocols, such as a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), a real time messaging protocol (RTMP), etc. When the client device requests access to the content, the request must be routed to an appropriate server in the network. Routing the request takes into consideration several factors, such as improving the client device&#39;s experience (e.g., latency, speed of content transfer, etc.), cost and scalability of the network and content delivery infrastructure, etc. However, routing requests to appropriate servers is becoming more and more problematic for service providers since the complexity and load variability of service provider networks are increasing. Furthermore, the number and type of client devices, as well as the amount of content, are rapidly growing. In addition, service providers need to federate their services in order to offer a worldwide solution. 
         [0003]    In order to address such problems, service providers currently deploy different types of solutions, such as a domain name system (DNS)-based solution, a border gateway protocol (BGP)-based solution, and an application level-based solution. Each solution provides an overlay on top of existing network routing infrastructure with manual provisioning. Manual provisioning involves the service provider advertising Internet protocol (IP) addresses of servers. For larger types of content (e.g., video, downloads, etc.), the solutions do not provide any opportunity to further optimize routing within the context of a single request. The solutions also do not function well in an environment where service providers need to federate their services. 
         [0004]    In the DNS-based solution, a client device typically performs a DNS lookup to resolve a domain name to an IP address. A DNS service is specialized to dynamically select a server IP address based on factors like geo-locality, server load, content location, etc. However, the DNS-based solution provides for coarse-grain routing at only the domain level. 
         [0005]    In the BGP-based solution, a given server IP address is supported in multiple locations. For example, each different region may include a server with the same IP address, and the servers may advertise the IP address. However, the BGP-based solution provides for coarse-grain routing at only the server level, and does not handle network problems (e.g., congestion, server failure, etc.) particularly well. 
         [0006]    With the application level-based solution, a server can redirect, via, for example, in the HTTP protocol, a client device to a different server. For example, some service providers deploy content servers in their networks at the application level. The application level-based solution may be performed by explicitly routing (e.g., via DNS or BGP) a content request to a content router implemented at the application level. Another example of application level routing includes a portal server embedding different uniform resource locators (URLs) in a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) page, returned by the portal server, based on where a content request originates. 
         [0007]    However, the application level-based solution increases latency for the client device due to the extra routing and connection setup associated with the content server. Furthermore, the application level-based solution is difficult to scale, and the content server may become a bottleneck for a network if all requests must be routed to the content server. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    According to one aspect, a method, performed by a computing device, may include: receiving, by the computing device and from a client device, a request for a resource, where the request provides an identifier of the client device; selecting, by the computing device, a target device for the resource; connecting the computing device with the selected target device; providing, by the computing device, a proxy of the request to the selected target device, where the proxy of the request hides the identifier of the client device; receiving, by the computing device, the resource from the selected target device, where the resource provides an identifier of the target device; and providing, by the computing device, a proxy of the resource to the client device, where the proxy of the resource hides the identifier of the target device. 
         [0009]    According to another aspect, a network device may include a processor to: receive, from a client device, a request for a resource, where the request provides an identifier of the client device, select a target device for the resource, connect the network device with the selected target device, provide a proxy of the request to the selected target device, where the proxy of the request includes the request and substitutes an Internet protocol (IP) address of the network device for the identifier of the client device, receive the resource from the selected target device, where the resource provides an identifier of the target device, and provide a proxy of the resource to the client device, where the proxy of the resource includes the resource and substitutes the IP address of the network device for the identifier of the target device. 
         [0010]    According to still another aspect, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media may store instructions executable by one or more processors of an edge device. The media may include one or more instructions to receive, from a client device, a request for a resource, where the request provides an identifier of the client device; one or more instructions to select a target device for the resource from multiple server devices storing resources and a local cache associated with the edge device; one or more instructions to provide a proxy of the request to the selected target device, where the proxy of the request hides the identifier of the client device; one or more instructions to receive the resource from the selected target device, where the resource provides an identifier of the target device; and one or more instructions to provide a proxy of the resource to the client device, where the proxy of the resource hides the identifier of the target device. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more implementations described herein and, together with the description, explain these implementations. In the drawings: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of an example network in which systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a diagram of example components of a client device, a cache server, an origin device, a routing broker server, or another device depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a diagram of example components of a network device depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a diagram of example operations capable of being performed by an example portion of the network illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  are diagrams of further example operations capable of being performed by an example portion of the network depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a diagram of still further example operations capable of being performed by an example portion of the network illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a diagram of example operations capable of being performed by an example portion of the network depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a diagram of further example operations capable of being performed by an example portion of the network illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a diagram of example functional components of an application proxy of the network device depicted in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0021]      FIGS. 10-13  are flow charts of an example process for providing network integrated dynamic resource routing according to an implementation described herein. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. 
         [0023]    Systems and/or methods described herein may integrate resource routing into an infrastructure of a core network, such as a service provider network, by adding application level intelligence in an edge network device of the core network. The application level intelligence may include an application proxy that terminates connections for a given application associated with all or a subset of client device requests for resources. For each resource request, the application proxy may determine a target server that stores resources, may connect to the determined server, and may proxy the resource request and a returned resource between the client device and the determined server. 
         [0024]    In an example implementation, the systems and/or methods may receive, from a client device, a request for a resource, and may determine, based on IP information of the request, whether to terminate a connection for the request. If the connection for the request is not terminated, the request may be forwarded to a core network, such as a service provider network, for additional routing. If the connection for the request is terminated, a target source device for the resource may be determined, and the request may be provided to the determined target source device. The resource may be received from the target source device, and may be provided to the client device. 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of an example network  100  in which systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented. As illustrated, network  100  may include a client device  110 ; a cache server device  120  (referred to herein as “cache server  120 ”); an origin device  130 , a routing broker server device  140  (referred to herein as “routing broker server  140 ”); another device  150 ; a network  160 ; and a network device  170  provided in or attached to network  160 . A shown in  FIG. 1 , network device  170  may include an application proxy  172  and a local cache  174 . 
         [0026]    Devices of network  100  may interconnect via wired and/or wireless connections or links. A single client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , routing broker server  140 , other device  150 , network  160 , and network device  170  have been illustrated in  FIG. 1  for simplicity. In practice, there may be additional client devices  110 , cache servers  120 , origin devices  130 , routing broker servers  140 , other devices  150 , networks  160 , and/or network devices  170 . Also, in some instances, one or more of the devices of network  100  may perform one or more tasks described as being performed by another one or more of the devices of network  100 . 
