Packetized content delivery apparatus and methods

1. A computerized method of providing digitally rendered content in a packet-enabled network, the computerized method comprising:

assigning an address within the packet-enabled network to the digitally rendered content;

associating the address to two or more nodes of the packet-enabled network, individual ones of the two or more nodes configured to deliver the digitally rendered content to a computerized client device of the packet-enabled network;

advertising two or more routes associated with two or more nodes, individual ones of the two or more routes being characterized by the address;

selecting a given route of the two or more routes; and

based at least on the selecting of the given route of the two or more routes, causing delivery of the digitally rendered content to the computerized client device by a node of the two or more nodes, the node of the two or more nodes being part of the given route;

wherein the selecting of the given route of the two or more routes comprises selecting the given route of the two or more routes based on a discontinuation of an Internet Protocol (IP) address advertisement of a different one of the two or more routes, the discontinuation being based on a detection of a condition associated with the different one of the two or more routes.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the given route further comprises selecting the given route in accordance with a routing rule based on a service level associated with the computerized client device.

3. The computerized method of claim 2 , further comprising configuring the routing rule based at least on a proximity measure between the computerized client device and the node of the two or more nodes, the node of the two or more nodes characterized by a first distance to the computerized client device that is shorter than a second distance between the computerized client device and a different one of a two or more nodes.

4. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the given route further comprises selecting the given route based on determining at least in accordance with a routing rule, the routing rule configured based on at least resolution of a display apparatus associated with the computerized client device.

5. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein the causing the delivery comprises causing a computerized entity of the packet-enabled network to automatically provide the digitally rendered content to the computerized client device via at least another route associated with the address, the automatic provision responsive to the detection.

6. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the address to the digitally rendered content comprises assigning the address to the digitally rendered content based at least on a distribution of a list of valid addresses to the computerized client device based on authentication of the computerized client device to the packet-enabled network.

7. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the address to the digitally rendered content comprises assigning the address to the digitally rendered content based at least on a domain name system protocol.

8. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein the causing of the delivery of the digitally rendered content comprises causing delivery of the digitally rendered content over an Internet Protocol television (IPTV) service.

9. The computerized method of claim 8 , wherein the causing of the delivery of the digitally rendered content comprises causing delivery of over-the-top (OTT) content.

10. Computerized network apparatus configured for provision of digitally rendered content in a content delivery network, the computerized network apparatus comprising:

server apparatus comprising:

digital processor apparatus;

network data interface apparatus in data communication with the digital processor apparatus; and

storage apparatus in data communication with the digital processor apparatus, the storage apparatus comprising at least one computer program configured to, when executed on the digital processor apparatus:

assign the digitally rendered content with a network address;

assign the network address to two or more nodes of the content delivery network, individual ones of the two or more nodes configured to deliver the digitally rendered content to at least one computerized client device of a plurality of computerized client devices within the content delivery network;

cause advertisement of two or more routes associated with the two or more nodes, individual ones of the two or more routes being characterized by the network address, the advertisement conducted using at least a protocol; and

based on a selection of a given route of the two or more routes, cause delivery of the digitally rendered content to the at least one computerized client device by a node of the two or more nodes, the node of the two or more nodes corresponding to the given route;

wherein:

the selection of the given route of the two or more routes is based on a discontinuation of an Internet Protocol (IP) address advertisement of another one of the two or more routes; and

the discontinuation is based on an determination of a condition associated with the another one of the two or more routes.

11. The computerized network apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the selection of the given route is further based at least in part on minimization of a geographic distance between at least one source of the digitally rendered content and the at least one computerized client device.

12. The computerized network apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:

(i) the at least one computer program is further configured to, when executed on the digital processor apparatus, advertise the digitally rendered content to the at least one computerized client device; and

(ii) the assignment of the digitally rendered content with the network address and the selection of the given route cooperate to allow the advertisement of the digitally rendered content to the at least one computerized client device to be decoupled from the selected given route used for delivery of the digitally rendered content to the at least one computerized client device.

13. The computerized network apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:

the digitally rendered content comprises at least an interactive application computer program comprising a multiuser video game; and

the delivery of the digitally rendered content to the at least one computerized client device comprises delivery of the digitally rendered content to a plurality of computerized client devices, each of the plurality of computerized client devices located in different geographical locations with the content delivery network.

14. The computerized network apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:

the assignment of the digitally rendered content with the network address is based at least on a list of valid network addresses provided to authenticated ones of the plurality of computerized client devices; and

wherein the authenticated ones of the plurality of computerized client devices are authenticated based at least one respective locations associated with respective users thereof.

15. The computerized network apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the assignment of the digitally rendered content with the network address is based at least on a domain name system (DNS) protocol.

16. Computer readable apparatus comprising a non-transitory storage medium, the non-transitory medium comprising at least one computer program having a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions configured to, when executed on a digital processing apparatus:

assign an address within a content delivery network to digitally rendered content;

assign, to two or more nodes within an infrastructure of the content delivery network, the address assigned to the digitally rendered content, individual ones of the two or more nodes configured to deliver the digitally rendered content to at least one computerized client device of the content delivery network;

utilize a protocol to advertise two or more routes associated with the two or more nodes, individual ones of the two or more routes being characterized at least by the address; and

based on a selection of an individual route of the two or more routes, cause provision of the digitally rendered content to the at least one computerized client device by at least one node of the two or more nodes, the at least one node being along the individual route;

wherein the selection of the individual route of the two or more routes is based on a discontinuation of an Internet Protocol (IP) address advertisement of another one of the two or more routes, and wherein the discontinuation is based on a detection of a condition associated with the another one of the two or more routes.

17. The computer readable apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the assignment of the address within the infrastructure of the content delivery network to the digitally rendered content is based at least in part on a distribution of at least one respective valid address to the at least one computerized client device pursuant to an authentication of the at least one computerized client device to a computerized entity of the content delivery network.

18. The computer readable apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the digital processing apparatus:

based at least in part on a change to the two or more routes during an active data communication session, establish a new data communication session;

wherein the content provision to the at least one computerized client device occurs via the new data communication session.

19. The computer readable apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the utilization of the protocol to advertise the two or more routes comprises placement of data relating to the two or more routes into at least one of two or more routing tables respectively associated with the two or more nodes.

20. The computer readable apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:

the provision of the digitally rendered content to the at least one computerized client device (i) occurs via a delivery cache, (ii) is based at least in part on the digitally rendered content being available at the delivery cache, and (ii) comprises at least one content backfill operation performed between a first tier cache and the delivery cache;

the two or more routes comprise a pool of active routes;

the condition comprises a failure of the another one of the two or more routes; and

the delivery cache is configured to, upon the detection of the failure, effectuate withdrawal of the another one of the two or more routes from the pool of active routes based at least on a determination of the existence of an active route, the withdrawal of the another one of the two or more routes comprising removal effectuated by the discontinuation of the IP address advertisement of the another one of the two or more routes.