DISTRIBUTED DATA CACHE FOR ON-DEMAND APPLICATION ACCELERATION

• US 20120041970A1
• Filed: 08/12/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cdnetworks Holdings Singapore Pte., Ltd. (Wangsu Science & Technology Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Cdnetworks Company Limited (Wangsu Science & Technology Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ghosh, Arijit, Garg, Vikas
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A distributed data cache included in a content delivery network expedites retrieval of data for application execution by a server in a content delivery network. The distributed data cache is distributed across computer-readable storage media included in a plurality of servers in the content delivery network. When an application generates a query for data, a server in the content delivery network determines whether the distributed data cache includes data associated with the query. If data associated with the query is stored in the distributed data cache, the data is retrieved from the distributed data cache. If the distributed data cache does not include data associated with the query, the data is retrieved from a database and the query and associated data are stored in the distributed data cache to expedite subsequent retrieval of the data when the application issues the same query.

Claims

1. In a content delivery network including a plurality of servers included in one or more edge points of presence (edge POPs), a computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a query for data from an application running on a first one of the servers of a first one of the edge POPs of the content delivery network;

retrieving data corresponding to the query from a data source external to said first one of the servers; and

storing the query together with the data corresponding to the query in a distributed data cache which is distributed across computer-readable storage media included in the plurality of servers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the query together with the data corresponding to the query comprises:

storing the query and the data corresponding to the query at a location in the distributed data cache determined by the query.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a hash function to the query to generate a hash value associated with the query; and

identifying a location in a computer-readable storage medium included in at least one of the servers, the location identified by the hash value,

the query and the data associated with the query being stored at the location identified by the hash function in the computer-readable storage medium.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the query and the data are stored at a location in the computer-readable storage medium in the first one of the servers on which the application is running.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the query and the data are stored at a location in the computer-readable storage medium in a second one of the servers of the first one of the edge POPs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the query and the data are stored at a location in the computer-readable storage medium in a second one of the servers of a second one of the edge POPs physically remotely located from the first one of the edge POPs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a query for data comprises:

receiving a request to execute the application from a first client device;

selecting a virtual network address associated with a host system running on said first one of the servers within said first one of the edge POPs;

executing the application on said first one of the servers via the selected virtual network address; and

receiving the query from execution of the application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein executing the application on said first one of the servers via the selected virtual network address comprises:

receiving a virtualized instance of the application including executable data associated with the application as well as data files used during execution of the application;

provisioning the selected virtual network address for executing the application; and

executing the application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the query together with the data corresponding to the query comprises:

responsive to determining the distributed data cache is full, deleting a least recently accessed query and data associated with the least recently accessed query from the distributed data cache; and

storing the query and the data corresponding to the query in the distributed data cache.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the query together with the data associated with the query comprises:

responsive to determining the distributed data cache is full, deleting a least frequently accessed query and data associated with the least frequently accessed query from the distributed data cache; and

storing the query and the data corresponding to the query in the distributed data cache.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the same query from the application;

determining whether the distributed data cache stores data corresponding to the same query; and

responsive to determining that the distributed data cache stores data corresponding to the same query, retrieving the data associated with said same query.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the distributed data cache stores data corresponding to the same query comprises:

applying a hash function to the same query to generate a hash value associated with the query;

identifying a location in a computer-readable storage medium included in at least one of the servers, the location identified by the hash value; and

determining whether the computer-readable storage medium stores the data corresponding to the query at the identified location.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein same query is received from the application running on said first one of the servers of said first one of the edge POPs of the content delivery network.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the same query is received from the application running on a second one of the servers of a second one of the edge POPs physically remotely located from the first one of the edge POPs.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed data cache is distributed across the servers of a plurality of edge POPs.

16. A server of a content delivery network including at least a processor and a computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions configured to cause the processor to perform a computer-implemented method of retrieving data, the method comprising:

receiving a query for data from an application running on a first one of the servers of a first one of the edge POPs of the content delivery network;

retrieving data corresponding to the query from a data source external to said first one of the servers; and

storing the query together with the data corresponding to the query in a distributed data cache which is distributed across computer-readable storage media included in the plurality of servers.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein storing the query together with the data corresponding to the query comprises:

storing the query and the data corresponding to the query at a location in the distributed data cache determined by the query.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the location in the computer-readable storage medium is in a second one of the servers of a second one of the edge POPs physically remotely located from the first one of the edge POPs.

19. A computer readable storage medium storing a computer program product including computer instructions configured to cause a processor of a computer to perform a computer-implemented method of retrieving data from a content delivery network, the method comprising:

receiving a query for data from an application running on a first one of the servers of a first one of the edge POPs of the content delivery network;

retrieving data corresponding to the query from a data source external to said first one of the servers; and

storing the query together with the data corresponding to the query in a distributed data cache which is distributed across computer-readable storage media included in the plurality of servers.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein storing the query together with the data corresponding to the query comprises:

storing the query and the data corresponding to the query in a location in the distributed data cache determined by the query.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the location in the computer-readable storage medium is in a second one of the servers of a second one of the edge POPs physically remotely located from the first one of the edge POPs.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving the same query;

determining whether the distributed data cache stores data corresponding to the same query; and

responsive to determining that the distributed data cache stores data corresponding to the same query, retrieving the data associated with said same query.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the same query is received from the application running on a second one of the servers of a second one of the edge POPs physically remotely located from the first one of the edge POPs.