         [0027]    Client device  110  may include any device that is capable of accessing cache server  120 , origin device  130 , and/or other device  150  via network  160  and/or network device  170 . For example, client device  110  may include a radiotelephone, a personal communications system (PCS) terminal that may combine a cellular radiotelephone with data processing and data communications capabilities, a personal digital assistant (PDA) that can include a radiotelephone, a pager, Internet/intranet access, etc., a wireless device (e.g., a wireless telephone), a smart phone, a workstation computer, a laptop computer, a personal computer, or another type of computation or communication device. 
         [0028]    Cache server  120  may include one or more server devices, or other types of computation or communication devices, that gather, process, search, and/or provide information in a manner described herein. In one example implementation, cache server  120  may act as an intermediary for requests from client device  110  seeking resources from origin device  130 . The term resources, as used herein, is intended to be broadly construed to include content, such as video, audio, images, software downloads, etc.; services, such as delivering high-definition and user-generated content, consumer and business news and information services, an email system, etc.; and/or a combination of content and services. Client device  110  may connect to cache server  120 , via network  160  and/or network device  170 , and may request some resource available from origin device  130 . Cache server  120  may evaluate the request (e.g., according to filtering rules, such as filtering traffic by IP address or protocol). If the request is validated, cache server  120  may provide the requested resource by connecting to origin device  130  and requesting the resource on behalf of client device  110 . Cache server  120  may serve the request without contacting origin device  130 . In this case, cache server  120  may cache (or store) a particular resource previously requested from origin device  130 , and may provide the particular resource to client device  110 , via network device  170 , without involving origin device  130 . 
         [0029]    Origin device  130  may include one or more server devices, or other types of computation or communication devices, that gather, process, search, and/or provide resources in a manner described herein. In one example implementation, origin device  130  may include resources that may be accessed by client device  110  via network  160  and/or network device  170 . In one example, origin device  130  may provide resources to client device  110  (e.g., via network  160  and/or network device  170 ). Alternatively, origin device  130  may provide particular resources to cache server  120  for storage. Cache server  120  may store the particular resources so that cache server  120  may provide the particular resources to client device  110 , when requested by client device  110 , and without involving origin device  130 . 
         [0030]    Routing broker server  140  may include one or more server devices, or other types of computation or communication devices, that gather, process, search, and/or provide information in a manner described herein. In one example implementation, routing broker server  140  may receive information from a variety of sources, and may store the information. For example, routing broker server  140  may receive information from local cache  174  (e.g., information about the availability of local cache  174 , information identifying resources stored in local cache  174 , etc.); information from network  160  (e.g., information about the availability of network  160  and/or network device  170 , network topology and costs, etc.); information from cache server  120  (e.g., information about the availability of cache server  120 , information identifying resources stored in cache server  120 , etc.); information from other device  150  (e.g., information about the availability of other device  150 , information identifying resources stored by other device  150 , Application-Layer Traffic Optimization (ALTO) service (e.g., as set forth in Request for Comments (RFC) 5693) information identifying servers with resources provided by service providers other than the service provider associated with network  100 , etc.); and/or information from origin device  130  (e.g., information about the availability of origin device  130 , information identifying resources stored in origin device  130 , etc.). 
         [0031]    In one example, network device  170  may query routing broker server  140  for a location of a target device to serve resource request (e.g., provided by client device  110 ). Routing broker server  140  may receive the query, may determine the target device to serve the resource request, and may provide location information, such as an IP address, of the target device to network device  170 . For example, routing broker server  140  may receive the query from network device  170 , and may determine that origin device  130  is the target device since origin device  130  is the closest device with the requested resource. Accordingly, routing broker server  140  may provide location information, such as an IP address, of origin device  130  to network device  170 . 
         [0032]    Other device  150  may include one or more server devices, or other types of computation or communication devices, that gather, process, search, and/or provide information in a manner described herein. In one example implementation, other device  150  may be associated with federated service provider networks that provide resources to network  100  in case of failure of network  100  or components of network  100 . Other device  150  may store ALTO service information identifying servers with resources provided by such federated service provider networks. In an example implementation, other device  150  may include resources that may be accessed by client device  110  via network  160  and/or network device  170 , in the event of failure of network  100  or components of network  100 . 
         [0033]    Network  160  may include a service provider network, such as a local area network (LAN); a wide area network (WAN); a metropolitan area network (MAN); a telephone network (e.g., the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or a cell network); the Internet; or a combination of networks. 
         [0034]    Network device  170  may include a traffic transfer device, such as a gateway, a router, a switch, a firewall, a network interface card (NIC), a hub, a bridge, a proxy server, an optical add-drop multiplexer (OADM), or some other type of device that processes and/or transfers traffic (e.g., packets). In one implementation, network device  170  may be an edge network device that provides an entry point to or an exit point from network  160 . In one example, network device  170  may enable client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , routing broker server  140 , and/or other device  150  to communicate with one another. In another example, network device  170  may enable client device  110  to request and receive resources from cache server  120 , origin device  130 , and/or other device  150 . 
         [0035]    As further shown in  FIG. 1 , network device  170  may include application proxy  172  and local cache  174 . Application proxy  172  may terminate connections for a given application associated with all or a subset of client device  110  requests for resources. Application proxy  172  may receive the resource requests substantially concurrently, at different times, etc. For each resource request, application proxy  172  may determine a target server (e.g., cache server  120 , origin server  130 , other device  150 , or local cache  174 ) that stores resources. Application proxy  172  may connect to the determined server, and may proxy the resource request and a returned resource between client device  110  and the determined server. 
         [0036]    In an example implementation, application proxy  172  may receive, from client device  110 , a request for a resource, and may determine, based on IP information of the request, whether to terminate a connection for the request. If application proxy  172  determines that the connection for the request should not be terminated, application proxy  172  may forward the request to network  160  for additional routing. If application proxy  172  determines that the connection for the request should be terminated, application proxy  172  may terminate the connection for the request, and may determine a target source device (e.g., cache server  120 , origin server  130 , other device  150 , or local cache  174 ) for the resource. Application proxy  172  may provide the request to the determined target source device, may receive the resource from the target source device, and may provide the resource to client device  110 . 
         [0037]    Local cache  174  may include one or more storage devices, such as magnetic and/or optical recording media and their corresponding drives, removable memory, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), etc. In one example implementation, local cache  174  may store resources that may be accessed by client device  110 . Local cache  174  may store the resources so that local cache  174  may provide the resources to client device  110 , when requested by client device  110 , and without involving cache server  120 , origin device  130 , and/or other device  150 . Further details of network device  170 , application proxy  172 , and local cache  174  are provided below in connection with, for example,  FIGS. 3-9 . 
