PREEMPTIVE CACHING FOR WEB-BASED SYSTEMS

• US 20110093790A1
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Maczuba, Jed
• Application Number:
  US12/582,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093790A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and methods for pre-fetching of customized web content associated with a user profile in a cache upon receiving user identification, but before the user provides authentication details. Further, the present invention provides a method and system for rendering of the cached customized web content to the user once the user authentication is received. The method and system decrease the time required for a user to request and receive a dynamically generated user-tailored web page post-authentication. It controls the cache pre-fetch mechanism through a trigger. The trigger notifies the cache (web server) to pre-fetch user-specific resources into a user profile graph either when a user cookie is present when the user navigates to the web site or as user authentication credentials are entered to the web page by the user. The present invention permits the pre-fetching of user information prior to actual authentication by the web application.

Claims

1. A method in a system having a web server having a cache and a web browser for a user, the method for pre-fetching, to the cache, customized web content for the user, the system having a user profile for the user, the user profile having a unique user identifier identifying the user, the method comprising:

receiving the unique user identifier from the user;

associating customized web content with the user profile based upon the user identifier of the user;

pre-fetching the associated customized web content to the cache based upon the unique user identifier and the user profile; and

receiving a user authentication authenticating the user to the web server.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising rendering the pre-fetched cached customized web content to the web browser of the user once the user authentication is received.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising populating the user profile with the pre-fetched associated customized web content.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request from the user for dynamically generated user-tailored web content;

dynamically generating user-tailored web content based upon the user profile;

receiving the user authentication; and

rendering the dynamically generated user-tailored web content to the user after user authentication.

5. The method as defined in claim 2 further comprising determining whether a user cookie exists for the user, extracting the user identifier, triggering the web server to pre-fetch user-specific resources into a user profile graph when a user cookie is present.

6. The method as defined in claim 2 further comprising triggering the web server to pre-fetch user-specific resources into the user profile when the user navigates to the web site.

7. The method as defined in claim 2 further comprising triggering the web server to pre-fetch user-specific resources into the user profile when user authentication is received.

8. The method as defined in claim 2 in a system having a web browser further comprises:

receiving, at the web server, a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request having a Universal Resource Locator (URL) identifying a web page from the web browser;

constructing by the web server the identified web page;

rendering the constructed identified web page to the user;

receiving at the web browser from the user a username;

determining, by the web server, whether a user cookie exists;

if a user cookie exists, reading the user cookie and extracting a unique user identifier by the web server;

pre-fetching customized user web content based upon the unique user identifier and populating a user profile cache including a user profile graph associated with the user;

receiving a password from the user; and

processing by the web server a dynamic web page using the customized user web content and the cached user profile graph.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 further comprising determining whether a pre-fetch is needed.

10. The method as defined in claim 8 further comprising passing to the web server the unique user identifier by the user and, if a pre-fetch is needed, pre-fetching the customized user web data and populating a user profile cache.

11. A system for pre-fetching, to a cache, customized web content for a user having a user profile, the user profile having a unique user identifier identifying the user, the system comprising:

a cache;

a receiver for receiving the unique user identifier from the user and for receiving in a web server a user authentication;

an associating unit for associating customized web content with the user profile based upon the unique user identifier; and

a pre-fetching unit for pre-fetching the associated customized web content to the cache.

12. The system as defined in claim 11 further comprising a rendering unit for rendering the pre-fetched cached customized web content to the user once the user authentication is received.

13. The system as defined in claim 12 further comprising a web browser for sending a request to the web server from the user for customized web content from the web server, wherein the web server dynamically generates customized web content based upon the user profile and performs the user authentication, and the web browser renders the dynamically generated customized web content after user authentication.

14. The system as defined in claim 13 further comprising a user profile graph in the user profile, a trigger element for triggering the pre-fetching unit to pre-fetch user-specific resources into user profile graph when a user cookie is present.

15. The system as defined in claim 13 further comprising a trigger element for triggering the pre-fetching unit to pre-fetch user-specific resources into a user profile graph when the user navigates to the web site.

16. The system as defined in claim 15 further comprising a dynamic page generating unit for dynamically generating a page based upon the user profile graph.

17. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium for operating in a system comprising a processing unit, a memory, a bus, input/output (I/O) interfaces, a web server having a cache, and a web browser for a user, for implementing a method for pre-fetching, to the cache, customized web content for the user having a user profile, the user profile having a unique user identifier identifying the user, the method comprising:

receiving in the web server the unique user identifier from the user;

associating customized web content with the user profile based upon the user identifier of the user;

pre-fetching the associated customized web content to the cache based upon the unique user identifier and the user profile; and

then

receiving in the web server user a user authentication authenticating the user to the web server.

18. The computer program product as defined in claim 17 wherein the method further comprises rendering the pre-fetched cached customized web content to the web browser of the user once the user authentication is received.

19. The computer program product as defined in claim 18 wherein the method further comprises populating the user profile with the pre-fetched associated customized web content.

20. The computer program product as defined in claim 17 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a request from the user for dynamically generated user-tailored web content;

dynamically generating user-tailored web content based upon the user profile;

receiving the user authentication; and

rendering the dynamically generated user-tailored web content to the user after user authentication.

21. A method for deploying computing infrastructure comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computing system, the computing system having a web server having a cache, and a web browser for a user, wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing a process for pre-fetching, to the cache, customized web content for the user having a user profile, the user profile having a unique user identifier identifying the user, the process comprising:

receiving, at the web server, a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request having a Universal Resource Locator (URL) identifying a web page from the web browser;

constructing by the web server the identified web page;

rendering the constructed identified web page to the user;

receiving at the web browser from the user a username;

determining, by the web server, whether a user cookie exists;

if a user cookie exists, reading the user cookie and extracting a unique user identifier by the web server;

pre-fetching customized user web content based upon the unique user identifier and populating a user profile cache including a user profile graph associated with the user;

receiving a password from the user; and

processing by the web server a dynamic web page using the customized user web content and the cached user profile graph.