Application program caching

• US 6,941,351 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Olson, Erik B., Vetrivelkumaran, Vellore T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARQADLE, YASIN M
• Application Number:
  US09/681,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20020035674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 709216-219, 709/201, 709/229, 709/203, 709/205, 709/212, 709/220, 711/119
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/509 Offload
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5033 considering data affinity

Abstract

Application program caching and execution is disclosed. An application program component, which may constitute the only component of an application program, is cached by a computing device from an original computing device. The computing device executes the cached component in lieu of its execution by the original computing device. The computing device may be a client computing device, where the client device executes the cached component for itself. The computing device may also be a caching computing device, where the caching device executes the cached component for the client computing device.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a cacheable application program component of an application program that has been cached from an original computing device and is compatible with an execution platform of the computing device; and

,

a redirection component to intercept requests for an application program component and direct any of the requests that relate to the application program component that has been cached to the application program component that has been cached so that the application program component can be executed outside the original computing device, the redirection component comprising;

a first handler to determine whether a request comprises an application program component request for any cacheable application program component that has been cached;

a second handler for the application program component that has been cached; and

,

a third handler to receive the request from the first handler in response to the first handler determining that the request comprises an application program request for any cacheable application program component that has been cached, and to direct the request to the second handler in response to determining that the request relates to the application program component that has been cached.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cacheable application program component constitutes the only component of a cacheable application program, such that the cacheable application program is wholly cached.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a client computing device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a caching computing device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the redirection component is further to otherwise pass the application program component requests that are irrelevant to the application program that has been cached to another computing device.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a caching component to track usage of application program components.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the caching component is further to assess whether the usage of any of the application program components is sufficient to justify caching.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the caching component is further to cache any of the application program components that the usage of which has been assessed as sufficient to justifying caching.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the caching component is to cache any of the application program components by downloading one or more installation files from the original computing device.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the redirection component comprises:

an application protocol handler configured to, at least;

intercept requests to execute application program components, each request referencing at least one application program component; and

pass through other types of requests;

a plurality of local application handlers corresponding to a plurality of cached application program components; and

a local name resolution handler configured to, at least;

receive requests to execute application program components from the application protocol handler; and

resolve each of the at least one application program component to at least one of the plurality of local application handlers.

11. A computing device comprising:

a cacheable application program component that has been cached from an original computing device and is compatible with an execution platform of the computing device; and

,

a component to execute the application program component in response to a request, the request from an internal intercepting component capable of intercepting and redirecting the request, the component to execute the application program component in lieu of execution by the original computing device, the internal intercepting component comprising;

a first handler to determine whether the request comprises an application program component request for any cacheable application program component that has been cached;

a second handler for the application program component that has been cached; and

,

a third handler to receive the request from the first handler in response to the first handler determining that the request comprises an application program request for any cacheable application program component that has been cached, and to direct the request to the second handler in response to determining that the request relates to the application program component that has been cached.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the computing device is a client computing device, and the component to execute the application program component executes the application program component for itself in lieu of execution by the original computing device for the client computing device, and the client computing device including the internal intercepting component, the internal intercepting component intercepting and redirecting the request transparent to a user.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the computing device is a caching computing device, and the component to execute the application program component executes the application program component for a client computing device, the client computing device including the internal intercepting component, the component to execute in lieu of execution by the original computing device for the client computing device.

14. A system comprising:

a client computing device communicatively connected to a network, the client computing device including an internal intercepting component capable of intercepting and redirecting a request, the internal intercepting component comprising;

a first handler to determine whether the request comprises an application program component request for any cacheable application program component that has been cached;

a second handler for an application program component that has been cached; and

,

a third handler to receive the request from the first handler in response to the first handler determining that the request comprises an application program request for any cacheable application program component that has been cached, and to direct the request to the second handler in response to determining that the request relates to the application program component that has been cached; and

,

a caching computing device to cache at least one cacheable application program component from an original computing device and execute the at least one component for the client computing device in response to the request, the caching computing device having an execution platform compatible with the at least one component and also communicatively connected to the network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein any of the at least one application program components cached by the caching computing device constitute the only component of a cacheable application program, such that the cacheable application program is wholly cached by the caching computing device caching the cacheable application program component.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the client computing device is further to cache at least one cacheable application program component from the original computing device and execute the at least one component for itself.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein any of the at least one application program components cached by the client computing device constitute an only component of a cacheable application program, such that the cacheable application program is wholly cached by the client computing device caching the cacheable application program component.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the original computing device is also communicatively connected to the network.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the original computing device is communicatively connected to a second network, the caching computing device also communicatively connected to the second network.