Method for Optimization of the Management of a Server Cache Which May be Consulted by Client Terminals with Differing Characteristics

• US 20080288722A1
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Streamezzo
• Original Assignee: Streamezzo
• Inventors: Perron, Julien, Lecoq, Elouan
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/130
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

A method is provided for optimisation of the management of a server cache for dynamic pages, which may be consulted by client terminals with differing characteristics which requires the provision of discrete versions of a dynamic page in the cache. When a terminal requests a dynamic page, a verification step—for the presence of at least one version of the dynamic page in the cache is carried out, such that if the verification is positive the following complementary steps are carried out: procurement of a set of characteristics specific to the type of client terminal, determination of a subset of necessary characteristics from amongst the specific characteristics for the reproduction of the dynamic page on a client terminal, search, among the version(s) of the dynamic page in the cache for a suitable version using the subset of necessary characteristics and allocation of the suitable version to the client terminal.

Claims

1. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache capable of being consulted via different types of client terminals, and consequently requiring distinct instances of a dynamic page in said cache, wherein when a terminal requests a dynamic page, the method implements a step of verifying the presence of at least one instance of the dynamic page in the cache, whereby if the verification is positive, the method implements the following additional steps:

procurement of a set of characteristics specific to the type of client terminal;

determination, from amongst the specific characteristics, of a subset of characteristics necessary for rendering the dynamic page on a client terminal;

searching for a possible instance amongst the instance(s) of the dynamic page in the cache, using the subset of necessary characteristics;

allocation of the possible instance to the client terminal.

2. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache of claim 1, wherein if said verification step is negative, the method implements the following additional steps:

generating at least one instance of said dynamic page in said cache for a subset of characteristics specific to the type of said client terminal;

allocating said generated instance to said client terminal.

3. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cache is in the form of a table including, for each address of a dynamic page, at least one first list of entries containing at least one characteristic specific to the client terminal, and at least one second list of entries containing, for at least one of the characteristics of the first list, at least one valid cache value necessary for rendering a dynamic page on the client terminal.

4. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 3, wherein said step of verifying the presence of at least one instance of said dynamic page in said cache includes the following substeps of:

searching to see if, for the address of said dynamic page requested by said client terminal, at least one of said characteristics of said subset of characteristics specific to said client terminal is present in said first list of said cache entries;

and if at least one of said characteristics of said client terminal is found in said first list of entries;

searching to see if, for each of said characteristics of said subset of characteristics necessary for rendering said dynamic page requested by said terminal, there is at least one valid cache value in said second list of said cache entries;

and, if for said address of said requested dynamic page none of said characteristics of said subset of characteristics specific to said client terminal is present in said first list of entries, or if said step for searching for at least one valid cache value in said second list of said cache entries was without result in terms of said characteristics of said subset of characteristics necessary for rendering said dynamic page;

addition to said first list of entries of at least one characteristic of said subset of characteristics for said address of said dynamic page requested by said client, and

generation, in said second list of said cache entries, of at least one valid cache value for said at least one characteristic of said necessary subset of characteristics added to the first list.

5. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 1, wherein said distinct instances of a dynamic page are accessible in said cache for a predetermined period of time.

6. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 1, wherein said request for a dynamic page by said client terminal is taken into account by said dynamic page server after a preliminary positive identification step for the type of said client terminal by said dynamic page server.

7. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 1, wherein said characteristics of said subset of characteristics necessary for rendering a dynamic page on a client terminal are determined directly by said server on the basis of the type of said client terminal requesting said dynamic page from said server.

8. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 1, wherein said characteristics of said subset of characteristics necessary for rendering a dynamic page on a client terminal are predetermined by said client terminal which transmits them directly in each of its requests to said dynamic page server.

9. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 1, wherein said client terminal transmits said characteristics of said subset of characteristics necessary for rendering a dynamic page on a predetermined hosting server terminal and transmits to said dynamic page server the address of said hosting server to which the latter may come to look for said characteristics of said subset of characteristics specific to said client terminal.

10. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 2, wherein for each instance of said dynamic page generated, all of the values of the variables used by said generated page, and calculated on the basis of said subset of characteristics specific to the type of said client terminal, are added to said cache.

11. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 2, wherein said step for generating at least one instance of said dynamic page in said cache includes a preliminary substep for determining at least one characteristic and at least one value of said characteristic, which are essential for said generating step.

12. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 1, wherein said dynamic pages are multimedia content pages including at least one piece of data of the type belonging to the group including at least:

text;

images;

sound;

video.

13. Method for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache as claimed in claim 1, wherein said client terminals are of different types belonging to the group including at least:

mobile telecommunication and/or radiocommunication terminals;

stationary terminals;

streaming terminals;

and said dynamic page server generating content comprises at least one of the;

stationary server type;

mobile server type;

or

streaming server type.

14. Computer program including program instructions for performing a method of optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache capable of being consulted by different types of client terminals, and consequently requiring distinct instances of a dynamic page within said cache, wherein said method comprises:

when a terminal requests a dynamic page, verifying the presence of at least one instance of said dynamic page in said cache is implemented, so that, if verification is positive, the method implements the steps of;

procurement of a set of characteristics specific to the type of said client terminal;

determination, from amongst said specific characteristics, of a subset of characteristics necessary for rendering said dynamic page on a client terminal;

searching for a possible instance amongst said instance(s) of said dynamic page in said cache, using said subset of necessary characteristics;

allocation of said possible instance to said client terminal;

when said program is running on a computer.

15. Computer program including program instructions for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache of claim 14 wherein if said verification is negative, the following steps are implemented for:

generating at least one instance of said dynamic page in said cache for a subset of characteristics specific to the type of said client terminal;

allocating said generated instance to said client terminal;

when said programme is running on a computer.

16. Device for optimising the management of a dynamic page server cache being consulted by different types of client terminals, and consequently requiring distinct instances of a dynamic page within said cache, wherein the device includes:

means for verifying the presence of at least one instance of said dynamic page in said cache when a client terminal requests a dynamic page;

means of procuring a set of characteristics specific to the type of said client terminal;

means of determining, from amongst said specific characteristics, a set of values for said subset of characteristics necessary for rendering said dynamic page on a client terminal;

means of searching for a possible instance amongst said instance(s) of said dynamic page in said cache, using said subset of necessary characteristics;

means of allocating said possible instance to said client terminal; and

means of generating at least one instance of said dynamic page in said cache for said set of values of said subset of characteristics specific to the type of said client terminal;

so that, if at least one instance of said dynamic page is present in said cache, said allocation means allocate said instance of said dynamic page to said client terminal requesting it and, if no instance of said dynamic page is present in said cache, said generating means generate at least one instance of said page requested in said cache for a subset of characteristics specific to said client terminal.

17. Dynamic page server generating content, wherein the server includes the device of claim 16, ensuring optimisation of the management of at least one cache of said dynamic page server capable of being consulted by different types of mobile terminals, and consequently requiring distinct instances of a dynamic page within said cache.