         [0038]    Although  FIG. 1  shows example devices of network  100 , in other implementations, network  100  may include fewer devices, different devices, differently arranged devices, or additional devices than depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 2  is a diagram of example components of a device  200  that may correspond to client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , routing broker server  140 , or other device  150  ( FIG. 1 ). In some instances, device  200  may also correspond to network device  170  ( FIG. 1 ). Each of client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , routing broker server  140 , other device  150 , or network device  170  may include one or more devices  200 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , device  200  may include a bus  210 , a processing unit  220 , a main memory  230 , a ROM  240 , a storage device  250 , an input device  260 , an output device  270 , and/or a communication interface  280 . Bus  210  may include a path that permits communication among the components of device  200 . 
         [0040]    Processing unit  220  may include one or more processors, microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuit (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other types of processing units that interpret and execute instructions. Main memory  230  may include a RAM or another type of dynamic storage device that stores information and instructions for execution by processing unit  220 . ROM  240  may include a ROM device or another type of static storage device that stores static information and/or instructions for use by processing unit  220 . Storage device  250  may include a magnetic and/or optical recording medium and its corresponding drive, or a removable memory, such as a flash memory. 
         [0041]    Input device  260  may include a mechanism that permits an operator to input information to device  200 , such as a keyboard, a mouse, a switch, a button, voice recognition and/or biometric mechanisms, a touch screen, etc. Output device  270  may include a mechanism that outputs information to the operator, including a display, a speaker, a light emitting diode (LED), etc. Communication interface  280  may include any transceiver-like mechanism that enables device  200  to communicate with other devices and/or systems. For example, communication interface  280  may include mechanisms for communicating with another device or system via a network. In one implementation, communication interface  280  may include a wired interface, such as an Ethernet interface, or a wireless interface, such as radio frequency interface. 
         [0042]    As described herein, device  200  may perform certain operations in response to processing unit  220  executing software instructions contained in a computer-readable medium, such as main memory  230 . A computer-readable medium may be defined as a non-transitory memory device. A memory device may include space within a single physical memory device or spread across multiple physical memory devices. The software instructions may be read into main memory  230  from another computer-readable medium, such as storage device  250 , or from another device via communication interface  280 . The software instructions contained in main memory  230  may cause processing unit  220  to perform processes described herein. Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement processes described herein. Thus, implementations described herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. 
         [0043]    Although  FIG. 2  shows example components of device  200 , in other implementations, device  200  may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional components than depicted in  FIG. 2 . Alternatively, or additionally, one or more components of device  200  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other components of device  200 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 3  is a diagram of example components of a device  300  that may correspond to network device  170  ( FIG. 1 ). In some instances, network device  170  may include one or more devices  300 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , device  300  may include input components  310 , a switching/routing mechanism  320 , output components  330 , and a control unit  340 . 
         [0045]    Input components  310  may be a point of attachment for physical links and may be a point of entry for incoming traffic, such as packets. Input components  310  may process incoming traffic, such as by performing data link layer encapsulation or decapsulation. In an example implementation, input components  310  may send and/or receive packets. 
         [0046]    Switching/routing mechanism  320  may interconnect input components  310  with output components  330 . Switching/routing mechanism  320  may be implemented using many different techniques. For example, switching/routing mechanism  320  may be implemented via busses, via crossbars, and/or with shared memories. The shared memories may act as temporary buffers to store traffic from input components  310  before the traffic is eventually scheduled for delivery to output components  330 . 
         [0047]    Output components  330  may store packets and may schedule packets for service on output physical links Output components  330  may include scheduling algorithms that support priorities and guarantees. Output components  330  may support data link layer encapsulation and decapsulation, and/or a variety of higher-level protocols. In an example implementation, output components  330  may send packets and/or receive packets. 
         [0048]    Control unit  340  may use routing protocols and one or more forwarding tables for forwarding packets. Control unit  340  may connect with input components  310 , switching/routing mechanism  320 , and output components  330 . Control unit  340  may compute a forwarding table, implement routing protocols, and/or run software to configure and manage device  300 . Control unit  340  may determine routing for any packet whose destination address may not be found in the forwarding table. 
         [0049]    In an example implementation, control unit  340  may include a bus  350  that may include a path that permits communication among a processor  360 , a memory  370 , and a communication interface  380 . Processor  360  may include one or more processors, microprocessors, ASICs, FPGAs, or other types of processing units that may interpret and execute instructions. Memory  370  may include a RAM, a ROM device, a magnetic and/or optical recording medium and its corresponding drive, and/or another type of static and/or dynamic storage device that may store information and instructions for execution by processor  360 . Memory  370  may also temporarily store incoming traffic (e.g., a header of a packet or an entire packet) from input components  310 , for processing by processor  360 , before a packet is directed back to switching/routing mechanism  320 , transported by switching/routing mechanism  320 , and eventually scheduled to be sent to output components  330 . Communication interface  380  may include any transceiver-like mechanism that enables control unit  340  to communicate with other devices and/or systems. 
         [0050]    As described herein, device  300  may perform certain operations in response to processor  360  executing software instructions contained in a computer-readable medium, such as memory  370 . The software instructions may be read into memory  370  from another computer-readable medium, such as a data storage device, or from another device via communication interface  380 . The software instructions contained in memory  370  may cause processor  360  to perform processes described herein. Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement processes described herein. Thus, implementations described herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. For example, switching/routing operations of device  300  may be controlled via external agents using routing protocols (e.g., BGP). 
         [0051]    Although  FIG. 3  shows example components of device  300 , in other implementations, device  300  may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional components than depicted in  FIG. 3 . Alternatively, or additionally, one or more components of device  300  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other components of device  300 . 
         [0052]      FIG. 4  is a diagram of example operations capable of being performed by an example portion  400  of network  100 . As shown, example network portion  400  may include client device  110 , network device  170 , and application proxy  172 . Client device  110 , network device  170 , and application proxy  172  may include the features described above in connection with, for example, one or more of  FIGS. 1-3 . 
         [0053]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , client device  110  may provide a request  410  for a resource to network device  170 , and network device  170  may receive request  410  via application proxy  172 . Application proxy  172  may receive request  410 , and may determine, based on information provided in request  410 , whether to terminate a connection (e.g., a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection) for request  410  at network device  170 . In one example, the information provided in request  410  may include IP information, such as a destination IP address of request  410 , an IP address of client device  110  (i.e., a source IP address of request  410 ), a destination port (e.g., a network address translation (NAT)) of request  410 , etc. In one implementation, application proxy  172  may extract the destination IP address from request  410 , may extract the IP address of client device  110  from request  410 , and/or may extract the destination port from request  410 . Application proxy  172  may determine, based on the extracted destination IP address, client device  110  IP address, and/or destination port, whether to terminate the connection for request  410  at network device  170 . 
