Cache Eviction During Off-Peak Transactions

• US 20130138795A1
• Filed: 11/28/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Field, Brian, Van Doorn, Jan
• Granted Patent: US 10,681,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2183 Cache memory caches in web servers or browsers G06F16/9574; intermediate storage and caching in data networks H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90

Abstract

Transaction activity of a cache maintaining content may be monitored to determine periods of transaction activity below a first threshold amount of transactions. A period of anticipated transaction activity above a second threshold amount of transactions may be determined. A period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold may be selected based upon the monitored periods of transaction activity below the first threshold and the determined period of anticipated transaction activity above the second threshold. Content then may be evicted from the cache during the selected period of anticipated transaction activity.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, by a computing device, transaction activity of at least one cache to determine periods of transaction activity below a first threshold amount of transactions;

determining, by the computing device, at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above a second threshold amount of transactions;

selecting, by the computing device, a period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold, the selecting based at least in part upon the monitored periods of transaction activity below the first threshold and the determined at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above the second threshold; and

evicting content from the at least one cache during the selected period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold until content in the at least one cache is below a third threshold of the total cache space, the evicting occurring prior to the at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above the second threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold is the period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold of the periods of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold closest in time to the determined at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above the second threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, the evicting content from the at least one cache includes:

determining whether at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache exist; and

determining which version of the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache to evict.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache include a high definition version of a first content and a standard definition version of the first content.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache include a first version of a first content and a second version of the first content, wherein the second version of the first content is a more recent version of the first content.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache include a first formatted version of a first content, a second formatted version of the first content, and an associated audio version of the first content, wherein the determining which version of the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache to evict includes not evicting the associated audio version of the first content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising prepopulating the at least one cache above a fourth threshold of the total cache space with new content.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the prepopulating the at least one cache above the fourth threshold of the total cache space with new content includes:

monitoring transaction activity of at least one second cache maintaining content to determine periods of transaction activity above a fifth threshold amount of transactions for a first content,

wherein the new content is the first content.

9. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform a method of:

monitoring transaction activity of at least one cache to determine periods of transaction activity below a first threshold amount of transactions;

determining at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above a second threshold amount of transactions;

selecting a period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold, the selecting based at least in part upon the monitored periods of transaction activity below the first threshold and the determined at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above the second threshold; and

evicting content from the at least one cache during the selected period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold until content in the at least one cache is below a third threshold of the total cache space, the evicting occurring prior to the at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above the second threshold.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 9, wherein the selected period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold is the period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold of the periods of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold closest in time to the determined at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above the second threshold.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 9, the evicting content from the at least one cache includes:

determining whether at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache exist; and

determining which version of the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache to evict.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 11, wherein the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache include a first formatted version of a first content, a second formatted version of the first content, and an associated audio version of the first content, wherein the determining which version of the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache to evict includes not evicting the associated audio version of the first content.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 11, storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, further causes the at least one processor to perform a method of prepopulating the at least one cache above a fourth threshold of the total cache space with new content.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 13, wherein the prepopulating the at least one cache above the fourth threshold of the total cache space with new content includes:

monitoring transaction activity of at least one second cache maintaining content to determine periods of transaction activity above a fifth threshold amount of transactions for a first content,

wherein the new content is the first content.

15. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory, the at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform a method of;

monitoring transaction activity of at least one cache to determine periods of transaction activity below a first threshold amount of transactions;

determining at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above a second threshold amount of transactions;

selecting a period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold, the selecting based at least in part upon the monitored periods of transaction activity below the first threshold and the determined at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above the second threshold; and

evicting content from the at least one cache during the selected period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold until content in the at least one cache is below a third threshold of the total cache space, the evicting occurring prior to the at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above the second threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the selected period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold is the period of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold of the periods of anticipated transaction activity below the first threshold closest in time to the determined at least one period of anticipated transaction activity above the second threshold.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, the evicting content from the at least one cache includes:

determining whether at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache exist; and

determining which version of the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache to evict.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache include a high definition version of a first content and a standard definition version of the first content.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least two versions of maintained content in the at least one cache include a first version of a first content and a second version of the first content, wherein the second version of the first content is a more recent version of the first content.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, the at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the at least one processor to perform a method of prepopulating the at least one cache above a fourth threshold of the total cache space with new content.