What's 'akamai', and why is my firewall alerting me about it?

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I've seen this name before when my previous anti-virus program from McAfee (then Network Associates)started downloading virus definition updates (the gas-station icon. Since then I changed anti-virus software so I do not know whether this is still in use.

Regards

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Akamai is not just serving of content from distributed servers, but the servers are geographically distributed as well. It attempts to serve the content from the server geographically closest to the person receiving the content.

So, if you're in Los Angeles, it tries to route you through an L.A. based server, rather than serve the content from a datacenter in New York. Besides having to travel a shorter distance, it usually means there are fewer "hops" (data getting passed from one router to another), which lowers latency. All in all, it's trying to make sure the content is delivered as efficiently and speedily as possible.

But, usually the actual link to the content is just using akamai.net or even the domain of the site using Akamai for distribution. Akamai gets the request, determines the best datacenter, and reroutes the request.

A lot of software companies use Akamai for distributing updates. Even Zone Alarm uses them. In fact, when you're running certain programs, it seems Zone Alarm routes its own check for updates through them and then interprets its own action as funny business.

http://forum.zonelabs.org/zonelabs/board/message?board.id=access&message.id=24931

Well, I probably blocked it when it popped up in Zone Alarm.

The question now is should I allow it?

Well, I probably blocked it when it popped up in Zone Alarm.

The question now is should I allow it?

One of the reasons ZA *may* be catching Akamai is because they serve a LOT of adverts - see the following Google searches for more info:

http://www.google.com/search?q=akamai+adverts
http://www.google.com/search?q=akamai+ads

cheers

I did testing about akamai and can tell you this if you by chance do block this connection most sites you go to will appear broken as some images will not appear and even the color in the site will be blank. Most akamai outgoing hits are legal on firewalls but if you also have a spyware program and anything comes at you from akamai your spyware host file will block that so dont worry.

Sounds good.
I haven't had any problems with sites yet.

I'll allow it and see what happens.

Thanks

Just a note: A huge number of websites run through the Akamai site - including the world's four biggest, Yahoo.com, MSN.com, Google.com and Microsoft.com - when Akamai goes down, so will they, as they did in June 2004 ...
My guess is the g is for google...!
c'mon you sleuths
Lov Lou

My browser has a myriad of cookies for the domain akamai.net. So Akamai may have really good check on what google identities are coupled with what logins on yahoo and other sites.
This will help them to get to know you better, so they can serve you personalized ads, whether you like it or not...

Basically it's a spy service masquerading as a \service\ wake up. What do you think they do with all that info dummies? If you had any brains you'd block it/them. The sites using them would stop using them very quickly if you did, cause you wouldn't see the adds and get a chance to be tricked into clicking on something they know will attract you, George Orwell would role over in his grave. Did you ever think that an akamai cookie was a bit out of place if you didn't hit the site? Not to mention the 'other' uses for the info.

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