         [0054]    As further shown in  FIG. 4 , if application proxy  172  decides to terminate the connection for request  410 , based on the information provided in request  410 , application proxy  172  may provide, to client device  110 , an indication  420  that the connection is terminated. If application proxy  172  decides to not terminate the connection for request  410 , based on the information provided in request  410 , application proxy  172  may provide, to client device  110 , an indication  430  that the connection is not terminated, and may forward request  410  to network  160  for additional routing, as indicated by reference number  440 . In one example implementation, application proxy  172  may terminate connections (e.g., TCP connections) for a given application and for all or a subset of resource requests received from client device  110 . In another example implementation, indication  430  may be omitted since request  410  may be terminated by another downstream device. 
         [0055]    In one implementation, application proxy  172  may maintain or access a table (or other data structure) that provides a list of applications, client device IP addresses, source device IP addresses, etc. The information provided in table may be input by a network administrator to network device  170 , may be generated by application proxy  172  based on prior traffic provided to or received by network device  170 , etc. For example, if network device  170  receives a particular number of requests (e.g., that it greater than a threshold) from a particular client device  110 , application proxy  172  may add the IP address of client device  110  to the table. In another example, if network device  170  retrieves a particular number resources (e.g., that is greater than a threshold) from a particular server, application proxy  172  may add the IP address of the particular server to the table. 
         [0056]    Application proxy  172  may compare the information provided in request  410  to the information provided in the table, and may decide to terminate the connection for request  410  when the information provided in request  410  matches one or more items of information provided in the table. In one implementation, application proxy  172  may establish rules to determine whether to terminate a connection (e.g., if there is one match in the table, then terminate the connection; if there are two or more matches in the table then terminate the connection, etc.). In one example, if request  410  includes a destination IP address of origin device  130  and the table includes the destination IP address of origin device  130 , application proxy  172  may decide to terminate the connection for request  410 . In another example, if request includes a destination IP address of cache server  120  but does not include the IP address of client device  110 , application proxy  172  may decide to not terminate the connection for request  410 . 
         [0057]    Although  FIG. 4  shows example components of network portion  400 , in other implementations, network portion  400  may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional components than depicted in  FIG. 4 . Alternatively, or additionally, one or more components of network portion  400  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other components of network portion  400 . 
         [0058]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  are diagrams of further example operations capable of being performed by an example portion  500  of network  100 . As shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , example network portion  500  may include client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , routing broker server  140 , other device  150 , network  160 , and network device  170 . Client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , routing broker server  140 , other device  150 , network  160 , and network device  170  may include the features described above in connection with, for example, one or more of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
         [0059]    As further shown in  FIG. 5A , routing broker server  140  may receive information from one or more sources of network portion  500 . For example, local cache  174  may provide local cache information  510  to routing broker server  140 . Local cache information  510  may include information about the availability of local cache  174 , information identifying resources stored in local cache  174 , information about the size of local cache  174 , etc. In another example, network  160  may provide network information  520  to routing broker server  140 . Network information  520  may include information about the availability of network  160  and/or components of network  160 , topology and costs associated with network  160 , bandwidth available to network  160 , preferred client devices of network  160 , etc. In still another example, cache server  120  may provide cache information  530  to routing broker server  140 . Cache information  530  may include information about the availability of cache server  120 , information identifying resources stored in cache server  120 , information about the load on cache server  120 , etc. In one example implementation, routing broker server  140  may enable new cache servers to be added to network  100  without having to explicitly configure the new cache servers into the routing decision, as is required by existing schemes. The new cache servers may provide cache information (e.g., similar to cache information  530 ) to routing broker server  140 . 
         [0060]    In a further example, other device  150  may provide other device information  540  to routing broker server  140 . Other device information  540  may include information about the availability of other device  150 , information identifying resources stored in other device  150 , information about the service provider(s) associated with other device  150 , ALTO service information identifying servers with resources provided by the service provider(s) associated with other device  150 , etc. In still a further example, origin device  130  may provide origin information  550  to routing broker server  140 . Origin information  550  may include information about the availability of origin device  130 , information identifying resources stored in origin device  130 , information about the load on origin device  130 , etc. 
         [0061]    Routing broker server  140  may receive local cache information  510 , network information  520 , cache information  530 , other device information  540 , and/or origin information  550 , and may store (e.g., in main memory  230 , ROM  240 , and/or storage device  250 ,  FIG. 2 ) local cache information  510 , network information  520 , cache information  530 , other device information  540 , and/or origin information  550 . As further shown in  FIG. 5A , client device  110  may provide a request  560  for a resource to network device  170 , and network device  170  may receive request  560  via application proxy  172 . Request  560  may include IP information, such as a destination IP address of request  560 , an IP address of client device  110  (i.e., a source IP address of request  560 ), a destination port of request  560 , etc. In one example, request  560  may include a HTTP GET request (e.g., requesting resources), a domain name, and/or a uniform resource locator (URL). Application proxy  172  may receive request  560 , and may determine, based on information provided in request  560 , whether to terminate a connection for request  560  at network device  170 , as described above in connection with  FIG. 4 . 
         [0062]    If application proxy  172  terminates the connection for request  560  at network device  170 , application proxy  172  may determine a target source device for the resource requested by request  560 . Application proxy  172  may determine the target source device in a number of ways. For example, as shown in  FIG. 5B , application proxy  172  may provide a query  570  to routing broker server  140 . Query  570  may include a request for a location of a target source device that stores the resource requested by request  560 . In one implementation, query  570  may include information associated with request  560 , such as the resource requested by request  560 , the domain name of request  560 , the URL of request  560 , etc. 
         [0063]    Routing broker server  140  may receive query  570 , and may determine, based on query  570 , the target source device for the resource requested by request  560 . In one example, routing broker server  140  may determine the target source device based on a variety of factors, such as conditions of network  160  (e.g., bandwidth of network  160 , load on network  160 , etc.), a physical location of the target source device in relation to client device  110  (e.g., a device located closer to client device  110  may be selected before a device that is located further from client device  110 ), etc. After determining the target source device, routing broker server  140  may provide a location  580  (e.g., an IP address) of the target source device to application proxy  172 . 
         [0064]    In one example, the domain name, included in request  560 , may be hosted by a particular server (e.g., origin device  130 ) while the URL, included in request  560 , may identify a resource that is hosted by a different server (e.g., cache server  120 ). In such a scenario, routing broker server  140  may determine that cache server  120  is the target source device since the resource requested by request  560  is hosted by cache server  120 . In contrast, in DNS-based systems, request  560  would be unnecessarily routed to origin device  130  first due to the domain name of request  560 . 
