System and method for prefetching web resources based on proxy triggers

• US 20050198191A1
• Filed: 01/13/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chowdhury, Srinivas, Carlson, Michael Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 8,195,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

A method for improving the time required for a user to request and receive a webpage. The present invention controls the prefetching mechanism in the proxy. The present invention prefetches webpages upon activation of one of three server-side triggers: a service trigger, an access based trigger, and a timed trigger. The service trigger is a subscription service in which the web server agrees to notify the proxy when webpages in the web server are modified. The access based trigger uses logs/metrics to analyze a plurality of users'"'"' browsing habits. When the log/metrics database notice that a particular webpage experiences heavy requesting traffic during a particular time period, the log/metric creates an access based trigger to prefetch the requested webpage. The timed trigger is a prefetching mechanism that occurs on a regular interval. Configuration data instructs the timed trigger to prefetch a certain webpage a certain times throughout the day.

Claims

1. A method for storing a prefetched webpage in a cache memory of a proxy wherein the prefetched webpage is selected for prefetching by a prefetch trigger in the proxy.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the prefetch trigger is a service trigger.

3. The method of claim 2 comprising:

determining if a web server has registered with the proxy;

responsive to the determination that the web server has registered with the proxy, determining if a change notice has been received; and

responsive to the determination that the change notice has been received, prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the change notice.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the prefetch trigger is an access based trigger.

5. The method of claim 4 comprising:

determining whether the access based trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the access based trigger has been enabled, analyzing a log/metrics database; and

prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the log/metrics database.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the prefetch trigger is a timed trigger.

7. The method of claim 6 comprising:

determining whether the timed trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the timed trigger has been enabled, determining whether a timing interval has occurred; and

responsive to the determination that the timing interval has occurred, prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in a configuration data.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the prefetch trigger is a plurality of prefetch triggers comprising a service trigger, an access based trigger, and a timed trigger.

9. The method of claim 8 comprising:

determining if a web server has registered with the proxy;

responsive to the determination that the web server has registered with the proxy, determining if a change notice has been received;

responsive to the determination that the change notice has been received, prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the change notice;

determining whether the access based trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the access based trigger has been enabled, analyzing a log/metrics database;

prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the log/metrics database;

determining whether the timed trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the timed trigger has been enabled, determining whether a timing interval has occurred; and

responsive to the determination that the timing interval has occurred, prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in a configuration data.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the method occurs on a server side of the World Wide Web.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining whether the user-requested webpage is in the cache memory of the proxy; and

responsive to the determination that the user-requested webpage is in the cache memory of the proxy, obtaining the user-requested webpage from the cache memory of the proxy.

12. A program product for storing a prefetched webpage in a cache memory of a proxy wherein the prefetched webpage is selected for prefetching by a prefetch trigger in the proxy.

13. The program product of claim 12 wherein the prefetch trigger is a service trigger.

14. The program product of claim 13 comprising:

a computer-usable medium;

wherein the computer usable medium comprises instructions for a computer to perform steps comprising;

instructions for determining if a web server has registered with the proxy;

responsive to the determination that the web server has registered with the proxy, instructions for determining if a change notice has been received; and

responsive to the determination that the change notice has been received, instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the change notice.

15. The program product of claim 12 wherein the prefetch trigger is an access based trigger.

16. The program product of claim 15 comprising:

a computer-usable medium;

wherein the computer usable medium comprises instructions for a computer to perform steps comprising;

instructions for determining whether the access based trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the access based trigger has been enabled, instructions for analyzing a log/metrics database; and

instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the log/metrics database.

17. The program product of claim 12 wherein the prefetch trigger is a timed trigger.

18. The program product of claim 17 comprising:

a computer-usable medium;

wherein the computer usable medium comprises instructions for a computer to perform steps comprising;

instructions for determining whether the timed trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the timed trigger has been enabled, instructions for determining whether a timing interval has occurred; and

responsive to the determination that the timing interval has occurred, instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in a configuration data.

19. The program product of claim 12 wherein the prefetch trigger is a plurality of prefetch triggers comprising a service trigger, an access based trigger, and a timed trigger.

