SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF USING THE REFRESH BUTTON TO DETERMINE FRESHNESS POLICY

• US 20080229025A1
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Plamondon, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,701,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/126
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0862 with prefetch
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1044 Space efficiency improvement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• 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 67/5681 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

Abstract

The present solution provides a variety of techniques for accelerating and optimizing network traffic, such as HTTP based network traffic. The solution described herein provides techniques in the areas of proxy caching, protocol acceleration, domain name resolution acceleration as well as compression improvements. In some cases, the present solution provides various prefetching and/or prefreshening techniques to improve intermediary or proxy caching, such as HTTP proxy caching. In other cases, the present solution provides techniques for accelerating a protocol by improving the efficiency of obtaining and servicing data from an originating server to server to clients. In another cases, the present solution accelerates domain name resolution more quickly. As every HTTP access starts with a URL that includes a hostname that must be resolved via domain name resolution into an IP address, the present solution helps accelerate HTTP access. In some cases, the present solution improves compression techniques by prefetching non-cacheable and cacheable content to use for compressing network traffic, such as HTTP. The acceleration and optimization techniques described herein may be deployed on the client as a client agent or as part of a browser, as well as on any type and form of intermediary device, such as an appliance, proxying device or any type of interception caching and/or proxying device.

Claims

1. A method for updating an expiration period of a cached object responsive to one or more requests to refresh the object on a page, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) intercepting, by a device, a request to refresh a page identifying an object, the device storing the object in a cache with an expiration period;

(b) determining, by the device in response to the request, a second expiration period for the cached object; and

(c) establishing, by the device, the second expiration period as the expiration period for the cached object in the cache.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises setting, by the device in response to the request, the second expiration period shorter than the expiration period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises intercepting, by the device, the request to refresh a page, the request generated by selecting a refresh button provided by a browser application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises intercepting, by the device, the request to refresh a page generated by a user selecting a button of a browser application.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising intercepting, by the device, a plurality of requests to refresh the page.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising determining, by the device in response to the plurality of requests, to decrease the expiration period of the cached object by a predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprising intercepting, by the device, the request to refresh the page after a predetermined time threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising intercepting, by the device, the request to refresh the page beyond a predetermined time after forwarding the page to a requester.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising intercepting, by the device, the request to refresh the page beyond a predetermined time after receiving a previous request to refresh the page.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises setting, by the device, the second expiration period longer than the expiration period.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises one of a client, a server, or an appliance intercepting and forwarding communications between the client and the server.

22. The device of claim 11, comprising one of a client, a server, or an appliance intercepting and forwarding communications between the client and the server.

12. A device for updating an expiration period of a cached object responsive to one or more requests to refresh the object on a page, the device comprising:

means for intercepting a request to refresh a page identifying an object, the object stored in a cache with an expiration period;

means for determining, in response to the request, a second expiration period for the cached object; and

means for establishing the second expiration period as the expiration period for the cached object in the cache.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the device sets the second expiration period shorter than the expiration period in response to the request.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the request to refresh a page comprises a request generated by selecting a refresh button provided by a browser application.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the request to refresh a page is generated by a user selecting a button of a browser application.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the device intercepts a plurality of requests to refresh the page.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the device in response to the plurality of requests decreases the expiration period of the cached object by a predetermined threshold.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the device intercepts the request to refresh the page after a predetermined time threshold.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the request to refresh the page is received by device beyond a predetermined time after forwarding the page to a requester.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the request to refresh the page is received by device beyond a predetermined time after intercepting a previous request to refresh the page.

21. The device of claim 18, comprising means for setting the second expiration period longer than the expiration period.