         [0065]    In one example implementation, prior to generating query  570 , application proxy  172  may determine whether the requested resource is stored in local cache  174 . In one example, application proxy  172  may maintain a table (or other data structure) that provides a list of resources stored in local cache  174 . Application proxy  172  may scan the table to determine whether the requested resource is stored in local cache  174 . If application proxy  172  determines that the requested resource is stored in local cache  174 , application proxy  172  may retrieve the requested resource from local cache  174 . For example, application proxy  172  may provide request  560  to local cache  174 , and local cache  174  may retrieve a resource  590  requested by request  560 . Local cache  174  may provide resource  590  to application proxy  172 , and application proxy  172  may forward resource  590  to client device  110 . 
         [0066]    If application proxy  172  determines that resource  590  is not stored in local cache  174 , application proxy  172  may provide query  570  to routing broker server  140 . Application proxy  172  may receive, from routing broker server  140  and based on query  570 , location  580  of the target source device (e.g., cache server  120 , origin device  130 , and/or other device  150 ). Application proxy  172  may utilize location  580  to connect with the target source device and to retrieve the requested resource from the target source device. 
         [0067]    As further shown in  FIG. 5B , in one example, if location  580  identifies an IP address of cache server  120 , application proxy  172  may provide request  560  (e.g., which may include the IP address of client device  110 ) to cache server  120 , and cache server  120  may retrieve resource  590  requested by request  560 . Cache server  120  may provide resource  590  to application proxy  172 , and application proxy  172  may forward resource  590  (e.g., which may include the IP address of cache server  120 ) to client device  110 . In another example, if location  580  identifies an IP address of origin device  130 , application proxy  172  may provide request  560  (e.g., which may include the IP address of client device  110 ) to origin device  130 , and origin device  130  may retrieve resource  590  requested by request  560 . Origin device  130  may provide resource  590  to application proxy  172 , and application proxy  172  may forward resource  590  (e.g., which may include the IP address of origin device  130 ) to client device  110 . In still another example, if location  580  identifies an IP address of other device  150 , application proxy  172  may provide request  560  (e.g., which may include the IP address of client device  110 ) to other device  150 , and other device  150  may retrieve resource  590  requested by request  560 . Other device  150  may provide resource  590  to application proxy  172 , and application proxy  172  may forward resource  590  (e.g., which may include the IP address of other device  150 ) to client device  110 . 
         [0068]    Although  FIGS. 5A and 5B  show example components of network portion  500 , in other implementations, network portion  500  may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional components than depicted in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . Alternatively, or additionally, one or more components of network portion  500  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other components of network portion  500 . For example, network device  170 , via application proxy  172 , may perform one or more functions (e.g., determining a target source device) described as being performed by routing broker server  140 . 
         [0069]      FIG. 6  is a diagram of still further example operations capable of being performed by an example portion  600  of network  100 . As shown, example network portion  600  may include client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , other device  150 , network device  170 , application proxy  172 , and local cache  174 . Client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , other device  150 , network device  170 , application proxy  172 , and local cache  174  may include the features described above in connection with, for example, one or more of  FIGS. 1-5B . 
         [0070]    In one implementation,  FIG. 6  may depict how network device  170  proxies requests from client device  110  to target source devices, and further proxies resources, retrieved from the target source devices, to client device  110 . By proxying the requests and the resources, network device  170  may ensure that client device  110  and the target source devices are transparent to each other or that cache server  120  is transparent to client device  110  and origin device  130 . For example, client device  110  may be transparent to origin device  130  because network device  170  may use its own IP address, or may spoof addresses of client device  110  and/or origin device  130 , to exchange information (e.g., packets) between client device  110  and origin device  130 . In another example, network device  170  may use an IP address of client device  110  and/or origin device  130  to exchange information with cache server  120  (i.e., so that cache server  120  is not visible to client device  110  and/or origin device  130 ). Such an arrangement may ensure that client device  110 , cache server  120 , and/or origin device  130  are not visible to each other, which may enhance security for client device  110  and/or the target source devices. 
         [0071]    As further shown in  FIG. 6 , client device  110  may provide a request  610  for a resource to network device  170 , and network device  170  may receive request  610  via application proxy  172 . Request  610  may include IP information, such as a destination IP address of request  610 , an IP address of client device  110  (i.e., a source IP address of request  610 ), a destination port of request  610 , etc. Application proxy  172  may receive request  610 , and may determine, based on information provided in request  610 , whether to terminate a connection for request  610  at network device  170 . If application proxy  172  terminates the connection for request  610  at network device  170 , application proxy  172  may determine a target source device best suited to serve the resource requested by request  610 . For example, application proxy  172  may determine the target source device to be cache server  120 , origin device  130 , other device  150 , and/or local cache  174 . In one example implementation, application proxy  172  may determine the target source device for request  610  in the manner described above in connection with  FIGS. 5A and 5B . 
         [0072]    Application proxy  172  may connect to the determined target source device, and may provide a proxy  620  of request  610  to the determined target source device. Proxy request  620  may include the features of request  610 , but may be transparently provided by spoofing an IP address of client device  110  to the target source device. Via proxy request  620 , client device  110  may be transparent to the target source device because network device  170  may use its own IP address, or may spoof the addresses of client device  110 , to send information to the target source device. This may enable client device  110  to securely communicate with the target source device (i.e., without the target source device gaining access to the IP address of client device  110 ). 
         [0073]    In one example, if the target source device corresponds to cache server  120 , application proxy  172  may provide proxy request  620  to cache server  120 , and cache server  120  may retrieve a resource  630  requested by proxy request  620 . Cache server  120  may provide resource  630  to application proxy  172 . In another example, if the target source device corresponds to origin device  130 , application proxy  172  may provide proxy request  620  to origin device  130 , and origin device  130  may retrieve resource  630  requested by proxy request  620 . Origin device  130  may provide resource  630  to application proxy  172 . In still another example, if the target source device corresponds to other device  150 , application proxy  172  may provide proxy request  620  to other device  150 , and other device  150  may retrieve resource  630  requested by proxy request  620 . Other device  150  may provide resource  630  to application proxy  172 . In a further example, if the target source device corresponds to local cache  174 , application proxy  172  may provide request  610  (i.e., no proxy may be required) to local cache  174 , and local cache  174  may retrieve resource  630  requested by request  610 . Local cache  174  may provide resource  630  to application proxy  172 . 