20. The program product of claim 19 comprising:

a computer-usable medium;

wherein the computer usable medium comprises instructions for a computer to perform steps comprising;

instructions for determining if a web server has registered with the proxy;

responsive to the determination that the web server has registered with the proxy, instructions for determining if a change notice has been received;

responsive to the determination that the change notice has been received, instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the change notice;

instructions for determining whether the access based trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the access based trigger has been enabled, instructions for analyzing a log/metrics database;

instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the log/metrics database;

instructions for determining whether the timed trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the timed trigger has been enabled, instructions for determining whether a timing interval has occurred; and

responsive to the determination that the timing interval has occurred, instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in a configuration data.

21. The program product of claim 20 wherein the program product occurs on a server side of the World Wide Web.

22. The program product of claim 21 further comprising:

instructions for determining whether the user-requested webpage is in the cache memory of the proxy; and

responsive to the determination that the user-requested webpage is in the cache memory of the proxy, instructions for obtaining the user-requested webpage from the cache memory of the proxy.

23. A program product operable on a computer comprising:

a proxy prefetching program, wherein the proxy prefetching program prefetches a prefetched webpage from a web server, the prefetched webpage selected for prefetching by a prefetch trigger; and

a proxy caching program, wherein the proxy caching program caches the prefetched webpage and the user-requested webpage in the cache memory in the proxy.

24. The program product of claim 23 wherein the prefetch trigger is a service trigger.

25. The program product of claim 24 wherein the proxy prefetching program comprises:

instructions for determining if a web server has registered with the proxy;

responsive to the determination that the web server has registered with the proxy, instructions for determining if a change notice has been received; and

responsive to the determination that the change notice has been received, instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the change notice.

26. The program product of claim 23 wherein the prefetch trigger is an access based trigger.

27. The program product of claim 26 wherein the proxy prefetching program comprises:

instructions for determining whether the access based trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the access based trigger has been enabled, instructions for analyzing a log/metrics database; and

instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the log/metrics database.

28. The program product of claim 23 wherein the prefetch trigger is a timed trigger.

29. The program product of claim 28 wherein the proxy prefetching program comprises:

instructions for determining whether the timed trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the timed trigger has been enabled, instructions for determining whether a timing interval has occurred; and

responsive to the determination that the timing interval has occurred, instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in a configuration data.

30. The program product of claim 23 wherein the prefetch trigger is a plurality of prefetch triggers comprising a service trigger, an access based trigger, and a timed trigger.

31. The program product of claim 30 wherein the proxy prefetching program comprises:

instructions for determining if a web server has registered with the proxy;

responsive to the determination that the web server has registered with the proxy, instructions for determining if a change notice has been received;

responsive to the determination that the change notice has been received, instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the change notice;

instructions for determining whether the access based trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the access based trigger has been enabled, instructions for analyzing a log/metrics database;

instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the log/metrics database;

instructions for determining whether the timed trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the timed trigger has been enabled, instructions for determining whether a timing interval has occurred; and

responsive to the determination that the timing interval has occurred, instructions for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in a configuration data.

32. The program product of claim 31 wherein the program product occurs on a server side of the World Wide Web.

33. The program product of claim 32 wherein the proxy caching program comprises:

instructions for determining whether the user-requested webpage is in the cache memory of the proxy; and

responsive to the determination that the user-requested webpage is in the cache memory of the proxy, instructions for obtaining the user-requested webpage from the cache memory of the proxy.

34. An apparatus for storing a prefetched webpage in a cache memory of a proxy wherein the prefetched webpage is selected for prefetching by a service trigger, an access based trigger, and a timed trigger, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining if a web server has registered with the proxy;

responsive to the determination that the web server has registered with the proxy, means for determining if a change notice has been received;

responsive to the determination that the change notice has been received, means for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the change notice;

means for determining whether the access based trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the access based trigger has been enabled, means for analyzing a log/metrics database;

means for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in the log/metrics database;

means for determining whether the timed trigger has been enabled;

responsive to the determination that the timed trigger has been enabled, means for determining whether a timing interval has occurred;

responsive to the determination that the timing interval has occurred, means for prefetching the prefetched webpage identified in a configuration data;

means for determining whether the user-requested webpage is in the cache memory of the proxy;

responsive to the determination that the user-requested webpage is in the cache memory of the proxy, means for obtaining the user-requested webpage from the cache memory of the proxy; and

wherein the method occurs on a server side of the World Wide Web.