Pre-fetching resources based on a resource lookup query

• US 20050240574A1
• Filed: 04/27/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Challenger, James RH, LaVoie, Jason D., Jennings, Raymond B. III
• Application Number:
  US10/833,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20050240574A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for pre-fetching resources based upon a query request to a resource lookup service. A monitoring application snoops for requests/replies from clients. Web content is pre-fetched via a web proxy based on the requests. Thus, the web content is made available to the client more efficiently.

Claims

1. A method for pre-fetching resources based upon a query request to a resource lookup service, the query request being implemented using at least one network packet, the method comprising:

monitoring the at least one network packet transmitted at least one of to and from the resource lookup service; and

pre-fetching a resource related to the at least one network packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource lookup service comprises a network-attached application that provides a network location of the resource in response to the query request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the network location comprises at least one of a host name, an application name, an IP (Internet Protocol) address, a Globally Unique Identifier, and an application specific identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, the resource lookup service comprises at least one of a DNS (Domain Name System) server, a LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) server, a Corba Naming Service, a NDS, and a JNDI (Java Naming and Directory Interface) object database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the at least one network packet comprises determining if the at least one network packet contain a query request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding the resource to a network location where the resource can be located.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein pre-fetching a resource related to the at least one network packet comprises pre-fetching the resource related to the at least one network packet from a location one of determined and partially determined by the at least one network packet.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising further determining the location by a configuration.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein pre-fetching a resource related to the at least one network packet comprises pre-fetching the resource specified within the at least one network packet.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein pre-fetching a resource related to the at least one network packet comprises pre-fetching the resource determined based upon a bit pattern within the at least network packet.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein pre-fetching a resource related to the at least one network packet comprises pre-fetching the resource determined based upon the context of the at least one network packet.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein pre-fetching a resource related to the at least one network packet comprises pre-fetching the resource containing the location of additional resources to request.

13. A method for verifying the location of a resource by monitoring at least one resource lookup request made by a requester of the resource to a resource lookup service, the method comprising:

monitoring a plurality of resource lookup responses from the resource lookup service;

matching at least one of the plurality of resource lookup responses to the requester; and

maintaining a mapping of at least one location of the at least one of the plurality of resource lookup responses.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising adding the resource to a location where the requester can locate the resource.

15. An apparatus for pre-fetching at least one resource based on at least one resource lookup request made to a resource lookup service, the apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting at least one resource lookup request to a resource lookup service, the at least one resource lookup request implemented as at least one network packet, the at least one resource lookup request requesting at least one resource;

means for monitoring a computer network for the at least one network packet;

means for associating the at least one network packet with the at least one resource lookup request;

means for retrieving the at least one resource associated with at least one resource lookup request; and

means for adding the at least one resource to a location where the requester can locate the at least one resource.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for associating the at least one network packet with the at least one resource lookup request comprises a means for locating a bit pattern within the at least one network packet.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for transmitting at least one resource lookup request to a resource lookup service comprises means for transmitting at least one remote resource lookup request to a resource lookup service, the at least one remote resource lookup request requesting at least one remote resource located at a remote location.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for retrieving the at least one resource associated with the at least one resource lookup request comprises retrieving at least one remote resource located at a remote location.

19. An apparatus for updating a configuration of at least one resource location, the apparatus comprising:

means for monitoring at least one actual network location of at least one resource on a computer network; and

means for updating the configuration based on the at least one actual location for future resource lookup requests to a resource lookup service.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, further comprising monitoring resource requests to update a configuration.

21. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a resource to be pre-fetched based upon a request made to a resource lookup service, the method steps comprising:

transmitting at least one resource lookup request to a resource lookup service, the at least one resource lookup request implemented as at least one network packet, the at least one resource lookup request requesting at least one resource;

monitoring a computer network for the at least one network packet;

associating the at least one network packet with the at least one resource lookup request;

retrieving the at least one resource associated with the at least one resource lookup request; and

adding the at least one resource to a location where the requester can locate the at least one resource.

22. The program storage device as recited in claim 21, the method further comprising updating a configuration of the location based on the actual resource requested by a requester.