         [0074]    Application proxy  172  may receive resource  630  from one of the target source devices described above, and may provide a proxy  640  of resource  630  to client device  110 . Proxy resource  640  may include the features of resource  630 , but may be transparently provided by spoofing an IP address of the target source device to client device  110 . Via proxy resource  640 , the target source device may be “transparent” to client device  110  because network device  170  may use its own IP address to send information to client device  110 . This may enable the target source device to securely communicate with client device  110  (i.e., without client device  110  gaining access to the IP address of the target source device). 
         [0075]    Although  FIG. 6  shows example components of network portion  600 , in other implementations, network portion  600  may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional components than depicted in  FIG. 6 . Alternatively, or additionally, one or more components of network portion  600  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other components of network portion  600 . 
         [0076]      FIG. 7  is a diagram of example operations capable of being performed by an example portion  700  of network  100 . As shown, example network portion  700  may include client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , other device  150 , network device  170 , application proxy  172 , and local cache  174 . Client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , other device  150 , network device  170 , application proxy  172 , and local cache  174  may include the features described above in connection with, for example, one or more of  FIGS. 1-6 . 
         [0077]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , client device  110  may provide, to network device  170 , multiple requests  710 - 1 , . . . ,  710 - 4  for multiple resources (collectively referred to as “multiple requests  710 ”), associated with a single connection, and network device  170  may receive multiple requests  710  via application proxy  172 . In one implementation, multiple requests  710  may be provided sequentially via the single connection. In other implementations, multiple requests  710  may be provided at different times via the single connection. Application proxy  172  may receive multiple requests  710 , and may determine, based on information provided in multiple requests  710 , whether to terminate the connection for multiple requests  710  at network device  170 . In one implementation, application proxy  172  may determine whether to terminate the connection for multiple requests  710  in the manner described above in connection with  FIG. 4 . If application proxy  172  decides to not terminate the connection for multiple requests  710 , application proxy  172  may forward multiple requests  410  to network  160  for additional routing. 
         [0078]    If application proxy  172  terminates the connection for multiple requests  710  at network device  170 , application proxy  172  may determine target source devices best suited to serve the resources requested by multiple requests  710 . In one example implementation, application proxy  172  may select one or more target source devices for multiple requests  710 . In another example implementation, application proxy  172  may select a separate target source device for each of multiple requests  710 . For example, application proxy  172  may select cache server  120  to be the target source device for request  710 - 1 , may select other device  150  to be the target source device for request  710 - 2 , may select origin device  130  to be the target source device for request  710 - 3 , and/or may select local cache  174  to be the target source device for request  710 - 4 . In one example, application proxy  172  may select the target source devices for multiple requests  710  in the manner described above in connection with  FIGS. 5A and 5B . 
         [0079]    Application proxy  172  may provide request  710 - 1  to cache server  120 , and cache server  120  may retrieve a resource  720 - 1  requested by request  710 - 1 . Cache server  120  may provide resource  720 - 1  to application proxy  172 . Application proxy  172  may provide request  710 - 2  to other device  150 , and other device  150  may retrieve a resource  720 - 2  requested by request  710 - 2 . Other device  150  may provide resource  720 - 2  to application proxy  172 . Application proxy  172  may provide request  710 - 3  to origin device  130 , and origin device  130  may retrieve a resource  720 - 3  requested by request  710 - 3 . Origin device  130  may provide resource  720 - 3  to application proxy  172 . Application proxy  172  may provide request  710 - 4  to local cache  174 , and local cache  174  may retrieve a resource  720 - 4  requested by request  710 - 4 . Local cache  174  may provide resource  720 - 4  to application proxy  172 . Application proxy  172  may receive resources  720 - 1 , . . . ,  720 - 4 , and may provide resources  720 - 1 , . . . ,  720 - 4  to client device  110 . 
         [0080]    Although  FIG. 7  shows example components of network portion  700 , in other implementations, network portion  700  may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional components than depicted in  FIG. 7 . Alternatively, or additionally, one or more components of network portion  700  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other components of network portion  700 . 
         [0081]      FIG. 8  is a diagram of further example operations capable of being performed by an example portion  800  of network  100 . As shown, example network portion  800  may include client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , network device  170 , and application proxy  172 . Client device  110 , cache server  120 , origin device  130 , network device  170 , and application proxy  172  may include the features described above in connection with, for example, one or more of  FIGS. 1-7 . 
         [0082]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , client device  110  may provide a request  810  for a resource to network device  170 , and network device  170  may receive request  810  via application proxy  172 . Request  810  may include IP information, such as a destination IP address of request  810 , an IP address of client device  110  (i.e., a source IP address of request  810 ), a destination port of request  810 , etc. Application proxy  172  may receive request  810 , and may determine, based on information provided in request  810 , whether to terminate a connection for request  810  at network device  170 . If application proxy  172  terminates the connection for request  810  at network device  170 , application proxy  172  may determine a target source device best suited to serve the resource requested by request  810 . For example, application proxy  172  may determine the target source device to be cache server  120 . 
         [0083]    Application proxy  172  may provide request  810  to cache server  120 , and cache server  120  may retrieve a portion  820  of a resource requested by request  810 . Cache server  120  may provide resource portion  820  to application proxy  172 . However, before the entire resource requested by request  810  is received by application proxy  172  from cache server  120 , application proxy  172  may receive an indication  830  of an event. Event indication  830  may provide information regarding changing conditions in a network (e.g., network  160 ), such as network congestion, bandwidth constraints, etc.; information regarding a failure of cache server  120 ; information regarding an overload condition of cache server  120 ; and/or other information indicating that the remaining portion of the requested resource cannot be retrieved from cache server  120 . In response to event indication  830 , application proxy  172  may cease communications with cache server  120 , and may switch target source devices by providing request  810  (e.g., a HTTP byte range request) to origin device  130  or to another target source device of the requested resource. Based on request  810 , origin device  130  may retrieve a remaining portion  840  of the resource requested by request  810 . Origin device  130  may provide remaining resource portion  840  to application proxy  172 . 
         [0084]    Application proxy  172  may provide resource portion  820  and remaining resource portion  840  to client device  110 . In one implementation, application proxy  172  may provide resource portion  820  to client device before providing remaining resource portion  840  to client device  110 . In another implementation, application proxy  172  may wait to receive both resource portions  820 / 840 , and may deliver resource portions  820 / 840  to client device  110  at the same time. Such an arrangement may ensure that a requested resource is completely provided to client device  110  even when one or more target source devices of the requested resource becomes unavailable (e.g., due to changing network conditions or target source device conditions). 
