Data transfer scheme using caching technique for reducing network load

• US 7,054,912 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanai, Tatsunori, Sato, Hideaki, Toyama, Haruhiko, Miyazawa, Takayuki, Yoshida, Hideki, Yoshii, Kenichiro, Kimura, Yasuhiro, Seki, Toshibumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US10/092,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20020129167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 709/247, 709/235, 709/229, 709/232, 709212-219, 711/130
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a data transfer scheme using a caching technique and/or a compression technique which is capable of reducing the network load of a network connecting between data transfer devices, correspondences between data and their names are registered at the data transfer devices and the corresponding names are transferred, instead of transferring the data, for those data for which the correspondences are registered, so that it is possible to reduce the amount of transfer data among the data transfer devices.

Claims

1. A data transfer device for receiving first data transmitted from a first communication device, transmitting the first data to another data transfer device connected to a second communication device that is a destination of the first data, receiving second data transmitted from the second communication device from the another data transfer device, and transmitting the second data to the first communication device that is a destination of the second data, the data transfer device comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive the first data from the first communication device;

a cache unit configured to register cache data that were transmitted to the another data transfer device in past, in correspondence to cache data names each of which is generated according to a content of each cache data and assigned to each cache data;

a processing unit configured to carry out a processing for transmitting a first data name that is generated according to a content of the first data and assigned to the first data, instead of transmitting the first data, when the first data name is registered in the cache unit, or a processing for registering the first data in correspondence to the first data name into the cache unit and transmitting the first data when the first data name is not registered in the cache unit, upon receiving the first data transmitted from the first communication device; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit the first data name or the first data to the another data transfer device according to a processing carried out by the processing unit.

2. The data transfer device of claim 1, wherein the cache unit registers the cache data names each of which is a value obtained by compressing each cache data by a prescribed method, and the processing unit transmits or registers the first data name which is a value obtained by compressing the first data by the prescribed method.

3. The data transfer device of claim 1, wherein the cache unit registers the cache data names each of which is a value obtained by applying a prescribed hash function to each cache data, and the processing unit transmits or registers the first data name which is a value obtained by applying the prescribed hash function to the first data.

4. The data transfer device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit also transmits the first data name to be assigned to the first name at a time of transmitting the first data to the another data transfer device as the first data name is not registered in the cache unit.

5. The data transfer device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit transmits the first data name and registers the first data into the cache unit at least with respect to a data of a reply message which is not null.

6. The data transfer device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit excludes data that satisfy a prescribed condition from targets for carrying out a registration into the cache unit.

7. The data transfer device of claim 1, wherein the data transfer device is connected to the first communication device through a local area network.

8. The data transfer device of claim 1, wherein the data transfer device is provided in a form of a software implemented on the first communication device.

9. The data transfer device of claim 1, wherein when the processing unit registers the first data received from the first communication device into the cache unit and the first data is a data of a reply message corresponding to a request message from the second communication device to the first communication device, the processing unit also registers a URL for requested data of the request message corresponding to the reply message in correspondence to the first data name into the cache unit or another cache unit;

and

when the request message transmitted by the second communication device is received from the another data transfer device and the URL for the requested data of the request message is registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit, the processing unit also produces the reply message corresponding to the request message and destined to the second communication device according to the requested data registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit in correspondence to the first data name corresponding to the URL, and transmits the reply message to the another data transfer device.

10. The data transfer device of claim 9, wherein the reception unit receives the request message of a GET method.

11. The data transfer device of claim 1, wherein the data transfer device is connected to the first communication device which is a server device, while the another data transfer device is connected to the second communication device which is a client device.

12. The data transfer device of claim 1, wherein at a time of transmitting the second data received from the another data transfer device to the first communication device, the processing unit also carries out a processing for registering the second data in correspondence to a second data name that is generated according to a content of the second data and assigned to the second data into the cache unit, when the second data name is not registered in the cache unit.

