System and method for cache acceleration

• US 6,553,411 B1
• Filed: 05/18/1999
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tewari, Renu, Rosu, Daniela, Iyengar, Arun K., Dias, Daniel M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, CHUONG T
• Application Number:
  US09/313,409
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/203, 709/201, 709/219, 707/10, 707/2, 707/8, 711/119, 711/3
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method, which may be implemented by a program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for satisfying requests between a client and a server including the steps of providing a first entity with a directory of information about contents of a cache of a second entity, the first entity for receiving a request from a client, determining whether the directory of information indicates that the request is satisfied by the cache of the second entity by querying the directory of information on the first entity, sending the request to the second entity, if the directory indicates that the request is satisfied by the cache of the second entity, and otherwise, sending the request to be satisfied by another entity. A system is also included.

Claims

1. A method for satisfying requests between a client and a server, comprising the steps of:

providing a first entity with a directory of information about objects stored in a cache of a second entity, the first entity for receiving a request from a client;

determining whether the directory of information indicates that the request is satisfied by the cache of the second entity by querying the directory of information on the first entity;

sending the request to the second entity, if the directory indicates that the request is satisfied by the cache of the second entity; and

otherwise, sending the request to be satisfied by another entity.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first entity includes an accelerator.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first entity includes at least one cache and the method further comprising the step of attempting to satisfy requests from a client by employing the at least one cache.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising the step of, in response to the at least one cache on the first entity including insufficient space, storing data in the cache of the second entity.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second entity includes a proxy server.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of compressing information included in the directory of information for referencing data in the cache.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the step of compressing information includes compressing at least some of the information using a hash function.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the directory of information includes hints of information included in the cache of the second entity.

26. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the directory of information includes information about objects stored in the cache of the second entity.

9. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for satisfying requests between a client and a server, the method steps comprising:

providing a first entity with a directory of information about objects stored in a cache of a second entity, the first entity for receiving a request from a client;

determining whether the directory of information indicates that the request is satisfied by the cache of the second entity by querying the directory of information on the first entity;

sending the request to the second entity, if the directory indicates that the request is satisfied by the cache of the second entity; and

otherwise, sending the request to be satisfied by another entity.

10. The program storage device as recited in claim 9, wherein the first entity includes an accelerator.

11. The program storage device as recited in claim 10, wherein the first entity includes at least one cache and the method further comprising the step of attempting to satisfy requests from a client by employing the at least one cache.

12. The program storage device as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of in response to the at least one cache on the first entity including insufficient space, storing data in the cache of the second entity.

13. The program storage device as recited in claim 9, wherein the second entity includes a proxy server.

14. The program storage device as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of compressing information included in the directory of information for referencing data in the cache.

15. The program storage device as recited in claim 14, wherein the step of compressing information includes compressing at least some of the information using a hash function.

16. The program storage device as recited in claim 9, wherein the directory of information includes hints of information included in the cache of the second entity.

27. The program storage device as recited in claim 9, wherein the directory of information includes information about objects stored in the cache of the second entity.

17. A system for accelerating interactions between a client and a server comprising:

an accelerator communicating with at least one client for receiving requests;

a proxy server coupled to the accelerator and including a first cache, the proxy server adapted for satisfying client requests for objects; and

the accelerator further comprising a proxy directory for storing information about objects included in the first cache such that accelerator has access to information about objects stored in the first cache thereby preventing the need to access the proxy server for at least some requests.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the system includes a plurality of accelerators.

19. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the system includes a plurality of proxy servers.

20. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the proxy server includes a Web server.

21. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the accelerator includes a second cache, the accelerator being adapted for satisfying client requests for objects by employing the second cache.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, further comprising remote servers for providing requested objects unavailable from the first cache and second cache.

23. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the proxy directory includes compressed information for referencing objects in the first cache.

24. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein at least a portion of the compressed information is compressed using a hash function.

25. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the proxy directory includes hints of information included in the first cache.

28. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the proxy directory includes information about objects stored in the cache of the second entity.