         [0085]    Although  FIG. 8  shows example components of network portion  800 , in other implementations, network portion  800  may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional components than depicted in  FIG. 8 . Alternatively, or additionally, one or more components of network portion  800  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other components of network portion  800 . 
         [0086]      FIG. 9  is a diagram of example functional components of application proxy  172  of network device  170 . As shown, application proxy  172  may include a TCP splicer component  900 , a routing decision component  910 , and an application logic component  920 . In one example implementation, one or more of the functional components described in connection with  FIG. 9  may be implemented by one or more of the example components of device  200  ( FIG. 2 ) or device  300  ( FIG. 3 ). 
         [0087]    TCP splicer component  900  may be responsible for efficient splicing of information provided between client device  110  and target source device connections (e.g., TCP connections). In one example, TCP splicer component  900  may splice information (e.g., packets) by changing headers in the packets, related to TCP sequence numbers, for a particular period of time (e.g., long enough to provide a resource request to a target source device and to receive the resource from the target source device). In one implementation, TCP splicer component  900  may be provided in a forwarding plane of network device  170  in order to scale application proxy  172  to a line rate (e.g., in gigabits per second) of network device  170 . In another implementation, TCP splicer component  900  may be an accelerator for a cache miss/bypass path. 
         [0088]    Application proxy  172  may receive a request  930  for a resource (e.g., via TCP splicer component  900 ) from client device  110 , and may determine whether to use TCP splicer component  900  based on information provided in request  930 . In one example, the information provided in request  930  may include IP information, such as a destination IP address of request  930 , an IP address of client device  110  (i.e., a source IP address of request  930 ), a destination port of request  930 , etc. When application proxy  172  decides to use TCP splicer component  900 , application proxy  172  may terminate a connection (e.g., a TCP connection) for request  930  at network device  170 , and may invoke TCP splicer component  900  to optimize transfer of the connection. If application proxy  172  terminates the connection for request  930 , based on the information provided in request  930 , TCP splicer component  900  may provide, to routing decision component  910 , an indication  940  that the connection is terminated. If application proxy  172  does not terminate the connection for request  930 , TCP splicer component  900  may forward request  930  to network  160  for additional routing, as indicated by reference number  950 . 
         [0089]    Routing decision component  910  may determine where to route requests for resources or portions of requests for resources. In one example implementation, routing decision component  910  may determine where (e.g., to which target source devices) to route requests for resources in a manner described above in connection with  FIGS. 5A and 5B . As shown in  FIG. 9 , routing decision component  910  may receive indication  940  from TCP splicer component  900 , and may determine a target source device for the resource requested by request  930 . Routing decision component  910  may provide a location  960  of the determined target source device to application logic component  920 . 
         [0090]    Application logic component  920  may handle resource requests, switching of target source devices due to changing network conditions or target source device failure, etc. As shown in  FIG. 9 , application logic component  920  may receive location  960  of the determined target source device from routing decision component  910 , and may route request  930  to location  960  of the determined target source device, as indicated by reference number  970 . Application logic component  920  may receive a resource  980  from the target source device, and may forward resource  980  to client device  110 . 
         [0091]    Although  FIG. 9  shows example functional components of application proxy  172 , in other implementations, application proxy  172  may include fewer functional components, different functional components, differently arranged functional components, or additional functional components than depicted in  FIG. 9 . Alternatively, or additionally, one or more functional components of application proxy  172  may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other functional components of application proxy  172 . 
         [0092]    In one example implementation, network device  170 , application proxy  172 , and local cache  174  may be deployed as standalone components in a service provider network. In another example implementation, network device  170 , application proxy  172 , and local cache  174  may be integrated into single device (e.g., a single server, a single media flow controller, a single network device, etc.). In a further example implementation, the functionality of one or more of application proxy  172  and local cache  174  may be integrated in network device  170 . 
         [0093]    Systems and/or methods described herein may provide fine-grain and dynamic routing, of resource requests and/or resources, which may scale to line rates of network device  170 . Additionally, or alternatively, the systems and/or methods described herein may be integrated within the infrastructure (e.g., network device  170 ) of a core network (e.g., network  160 ), and may not require explicit manual provisioning of an overlay service. Additionally, or alternatively, the systems and/or methods may help federate resources among different service providers (e.g., via routing broker server  140 ), and may address resource routing for both transparent and reverse proxy deployments. Additionally, or alternatively, the systems and/or methods may improve the efficiency of TCP connections from client devices by terminating such connections at network device  170  where latency is at a minimum, and may provide transparent target source device failover especially for large resources, such as video and file downloads. 
         [0094]      FIGS. 10-13  are flow charts of an example process  1000  for providing network integrated dynamic resource routing according to an implementation described herein. In one implementation, process  1000  may be performed by network device  170 . In another implementation, some or all of process  1000  may be performed by one or more devices other than network device  170  or in combination with network device  170 . One or more of the process blocks depicted in  FIGS. 10-13  may be performed concurrently and independently of one or more other process blocks. 
         [0095]    As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , process  1000  may include receiving, from a client device, a request for a resource (block  1010 ), and determining, based on IP information of the request, whether to terminate a connection for the request (block  1020 ). For example, in an implementation described above in connection with  FIG. 4 , client device  110  may provide request  410  for a resource to network device  170 , and network device  170  may receive request  410  via application proxy  172 . Application proxy  172  may receive request  410 , and may determine, based on information provided in request  410 , whether to terminate a connection (e.g., a TCP connection) for request  410  at network device  170 . In one example, the information provided in request  410  may include IP information, such as a destination IP address of request  410 , an IP address of client device  110  (i.e., a source IP address of request  410 ), a destination port of request  410 , etc. Application proxy  172  may compare the information provided in request  410  to the information provided in the table, and may decide to terminate the connection for request  410  when the information provided in request  410  matches one or more items of information provided in the table. 
         [0096]    As further shown in  FIG. 10 , when the connection is not terminated (block  1020 —DO NOT TERMINATE), process  1000  may include forwarding the request to a network (block  1030 ). For example, in an implementation described above in connection with  FIG. 4 , if application proxy  172  decides to not terminate the connection for request  410 , based on the information provided in request  410 , application proxy  172  may provide, to client device  110 , indication  430  that the connection is not terminated, and may forward request  410  to network  160  for additional routing, as indicated by reference number  440 . 