13. The data transfer device of claim 12, wherein when the second data is a data of a request message, the processing unit registers the second data into the cache unit upon receiving a reply message corresponding to the request message.

14. The data transfer device of claim 12, wherein when the second data is a data of a request message, the processing unit registers the second data into the cache unit before receiving a reply message corresponding to the request message.

15. The data transfer device of claim 12, wherein when the second data is formed by a plurality of unit data, the processing unit registers each one of all the unit data or a part of the unit data that satisfy a prescribed condition into the cache unit in correspondence to each unit data name that is generated according to a content of each unit data and assigned to each unit data.

16. The data transfer device of claim 15, wherein the second data is applied with a MIME encoding, and the processing unit obtains the unit data by decoding the MIME encoding.

17. A data transfer device for receiving first data transmitted from a first communication device through another data transfer device, transmitting the first data to a second communication device that is a destination of the first data, receiving second data transmitted from the second communication device, and transmitting the second data to the another data transfer device connected to the first communication device that is a destination of the second data, the data transfer device comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive the first data or a first data name that is generated according to a content of the first data and assigned to the first data, from the another data transfer device;

a cache unit configured to register cache data that were received from the another data transfer device in past, in correspondence to cache data names each of which is generated according to a content of each cache data and assigned to each cache data;

a processing unit configured to carry out a processing for acquiring a cache data registered in correspondence to the first data name from the cache unit and transmitting an acquired cache data when the first data name is received from the another data transfer device, or a processing for registering the first data in correspondence to the first data name to be assigned to the first data into the cache unit and transmitting the first data when the first data is received from the another data transfer device; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit the acquired cache data or the first data to the second communication device according to a processing carried out by the processing unit.

18. The data transfer device of claim 17, wherein the cache unit registers the cache data names each of which is a value obtained by compressing each cache data by a prescribed method, and the processing unit registers the first data name which is a value obtained by compressing the first data by the prescribed method.

19. The data transfer device of claim 17, wherein the cache unit registers the cache data names each of which is a value obtained by applying a prescribed hash function to each cache data, and the processing unit registers the first data name which is a value obtained by applying the prescribed hash function to the first data.

20. The data transfer device of claim 17, wherein the processing unit registers the first data in correspondence to the first data name into the cache unit when the first data name is received from the another data transfer device along with the first data.

21. The data transfer device of claim 17, wherein the processing unit transmits the acquired cache data or the first data name and registers the first data into the cache unit at least with respect to a data of a reply message which is not null.

22. The data transfer device of claim 17, wherein the processing unit excludes data that satisfy a prescribed condition from targets for carrying out a registration into the cache unit.

23. The data transfer device of claim 17, wherein the data transfer device is connected to the second communication device through a local area network.

24. The data transfer device of claim 17, wherein the data transfer device is provided in a form of a software implemented on the second communication device.

25. The data transfer device of claim 17, wherein when the processing unit registers the first data received from the another data transfer device into the cache unit and the first data is a data of a reply message corresponding to a request message from the second communication device to the first communication device, the processing unit also registers a URL for requested data of the request message corresponding to the reply message in correspondence to the first data name into the cache unit or another cache unit;

and

when the request message is received from the second communication device and the URL for the requested data of the request message is registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit, the processing unit also produces the reply message corresponding to the request message according to the requested data registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit in correspondence to the first data name corresponding to the URL, and transmits the reply message to the second communication device.

26. The data transfer device of claim 25, wherein the reception unit receives the request message of a GET method.

27. The data transfer device of claim 17, wherein the data transfer device is connected to the second communication device which is a client device, while the another data transfer device is connected to the first communication device which is a server device.

28. The data transfer device of claim 17, wherein at a time of transmitting the second data received from the second communication device to the another data transfer device, the processing unit also carries out a processing for registering the second data in correspondence to a second data name that is generated according to a content of the second data and assigned to the second data into the cache unit, when the second data name is not registered in the cache unit.

