Method, apparatus, and computer program product for efficient server response generation using intermediate state caching

• US 6,671,719 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2002
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: IQ Holdings, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Grischa Corporation, Inc.
• Inventors: Weber, Jay C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US10/251,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20030088649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 709/216, 709/235, 709/219, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/216
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/365 Application layer names, e.g. buddy names, unstructured names chosen by a user or home appliance name
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for improving server efficiency by caching intermediate states encountered in generating responses to requests. The results of a mapping from an external name for a resource to an internal name for the resource may be cached as may the response header lines, or the body of the response message. In another disclosed aspect, candidates for intermediate state caching are selected from plain and small files. When the resource involves the product of an executable, another aspect involves delaying parsing request headers until necessary and then only parsing the headers required for generating the response.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for efficiently generating responses for repeated resource requests comprising:

receiving a first request for a first resource, said first request comprising a resource identifier and request modifying information;

determining whether generating a response for said first request requires parsing said request modifying information; and

, if not,

generating said response without parsing said request modifying information.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the request modifying information includes request headers.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein generating the response for the first request requires parsing said request modifying information if the request is generated by executing instructions.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein parsing the request modifying information includes parsing only a subset of the request modifying information necessary for generating the request.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein the executing the instructions comprises executing a servlet.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein the executing the instructions comprises executing a script.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein the executing the instructions comprises executing a database query.

8. Apparatus comprising a processor, a memory, a network interface, and a file system, programmed instructions configuring said apparatus to accept connections in order to service requests by sending responses thereto, said apparatus further configured with programmed instructions comprising:

a request receiver configured for receiving a first request for a first resource, said first request comprising a resource identifier and request modifying information;

a response generator configured for generating a response to said first request and further configured for determining whether generating said response requires parsing said request modifying information; and

a request modifying information parser configured to parse request modifying information only when said response generator determines generating said response requires parsing said request modifying information.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the response generator configured to determine that generating the response requires parsing if the response generator to generate the response by executing instructions.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the request modifying information parser configured to parse only a subset of the request modifying information necessary for generating the response.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the request modifying information includes request headers.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the instructions is a servlet.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the instructions is a database query.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the instructions is a script.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having computer readable instructions encoded thereon for reducing parsing of request modifying information, comprising;

computer program instructions configured to cause a computer to receive a first request for a first resource, said first request comprising a resource identifier and request modifying information;

computer program instructions configured to cause a computer to determine whether generating a response for said first request requires parsing said request modifying information; and

computer program instructions configured to cause a computer to generate said response without parsing said request modifying information if generating said response does not require parsing said request modifying information.