         [0097]    Returning to  FIG. 10 , when the connection is terminated (block  1020 —TERMINATE), process  1000  may include determining a target source device for the resource (block  1040 ) and providing the request to the determined target source device (block  1050 ). For example, in an implementation described above in connection with  FIG. 5B , if application proxy  172  terminates the connection for request  560  at network device  170 , application proxy  172  may determine a target source device for the resource requested by request  560 . In one example, application proxy  172  may provide query  570  to routing broker server  140 . Query  570  may include a request for a location of a target source device that stores the resource requested by request  560 . Routing broker server  140  may receive query  570 , and may determine, based on query  570 , the target source device for the resource requested by request  560 . After determining the target source device, routing broker server  140  may provide location  580  (e.g., an IP address) of the target source device to application proxy  172 . In one example, if location  580  identifies an IP address of cache server  120 , application proxy  172  may provide request  560  to cache server  120 , and cache server  120  may retrieve resource  590  requested by request  560 . 
         [0098]    As further shown in  FIG. 10 , process  1000  may include receiving the resource from the target source device (block  1060 ), and providing the resource to the client device (block  1070 ). For example, in an implementation described above in connection with  FIGS. 5B , cache server  120  may provide resource  590  to application proxy  172 , and application proxy  172  may receive resource  590  and may forward resource  590  to client device  110 . 
         [0099]    Process block  1020  may include the process blocks depicted in  FIG. 11 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , process block  1020  may include extracting a destination IP address from the request (block  1100 ); extracting a client device IP address from the request (block  1110 ); extracting a destination port from the request (block  1120 ); and determining, based on one or more of the destination IP address, the client device IP address, and the destination port, whether to terminate the connection for the request (block  1130 ). For example, in an implementation described above in connection with  FIG. 4 , application proxy  172  may extract the destination IP address from request  410 , may extract the IP address of client device  110  from request  410 , and/or may extract the destination port from request  410 . Application proxy  172  may determine, based on the extracted destination IP address, client device  110  IP address, and/or destination port, whether to terminate the connection for request  410  at network device  170 . In one example, application proxy  172  may maintain or access a table (or other data structure) that provides a list of applications, client device IP addresses, source device IP addresses, etc. Application proxy  172  may compare the information provided in request  410  to the information provided in the table, and may decide to terminate the connection for request  410  when the information provided in request  410  matches one or more items of information provided in the table. 
         [0100]    Process block  1040  may include the process blocks depicted in  FIG. 12 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , process block  1040  may include determining whether the resource requested by the request is stored in a local cache (block  1200 ). If the resource is stored in the local cache (block  1200  —IN LOCAL CACHE), process block  1040  may include retrieving the resource from the local cache (block  1210 ). For example, in an implementation described above in connection with  FIG. 5B , application proxy  172  may determine whether the requested resource is stored in local cache  174 . In one example, application proxy  172  may maintain a table (or other data structure) that provides a list of resources stored in local cache  174 . Application proxy  172  may scan the table to determine whether the requested resource is stored in local cache  174 . If application proxy  172  determines that the requested resource is stored in local cache  174 , application proxy  172  may retrieve the requested resource from local cache  174 . For example, application proxy  172  may provide request  560  to local cache  174 , and local cache  174  may retrieve resource  590  requested by request  560 . Local cache  174  may provide resource  590  to application proxy  172 , and application proxy  172  may forward resource  590  to client device  110 . 
         [0101]    As further shown in  FIG. 12 , if the resource is not stored in the local cache (block  1200 —NOT IN LOCAL CACHE), process block  1040  may include providing a query to a routing broker server for the requested resource (block  1220 ), receiving, from the routing broker server and based on the query, an identification of the target source device (block  1230 ), and retrieving the resource from the target source device based on the identification (block  1240 ). For example, in an implementation described above in connection with  FIG. 5B , if application proxy  172  determines that resource  590  is not stored in local cache  174 , application proxy  172  may provide query  570  to routing broker server  140 . Application proxy  172  may receive, from routing broker server  140  and based on query  570 , location  580  of the target source device (e.g., cache server  120 , origin device  130 , and/or other device  150 ). Application proxy  172  may utilize location  580  to connect with the target source device and to retrieve the requested resource from the target source device. 
         [0102]    Process blocks  1050 - 1070  may include the process blocks depicted in  FIG. 13 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , process blocks  1050 - 1070  may include connecting to the determined target source device (block  1300 ), providing a proxy of the request to the determined target source device (block  1310 ), receiving the resource from the target source device based on the proxy of the request (block  1320 ), and providing a proxy of the resource to the client device (block  1330 ). For example, in an implementation described above in connection with  FIG. 6 , application proxy  172  may connect to the determined target source device, and may provide proxy  620  of request  610  to the determined target source device. The target source device may retrieve resource  630  requested by proxy request  620 , and may provide resource  630  to application proxy  172 . Application proxy  172  may receive resource  630  from the target source device, and may provide proxy  640  of resource  630  to client device  110 . 
         [0103]    Systems and/or methods described herein may integrate resource routing into an infrastructure of a core network, such as a service provider network, by adding application level intelligence in an edge network device of the core network. The application level intelligence may include an application proxy that terminates connections for a given application associated with all or a subset of client device requests for resources. For each resource request, the application proxy may determine a target server that stores resources, may connect to the determined server, and may proxy the resource request and a returned resource between the client device and the determined server. 
         [0104]    The term component, as used herein, is intended to be broadly construed to include hardware (e.g., a processor, a microprocessor, an ASIC, a FPGA, a chip, a memory device (e.g., a ROM, a RAM, etc.), etc.) or a combination of hardware and software (e.g., a processor, microprocessor, ASIC, etc. executing software contained in a memory device). 
         [0105]    The term packet, as used herein, is intended to be broadly construed to include a frame, a datagram, a packet, or a cell; a fragment of a frame, a fragment of a datagram, a fragment of a packet, or a fragment of a cell; or another type, arrangement, or packaging of data. 
         [0106]    The term edge device, as used herein, is intended to be broadly construed to include any device that provides an entry point to or an exit point from a network, such as network  160 . In one example implementation, network device  170  may correspond to an edge device. 
         [0107]    The foregoing description of implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the implementations. 
         [0108]    For example, while series of blocks have been described with regard to  FIGS. 10-13 , the order of the blocks may be modified in other implementations. Further, non-dependent blocks may be performed in parallel. 
         [0109]    It will be apparent that example aspects, as described above, may be implemented in many different forms of software, firmware, and hardware in the implementations illustrated in the figures. The actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement these aspects should not be construed as limiting. Thus, the operation and behavior of the aspects were described without reference to the specific software code--it being understood that software and control hardware could be designed to implement the aspects based on the description herein. 
         [0110]    Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosed implementations. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one other claim, the disclosed implementations include each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set. 
         [0111]    No element, act, or instruction used in the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the disclosed implementations unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Technology Category: 5