29. The data transfer device of claim 28, wherein when the second data is a data of a request message, the processing unit registers the second data into the cache unit upon receiving a reply message corresponding to the request message.

30. The data transfer device of claim 28, wherein when the second data is a data of a request message, the processing unit registers the second data into the cache unit before receiving a reply message corresponding to the request message.

31. The data transfer device of claim 28, wherein when the second data is formed by a plurality of unit data, the processing unit registers each one of all the unit data or a part of the unit data that satisfy a prescribed condition into the cache unit in correspondence to each unit data name that is generated according to a content of each unit data and assigned to each unit data.

32. The data transfer device of claim 31, wherein the second data is applied with a MIME encoding, and the processing unit obtains the unit data by decoding the MIME encoding.

33. A data transfer method at a data transfer device for receiving first data transmitted from a first communication device, transmitting the first data to another data transfer device connected to a second communication device that is a destination of the first data, receiving second data transmitted from the second communication device from the another data transfer device, and transmitting the second data to the first communication device that is a destination of the second data, the data transfer method comprising:

receiving the first data from the first communication device;

judging whether a first data name that is generated according to a content of the first data and assigned to the first data is registered in a cache unit configured to register cache data that were transmitted to the another data transfer device in past in correspondence to cache data names each of which is generated according to a content of each cache data and assigned to each cache data; and

carrying out a processing for transmitting the first data name, instead of transmitting the first data, when the first data name is registered in the cache unit, or a processing for registering the first data in correspondence to the first data name into the cache unit and transmitting the first data when the first data name is not registered in the cache unit.

34. The data transfer method of claim 33, wherein when the processing for registering the first data received from the first communication device into the cache unit is to be carried out and the first data is a data of a reply message corresponding to a request message from the second communication device to the first communication device, the carrying out step also registers a URL for requested data of the request message corresponding to the reply message in correspondence to the first data name into the cache unit or another cache unit;

and

when the request message transmitted by the second communication device is received from the another data transfer device and the URL for the requested data of the request message is registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit, the carrying out step also produces the reply message corresponding to the request message and destined to the second communication device according to the requested data registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit in correspondence to the first data name corresponding to the URL, and transmits the reply message to the another data transfer device.

35. The data transfer method of claim 33, wherein at a time of transmitting the second data received from the another data transfer device to the first communication device, the carrying out step also carries out a processing for registering the second data in correspondence to a second data name that is generated according to a content of the second data and assigned to the second data into the cache unit, when the second data name is not registered in the cache unit.

36. A data transfer method at a data transfer device for receiving first data transmitted from a first communication device through another data transfer device, transmitting the first data to a second communication device that is a destination of the first data, receiving second data transmitted from the second communication device, and transmitting the second data to the another data transfer device connected to the first communication device that is a destination of the second data, the data transfer method comprising:

receiving the first data or a first data name that is generated according to a content of the first data and assigned to the first data, from the another data transfer device; and

carrying out a processing for acquiring a cache data registered in correspondence to the first data name from a cache unit configured to register cache data that were received from the another data transfer device in past in correspondence to cache data names each of which is generated according to a content of each cache data and assigned to each cache data, and transmitting an acquired cache data when the first data name is received from the another data transfer device, or a processing for registering the first data in correspondence to the first data name to be assigned to the first data into the cache unit and transmitting the first data when the first data is received from the another data transfer device.

37. The data transfer device of claim 36, wherein when the processing for registering the first data received from the another data transfer device into the cache unit is to be carried out and the first data is a data of a reply message corresponding to a request message from the second communication device to the first communication device, the carrying out step also registers a URL for requested data of the request message corresponding to the reply message in correspondence to the first data name into the cache unit or another cache unit;

and

when the request message is received from the second communication device and the URL for the requested data of the request message is registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit, the carrying out step also produces the reply message corresponding to the request message according to the requested data registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit in correspondence to the first data name corresponding to the URL, and transmits the reply message to the second communication device.

