Reducing the impact of network latency on application performance

• US 20080172488A1
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FineGround Networks, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jawahar, Janardhanan, Kausik, Balas Natarajan
• Granted Patent: US 9,032,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/748 Negotiation of resources, e.g. modification of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• 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 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

An exemplary method performed by a proxy server located between a content server and a client browser for reducing effects of network latency therebetween comprises intercepting a request from the client browser for a resource at the content server, obtaining a response by the content server to the request, determining that the response would, if unmodified, require a plurality of communications between the content server and the client browser in the absence of the proxy server, modifying the response to reduce a network latency associated with the plurality of communications for accessing information located externally to the response, and transmitting the modified response to the client browser for use thereby.

Claims

1. A method for reducing effects of latency on a network connecting at least a content server and a client browser, comprising:

at a proxy server between said content server and said client browser;

(a) intercepting a request from said client browser for a resource at said content server;

(b) obtaining a response by said content server to said request;

(c) determining that said response would, if unmodified, require a plurality of communications between said content server and said client browser in the absence of said proxy server;

(d) modifying said response to reduce a network latency associated with said plurality of communications for accessing information located externally to said response; and

(e) transmitting said modified response to said client browser for use thereby.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

(i) said (b) performed over a first network that is relatively faster than a second network; and

(ii) said (e) is performed over said second network that is relatively slower than said first network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first network is a LAN, and said second network is a WAN.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said reduce a network latency includes reducing said plurality of communications by eliminating a need to separately access said information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said (d) includes:

obtaining said external information; and

modifying said response to include said external information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said response includes a redirection to another resource at a resource location distinct from a resource location from which said response was received.

7. The method of claim 6 where said resource locations are URLs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said response includes references to a plurality of additional resources.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

appending resource locations of said additional resources to said response.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said (d) includes:

enabling said client browser to open a plurality of connections to servers containing said additional resources, beyond those connections ordinarily available without modifying said response, in order to download said additional resources in a parallel fashion.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said (d) includes:

creating one or more unique pseudonyms for a source of said additional resources; and

modifying resource locations of said additional resources in said response to include said unique pseudonyms.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

adding one or more entries into a domain name server to link said unique pseudonyms to said proxy server.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

adding one or more entries into a domain name server to link said unique pseudonyms to said source.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said source is said content server.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of said additional resources is multiply referenced, and further comprising using a common pseudonym for said multiply-referenced additional resource.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of said additional resources is multiply referenced, and further comprising generating a common pseudonym for said multiply-referenced additional resource based on its content.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of said additional resources is multiply referenced, and further comprising generating a common pseudonym for said multiply-referenced additional resource based on its URL.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of said additional resources is referenced by a relative URL, and further comprising:

converting said relative URL to an absolute URL; and

introducing a unique pseudonym to said absolute URL.

19. The method of claim 1, conditioned upon latency testing, including determining and taking into account the effect of differential latency between a server-to-proxy network segment and a proxy-to-client network segment.

20. The method of claim 1, conditioned upon latency testing, including determining that an expected latency reduction exceeds an expected proxy server processing time.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said (b) includes obtaining said response from a cache.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said response was cached from a previous communication.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said response is precomputed from an expected communication.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein said modified response is in a so-called MIME HTML format.

25. The method of claim 1, conditioned upon determining that said client browser can recognize said modified response.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising downloading a supplementary application to said client upon determining that said client browser cannot recognize said modified response.

27. A proxy server to be disposed between a content server and a client browser, for reducing effects of latency on a network communication therebetween, comprising:

(a) a processor; and

(b) a computer-readable memory including computer-readable instructions that, when executed using said processor;

(i) intercept a request from said client browser for a resource at said content server;

(ii) obtain a response by said content server to said request;

(iii) determine that said response would, if unmodified, require a plurality of communications between said content server and said client browser in the absence of said proxy server;

(iv) modify said response to reduce a network latency associated with said plurality of communications for accessing information located externally to said response; and

(v) transmit said modified response to said client browser for use thereby.

28. The proxy server of claim 27, wherein:

(A) said (ii) performed over a first network that is relatively faster than a second network; and

(B) said (v) is performed over said second network that is relatively slower than said first network.

29. The proxy server of claim 28, wherein said first network is a LAN, and said second network is a WAN.

30. The proxy server of claim 27, wherein said reduce a network latency includes reducing said plurality of communications by eliminating a need to separately access said information.

31. The proxy server of claim 27, wherein said (iv) includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed using said processor:

obtain said external information; and

modify said response to include said external information.

32. The proxy server of claim 27, wherein said response includes a redirection to another resource at a resource location distinct from a resource location from which said response was received.

33. The proxy server of claim 27, wherein said response includes a reference to a plurality of additional resources.

34. The proxy server of claim 33, wherein said (iv) includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed using said processor:

enable said client browser to open a plurality of connections to servers containing said additional resources, beyond those connections ordinarily available without modifying said response, in order to download said additional resources in a parallel fashion.

35. The proxy server of claim 33, wherein said (iv) includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed using said processor:

create one or more unique pseudonyms for a source of said additional resources; and

modify resource locations of said additional resources in said response to include said unique pseudonyms.

