System and Method for Selectively Caching Hot Content in a Content Delivery System

• US 20120271906A1
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reeser, Paul K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,583,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by 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 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

A method includes altering a request interval threshold when a cache-hit ratio falling below a target, receiving a request for content, providing the content when the content is in the cache, when the content is not in the cache and the time since a previous request for the content is less than the request interval threshold, retrieving and storing the content, and providing the content to the client, when the elapsed time is greater than the request interval threshold, and when another elapsed time since another previous request for the content is less than another request interval threshold, retrieving and storing the content, and providing the content to the client, and when the other elapsed time is greater than the other request interval threshold, rerouting the request to the content server without caching the content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

altering at a server a request interval threshold in response to a cache-hit ratio falling below a target cache-hit ratio;

receiving a request for content from a client;

when the content is in a cache, providing the content to the client;

when the content is not in the cache and when a first elapsed time since a first previous request for the content is less than the request interval threshold;

retrieving the content from a content server;

storing the content in the cache; and

providing the content to the client;

when the first elapsed time is greater than the request interval threshold, and when a second elapsed time since a second previous request for the content is less than a second request interval threshold;

retrieving the content from the content server;

storing the content in the cache; and

providing the content to the client; and

when the second elapsed time is greater than the second request interval threshold, rerouting the request to the content server without caching the content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein rerouting the request includes sending a hypertext transport protocol Redirect message to the client, the hypertext transport protocol Redirect message indicating the content server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein rerouting the request includes requesting the content from the content server and providing the content to the client as a non-caching proxy.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the content server is an origin server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the content server is a content delivery network server.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second previous request is a second to last request.

7. A method comprising:

increasing at a server a first request interval threshold in response to a cache-hit ratio falling below a target cache hit ratio;

receiving a request for content from a client;

when a first elapsed time since a first previous request for the content is less than the first request interval threshold;

retrieving the content from a content server;

storing the content in a cache; and

providing the content to the client; and

when the first elapsed time is greater than the first request interval threshold and when a second elapsed time since a second previous request for the content is less than a second request interval threshold;

retrieving the content from the content server;

storing the content in the cache; and

providing the content to the client; and

when the second elapsed time is greater than the second request interval threshold, rerouting the request to the content server without caching the content.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein rerouting the request includes sending a hypertext transport protocol Redirect message to the client, the hypertext transport protocol Redirect message indicating the content server.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein rerouting the request includes requesting the content from the content server and providing the content to the client as a non-caching proxy.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the content server is an origin server.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the content server is a content delivery network server.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the second previous request is a second to last request.

13. A server comprising:

a cache; and

a processor configured to perform operations including;

increasing a first request interval threshold in response to a cache-hit ratio falling below a target cache hit ratio;

receiving a request for content from a client;

when a first elapsed time since a first previous request for the content is less than a first request interval threshold;

retrieving the content from a content server;

storing the content in the cache; and

providing the content to the client; and

when the first elapsed time is greater than the first request interval threshold, and when a second elapsed time since a second previous request for the content is less than a second request interval threshold;

retrieving the content from the content server;

storing the content in the cache; and

providing the content to the client; and

when the second elapsed time is greater than the second request interval threshold, rerouting the request to the content server without caching the content.

14. The server of claim 13 wherein the processor is configured to reroute the request by sending a hypertext transport protocol Redirect message to the client, the hypertext transport protocol Redirect message indicating the content server.

15. The server of claim 13 wherein the processor is configured to reroute the request by requesting the content from the content server and providing the content to the client as a non-caching proxy.

16. The server of claim 13 wherein the content server is an origin server.

17. The server of claim 13 wherein the content server is a content delivery network server.

18. The server of claim 13 wherein the previous request is a last request.