System and method for performing flash crowd caching of dynamically generated objects in a data communication network

• US 20070156852A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Kailash, Kailash, Sinha, Rajiv, Soni, Ajay, Khemani, Prakash, Annamalaisami, Saravana, Sundarrajan, Prabakar, Bhushan K R, Bharat
• Granted Patent: US 7,921,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards a “flash crowd” technique for handling situations where the cache receives additional requests, e.g.,. nearly simultaneous requests, for the same object during the time the server is processing and returning the response object for a first requester. Once all such nearly simultaneous requests are responded to by the cache, the object is flushed from the cache, with no additional expire time or invalidation action needed. This technique of the present invention enables data to be cached and served for very small amounts of time for objects that would otherwise be considered non-cacheable. As such, this technique yields a significant improvement in applications that serve fast changing data to a large volume of concurrent users, such, for example, as real time stock quotes, or a fast evolving news story.

Claims

1. In a network device, a method for responding to a request for a dynamically generated object from a plurality of clients, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving from a first client a first request for a dynamically generated object from an originating server;

(b) transmitting the first request to the originating server;

(c) receiving from a second client a second request for the dynamically generated object prior to responding to the first request of the first client; and

(d) receiving the response to the first request from the originating server, the response comprising the dynamically generated object; and

(e) transmitting the dynamically generated object to the first client in response to the first request, and the dynamically generated object to the second client in response to the second request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises receiving from a plurality of clients a plurality of requests for the dynamically generated object, and wherein step (e) further comprises transmitting the dynamically generated object to the plurality of clients in response to each client'"'"'s request.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

(f) receiving a third request for the dynamically generated object from a third client prior to completing transmission of the dynamically generated object to the second client; and

(g) transmitting the dynamically generated object to the third client in response to the third request.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the first request and the second request nearly simultaneously.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising queuing the second request.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising flushing the dynamically generated object from a cache after transmitting the dynamically generated object to the first client and the second client.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically generated object is identified as non-cacheable.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising determining the second request is for the dynamically generated object of the first request via an object determinant associated with the second request.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising modifying the response to include one of an entity tag header or a cache-control header and transmitting the modified response to one of the first client or the second client

10. A network device for responding to a request for a dynamically generated object from a plurality of clients, the network device comprising:

means for receiving from a first client a first request for a dynamically generated object from an originating server;

means for transmitting the first request to the originating server;

means for receiving from a second client a second request for the dynamically generated object prior to responding to the first request of the first client; and

means for receiving the response to the first request from the originating server, the response comprising the dynamically generated object; and

means for transmitting the dynamically generated object to the first client in response to the first request, and the dynamically generated object to the second client in response to the second request.

11. The network device of claim 10, further comprising means for receiving from a plurality of clients a plurality of requests for the dynamically generated object, and transmitting the dynamically generated object to the plurality of clients in response to each client'"'"'s request.

12. The network device of claim 10, comprising

means for receiving a third request for the dynamically generated object from a third client prior to completing transmission of the dynamically generated object to the second client;

and

means for transmitting the dynamically generated object, to the third client in response to the third request.

13. The network device of claim 10, comprising means for receiving the first request and the second request nearly simultaneously.

14. The network device of claim 10, wherein the network device queues the second request.

15. The network device of claim 10, wherein the network device flushes the dynamically generated object from a cache after transmitting the dynamically generated object to the first client and the second client.

16. The network device of claim 10, wherein the dynamically generated object is not identified as cacheable.

17. The network device of claim 10, comprising means for determining the second request is for the dynamically generated object of the first request via an object determinant associated with the second request.

18. The network device of claim 10, wherein the network device comprises one of an appliance or a computing device in communication between the client and the originating server.

19. The network device of claim 10, comprising means for modifying the response to include one of an entity tag header or a cache-control header and transmitting the modified response to one of the first client or the second client.