36. A computer-readable medium on a proxy server located between a content server and a client browser for reducing effects of latency on a network connecting at least said content server and said client browser, comprising logic instructions capable of being executed to:

(a) intercept a request from said client browser for a resource at said content server;

(b) obtain a response by said content server to said request;

(c) determine that said response would, if umodified, require a plurality of communications between said content server and said client browser in the absence of said proxy server;

(d) modify said response to reduce a network latency associated with said plurality of communications for accessing information located externally to said response; and

(e) transmit said modified response to said client browser for use thereby.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein:

(i) said (b) performed over a first network that is relatively faster than a second network; and

(ii) said (e) is performed over said second network that is relatively slower than said first network.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein said first network is a LAN, and said second network is a WAN.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein said reduce a network latency includes reducing said plurality of communications by eliminating a need to separately access said information.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein said (d) includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed using said processor:

obtain said external information; and

modify said response to include said external information.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein said response includes a redirection to another resource at a resource location distinct from a resource location from which said response was received.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein said response includes a reference to a plurality of additional resources.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein said (d) includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed using said processor:

enable said client browser to open a plurality of connections to servers containing said additional resources, beyond those connections ordinarily available without modifying said response, in order to download said additional resources in a parallel fashion.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein said (d) includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed using said processor:

create one or more unique pseudonyms for a source of said additional resources; and

modify resource locations of said additional resources in said response to include said unique pseudonyms.

45. Apparatus for reducing effects of latency on a network communication between a content server and a client browser, comprising:

at a proxy server between said content server and said client browser;

(a) means for obtaining a response to a request from said client browser for a resource from said content server;

(b) means for determining that said response would, if unmodified, require a plurality of communications between said content server and said client browser in the absence of said proxy server;

(c) means for modifying said response to reduce a network latency associated with said plurality of communications for accessing information located externally to said response; and

(d) means for forwarding said modified response to said client browser for use thereby.

46. A method for reducing network latency on a network connecting a content server to a client browser, comprising:

at a proxy server between said content server and said client browser;

(a) intercepting a request from said client browser for a resource at said content server;

(b) obtaining a response from said content server to said request;

(c) determining that said response is a redirection to another resource;

(d) obtaining said another resource; and

(e) sending said another resource to said client browser.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein:

(i) said (d) performed over a first network that is relatively faster than a second network; and

(ii) said (e) is performed over said second network that is relatively slower than said first network.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein said first network is a LAN, and said second network is a WAN.

49. The method of claim 46, further comprising between said (d) and (e):

modifying said response to include said another resource.

50. A method for reducing network latency on a network connecting a content server to a client browser, comprising:

at a proxy server between said content server and said client browser;

(a) intercepting a request from said client browser for a resource at said content server;

(b) obtaining a response from said content server to said request;

(c) determining that said response includes a reference to at least one additional resource external to said response;

(d) obtaining said additional resource;

(e) modifying said response to include said additional resource; and

(f) sending said modified response to said client browser.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein:

(i) said (d) performed over a first network that is relatively faster than a second network; and

(ii) said (f) is performed over said second network that is relatively slower than said first network.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein said first network is a LAN, and said second network is a WAN.

53. The method of claim 50, wherein said (e) includes:

appending said additional resources to said response.

54. The method of claim 53 further comprising:

appending resource locations of said additional resources to said response.

55. The method of claim 50, conditioned upon latency testing, including determining and taking into account the effect of differential latency between a server-to-proxy network segment and a proxy-to-client network segment.

56. The method of claim 50, conditioned upon latency testing, including determining that an expected latency reduction exceeds an expected proxy server processing time.

57. The method of claim 50, wherein said (b) includes obtaining said response from a cache.

58. The method of claim 50, wherein said modified response is in a so-called MIME HTML format.

59. The method of claim 50, conditioned upon determining that said client browser can recognize said modified response.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising downloading a supplementary application to said client upon determining that said client browser cannot recognize said modified response.

61. A method for reducing network latency on a network connecting a content server to a client browser, comprising:

at a proxy server between said content server and said client browser;

(a) intercepting a request from said client browser for a resource at said content server;

(b) obtaining a response from said content server to said request;

(c) determining that said response includes a reference to more than two additional resources external to said response;

(d) modifying said response to enable said client browser to download said additional resources at substantially the same time; and

(e) sending said modified response to said client browser.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein said (d) includes:

creating one or more unique pseudonyms for a source of said additional resources; and

modifying resource locations of said additional resources in said response to include said unique pseudonyms.

63. The method of claim 62, further comprising:

adding one or more entries into a domain name server to link said unique pseudonyms to said proxy server.

64. The method of claim 62, further comprising:

adding one or more entries into a domain name server to link said unique pseudonyms to said source.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein said source is said content server.

66. The method of claim 61, wherein at least one of said additional resources is multiply referenced, and further comprising using a common pseudonym for said multiply-referenced additional resource.

67. The method of claim 61, wherein at least one of said additional resources is multiply referenced, and further comprising generating a common pseudonym for said multiply-referenced additional resource based on its content.

68. The method of claim 61, wherein at least one of said additional resources is multiply referenced, and further comprising generating a common pseudonym for said multiply-referenced additional resource based on its URL.

69. The method of claim 61, wherein at least one of said additional resources is referenced by a relative URL, and further comprising:

converting said relative URL to an absolute URL; and

introducing a unique pseudonym to said absolute URL.