38. The data transfer method of claim 36, wherein at a time of transmitting the second data received from the second communication device to the another data transfer device, the carrying out step also carries out a processing for registering the second data in correspondence to a second data name that is generated according to a content of the second data and assigned to the second data into the cache unit, when the second data name is not registered in the cache unit.

39. A computer program product for causing a computer to function as a data transfer device for receiving first data transmitted from a first communication device, transmitting the first data to another data transfer device connected to a second communication device that is a destination of the first data, receiving second data transmitted from the second communication device from the another data transfer device, and transmitting the second data to the first communication device that is a destination of the second data, the computer program product comprising:

a first computer program code for causing the computer to receive the first data from the first communication device;

second computer program code for causing the computer to judge whether a first data name that is generated according to a content of the first data and assigned to the first data is registered in a cache unit configured to register cache data that were transmitted to the another data transfer device in past in correspondence to cache data names each of which is generated according to a content of each cache data and assigned to each cache data; and

a third computer program code for causing the computer to carry out a processing for transmitting the first data name, instead of transmitting the first data, when the first data name is registered in the cache unit, or a processing for registering the first data in correspondence to the first data name into the cache unit and transmitting the first data when the first data name is not registered in the cache unit.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein when the processing for registering the first data received from the first communication device into the cache unit is to be carried out and the first data is a data of a reply message corresponding to a request message from the second communication device to the first communication device, the third computer program code also registers a URL for requested data of the request message corresponding to the reply message in correspondence to the first data name into the cache unit or another cache unit;

and

when the request message transmitted by the second communication device is received from the another data transfer device and the URL for the requested data of the request message is registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit, the third computer program code also produces the reply message corresponding to the request message and destined to the second communication device according to the requested data registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit in correspondence to the first data name corresponding to the URL, and transmits the reply message to the another data transfer device.

41. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein at a time of transmitting the second data received from the another data transfer device to the first communication device, the third computer program code also carries out a processing for registering the second data in correspondence to a second data name that is generated according to a content of the second data and assigned to the second data into the cache unit, when the second data name is not registered in the cache unit.

42. A computer program product for causing a computer to function as a data transfer device for receiving first data transmitted from a first communication device through another data transfer device, transmitting the first data to a second communication device that is a destination of the first data, receiving second data transmitted from the second communication device, and transmitting the second data to the another data transfer device connected to the first communication device that is a destination of the second data, the computer program product comprising:

a first computer program code for causing the computer to receive the first data or a first data name that is generated according to a content of the first data and assigned to the first data, from the another data transfer device; and

a second computer program code for causing the computer to carry out a processing for acquiring a cache data registered in correspondence to the first data name from a cache unit configured to register cache data that were received from the another data transfer device in past in correspondence to cache data names each of which is generated according to a content of each cache data and assigned to each cache data, and transmitting an acquired cache data when the first data name is received from the another data transfer device, or a processing for registering the first data in correspondence to the first data name to be assigned to the first data into the cache unit and transmitting the first data when the first data is received from the another data transfer device.

43. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein when the processing for registering the first data received from the another data transfer device into the cache unit is to be carried out and the first data is a data of a reply message corresponding to a request message from the second communication device to the first communication device, the second computer program code also registers a URL for requested data of the request message corresponding to the reply message in correspondence to the first data name into the cache unit or another cache unit;

and

when the request message is received from the second communication device and the URL for the requested data of the request message is registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit, the second computer program code also produces the reply message corresponding to the request message according to the requested data registered in the cache unit or the another cache unit in correspondence to the first data name corresponding to the URL, and transmits the reply message to the second communication device.

44. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein at a time of transmitting the second data received from the second communication device to the another data transfer device, the second computer program code also carries out a processing for registering the second data in correspondence to a second data name that is generated according to a content of the second data and assigned to the second data into the cache unit, when the second data name is not registered in the cache unit.