System and method for content caching implementing compensation for providing caching services

• US 6,704,781 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2000
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Einarson, Jeffrey W., Wood, Holland J., Manepally, Narayan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Hady, Nabil
• Application Number:
  US09/604,669
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/212, 709/214, 709/216, 709/217-219, 709/226, 709/225-227, 711/120-123, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

A method of providing caching services to a server in a network. An offer of caching services is sent from a caching device to a server. The server receives the offer from the caching device and determines whether to accept the offer of caching services from the caching device. An authorization is sent from the server to the caching device when, as a result of the determining, the server determines to accept the offer of caching services. The caching device stores content from the server after the sending of the authorization from the server to the caching device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending an offer requiring a compensation for providing caching services from a caching device to a server;

receiving, by the server, the offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services from the caching device;

determining, by the server, whether to accept the offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services from the caching device;

sending an authorization from the server to the caching device when, as a result of the determining, the server determines to accept the offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services; and

storing content, by the caching device, from the server after the sending of the authorization from the server to the caching device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining to accept the offer when performance of the server is determined to be below a specific level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining to accept the offer when an amount of traffic on the server exceeds a specific level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining to accept the offer when an amount of processor utilization of a processor of the server exceeds a specific level.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising coordinating, among a plurality of caching devices, offering caching services to at least one server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending caching statistics, pertaining to the server, from the caching device to the server.

7. A method comprising:

sending a plurality of offers requiring a plurality of compensations for providing a plurality of caching services from a plurality of caching devices to a caching aggregator;

receiving of the plurality of offers requiring the plurality of compensations for providing the plurality of caching services by the caching aggregator;

combining, by the caching aggregator, at least some of the plurality of offers requiring the plurality of compensations for providing the plurality of caching services to create one offer requiring a compensation for providing caching services;

sending the one offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services from the caching aggregator to a server

receiving, by the server, the one offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services from the caching aggregator;

determining, by the server, whether to accept the one offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services;

sending an authorization from the server to the caching aggregator when, as a result of the determining, the server determines to accept the one offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services; and

storing content, by one of the plurality of caching devices, from the server after the sending of the authorization from the server to the caching aggregator.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining comprises determining to accept the one offer when performance of the server is determined to be below a specific level.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining comprises determining to accept the one offer when an amount of traffic on the server exceeds a specific level.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining comprises determining to accept the one offer when an amount of processor utilization of a processor of the server exceeds a specific level.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending caching statistics, pertaining to the server, from the one of the plurality of caching devices to the server.

12. A caching device comprising:

a transaction requester to create and send an offer requiring a compensation for providing caching services to a server;

a transaction executer to receive an authorization sent from the server in response to the offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services; and

a cache storage to store content received from the server.

13. The caching device of claim 12, further comprising a caching statistics determiner to determine and to send to the server caching statistics pertaining to the server.

14. The caching device of claim 12, further comprising a caching coordinator to coordinate sending of the offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services with at least one other caching device.

15. A caching aggregator comprising:

a caching request receiver to receive a plurality of offers requiring a plurality of compensations for providing a plurality of caching services from a plurality of caching devices in a computer network;

a caching combiner to combine the plurality of offers requiring the plurality of compensations for providing the plurality of caching services for the server from the plurality of caching devices into a single offer requiring a compensation for providing caching services; and

a caching request presenter to send the single offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services to the server.

16. The caching aggregator of claim 15, wherein the plurality of caching devices are in more than one caching network.

17. A server comprising:

a dispatcher for receiving an offer requiring a compensation for providing caching services; and

a caching reservation scheduler to accept the offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services according to predefined criteria.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the caching reservation scheduler accepts the offer when performance of the server is determined to be below a specific level.

19. The server of claim 17, wherein the caching reservation scheduler accepts the offer when an amount of traffic on the server exceeds a specific level.

20. The server of claim 17, wherein the caching reservation scheduler accepts the offer when an amount of processor utilization of a processor of the server exceeds a specific level.

21. The server of claim 17, further comprising a transaction initiator to request the offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services when the caching reservation scheduler determines that the caching services are needed according to the predefined criteria.

22. A machine-readable medium having information recorded thereon, such that when said information is read and executed by a caching device connected to a network, the caching device is caused to perform:

sending, through the network, an offer requiring a compensation for providing caching services from the caching device to a server;

waiting for an authorization from the server; and

storing content from the server after receiving the authorization from the server.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the caching device is further caused to perform coordinating, among a plurality of caching devices, offering caching services requiring a compensation to at least one server.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the caching device is further caused to perform sending caching statistics, pertaining to the server, from the caching device to the server.

25. A machine-readable medium having information recorded thereon, such that when said information is read and executed by a server connected to a network, the server is caused to perform:

determining, after receiving an offer requiring a compensation for providing caching services from a caching device connected to the network, whether to accept the offer requiring the compensation for providing caching services; and

sending an authorization from the server to the caching device when, as a result of the determining, the server determines to accept the offer requiring a compensation for providing caching services.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the determining comprises determining to accept the offer when performance of the server is determined to be below a specific level.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the determining comprises determining to accept the offer when an amount of traffic on the server exceeds a specific level.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the determining comprises determining to accept the offer when an amount of processor utilization of a processor of the server exceeds a specific level.