OpenCDN: An ICN-based open content distribution system using distributed actor model

Abstract

Building upon the results of recent works on understanding large-scale content distribution systems, we revisit CONIA, a Content-provider Oriented Namespace Independent Architecture for content delivery. The key idea of CONIA is to let any willing ISP or third party to participate as a content distribution network (CDN). In this paper, we propose a first step in the direction of an information-centric network-based open content distribution system (OpenCDN), that allows for better scalability, flexibility, and performance. In particular, we concentrate on the functions of the content store and routing elements (CSRs) that form the network substrate. We propose an actor-model driven programming model and a runtime system, which together we refer to as the OpenCDN platform. Using OpenCDN, content providers will have full control over building and managing the basic building blocks for the functionality of CSRs, and the flexibility on which content to cache, when to cache, and how to satisfy user requests.