Multi-proxy network edge cache system and methods

• US 20030115346A1
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fort Hill Systems
• Original Assignee: Fort Hill Systems
• Inventors: Koren, Dan, Veach, David L., Czarnik, Paul G., Schroeder, Carl J., Zink, David S., Caldecott, Neal, Trumbo-McHenry, Shari L., McHenry, Stephen T.
• Application Number:
  US10/213,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115346A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A multi-proxy cache server supports unified forward and reverse proxy caching at a network edge of a defined content access domain. The multi-proxy cache server includes a memory cache, supporting storage and access to forward proxy data and first reverse proxy data, and a disk cache, supporting storage and access to second reverse proxy data. A controller, coupled to the memory cache and the disk cache, operates to retrieve, store and access content and further to receive and evaluate a content specification defining a plurality of content partitions for the respective preferential storage of a plurality of reverse proxy data sets.

Claims

1. A multi-proxy cache server providing network edge content caching for network clients relative to origin servers within a bounded domain, said multi-proxy cache server comprising:

a) a cache memory store having a defined content storage space; and

b) a network server coupled to said cache memory store and responsive to content requests received from network clients, said network server including a cache manager application controlling access to said cache memory store and a content origin server including storage of retrieved content within said cache memory store, said cache manager application, responsive to a predetermined specification, providing for the unified cache storage of forward proxy content and reverse proxy content within said defined content storage space.

2. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 1 wherein said cache manager application, responsive to said predetermined specification, implements a plurality of virtual cache partitions within said defined content storage space in effecting the unified management of forward proxy content and reverse proxy content.

3. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 2 wherein said predetermined specification includes virtual cache partition associations for predetermined reverse proxy content, said cache manager application storing said predetermined reverse proxy content to said plurality of virtual cache partitions in correspondence with said virtual cache partition associations.

4. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 3 wherein said predetermined specification further specifies respective content persistence priorities for said predetermined reverse proxy content and wherein said cache content manager application implements a cache content eviction policy operative over said content persistence priorities subject to said virtual cache partition associations.

5. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 4 wherein said cache content manager is operative to receive said predetermined specification from a content controller external to said network server.

6. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 5 wherein said content persistence priorities includes a prefetch priority and wherein said cache content manager application implements origin server content prefetch requests with respect to said predetermined reverse proxy content associated with said prefetch priority.

7. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 6 wherein said predetermined specification includes threshold size specifications for said plurality of virtual cache partitions.

8. A multi-proxy cache server supporting unified forward and reverse proxy caching at a network edge of a defined content access domain, said multi-proxy cache server comprising:

a) a memory cache supporting storage and access to forward proxy data and first reverse proxy data;

b) a disk cache supporting storage and access to second reverse proxy data; and

c) a controller, coupled to said memory cache and said disk cache, operative to retrieve, store and access content, said controller further operative to receive and evaluate a content specification defining a plurality of content partitions for the respective preferential storage of a plurality of reverse proxy data sets.

9. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 8 wherein said content specification includes content persistence priorities associated with subsets of said reverse proxy data sets.

10. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 9 wherein prefetch subsets of said reverse proxy data sets have an associated prefetch content persistence priority, said controller operative to autonomously retrieve first reverse proxy data corresponding to said prefetch subsets.

11. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 10 wherein said controller is operative with respect to said content persistence priorities to selectively transfer first instances of said first reverse proxy data to said disk cache as said second reverse proxy data and to selectively evict second instances of said forward proxy data and said first reverse proxy data from said memory cache.

12. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 11 wherein said content specification is externally generated with respect to said multi-policy cache server, wherein said controller is operative to receive iterations of said content specification with revised definitions of said plurality of reverse proxy data sets, and wherein said controller initiates an autonomous retrieval of said first reverse proxy data corresponding to said prefetch subsets with respect to the iterative receipt of said content specification.

13. The multi-proxy cache server of claim 12 wherein said plurality of content partitions have respective threshold sizes and wherein said controller is operative to manage said plurality of content partitions as respective virtual caches subject to the unified use of said memory cache to store said first reverse proxy data associated with a first content partition in excess of the threshold size of said first content partition.

14. A method of operating a network edge cache to support the cache accelerated serving of content from a bounded content domain to client computer systems, said method comprising the steps of:

a) first defining a plurality of reverse proxy storage partitions within a network edge cache;

b) second defining sets of reverse proxy content for caching in said network edge cache, said sets of reverse proxy content being respectively associated with said reverse proxy storage partitions;

c) third defining a forward proxy storage area within said network edge cache;

d) responding to client requests for content by sourcing requested content from said edge cache, including retrieving forward and reverse proxy content from origin servers for unified storage in said network edge cache; and

e) managing the unified storage of retrieved forward and reverse proxy content in said network edge cache, including identifying retrieved reverse proxy content with respect to a corresponding one of said reverse proxy storage partitions and preferentially storing said retrieved reverse proxy content in said corresponding one of said reverse proxy storage partitions.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said managing step provides for the utilization of said plurality of reverse proxy storage partitions as virtual caches providing for the respective storage of said sets of reverse proxy content.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said first defining step includes defining respective threshold sizes of said plurality of reverse proxy storage partitions to establish preferential storage area limits for said sets of reverse proxy content.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said second defining step includes associating subsets of said sets of reverse proxy content with respective persistence priority values and wherein said managing step utilizes said respective persistence priority values to determine the preferential storage of said retrieved reverse proxy content within the respective threshold size of said corresponding one of said reverse proxy storage partitions and to determine the non-preferentially storage of said retrieved reverse proxy content, in excess of the respective threshold size of said corresponding one of said reverse proxy storage partitions, within said network edge cache.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said respective persistence priority values are defined for multiple levels of quality of service for retrieving reverse proxy content from said network edge cache.

19. A method of operating a network edge cache to support the cache accelerated serving of content from a bounded content domain to client computer systems, said method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving, at predetermined intervals, a rules base defining policies for the unified storage management of forward and reverse proxy content within a network edge cache;

b) evaluating said policies to determine a prefetch set of reverse proxy content for retrieval from corresponding origin servers for storage in said network edge cache;

c) retrieving forward and reverse proxy content, including autonomously retrieving said prefetch set of reverse proxy content, from said corresponding origin servers; and

d) managing, in connection with said retrieving step, the prioritized storage of said forward and reverse proxy content in said network edge cache subject to said policies.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said step of evaluating said policies determines relative cache persistence priorities for said forward and reverse proxy content stored in said network edge cache, said managing step implementing a cache content eviction policy responsive to said relative cache persistence priorities.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said policies define a plurality of reverse proxy storage partitions within a network edge cache, said policies further identifying sets of reverse proxy content storable in said network edge cache in respective association with said reverse proxy storage partitions, said managing step providing for the utilization of said plurality of reverse proxy storage partitions as virtual caches respectively storing said sets of reverse proxy content.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said policies define respective threshold sizes for said plurality of reverse proxy storage partitions to establish preferential storage area limits for said sets of reverse proxy content.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said managing step utilizes said relative cache persistence priorities and said sets of reverse proxy content to preferentially store retrieved reverse proxy content to a respective one of said plurality of reverse proxy storage partitions subject to the respective threshold size of said respective one of said plurality of reverse proxy storage partitions and to store said retrieved reverse proxy content, in excess of the respective threshold size of said respective one of said reverse proxy storage partitions, within said network edge cache.