Method and system for preloading resources

• US 7,895,261 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valve Corporation
• Original Assignee: Valve Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Paul David, Newcombe, Christopher Richard, Birum, Derrick Jason, Thompson, Mikel Howard, Ellis, Richard Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUONG
• Application Number:
  US10/319,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20030220984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,994 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 709/232, 711/137, 711/158, 707/3
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/121 Timestamp cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements involving time stamps H04L9/3297
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0846 using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 : Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 : Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 : Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• 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 and system for preloading data is provided. Resources are preloaded on a client before they are needed by an application. Application hints and static resources lists may be used to indicate resources are needed. The application may begin execution before receiving all of the resources associated with the application. Preloading may be done during execution of an application, or when the application is not executing. Preloading allows an application to run smoothly without consuming more resources than are needed by an application. A prediction graph may be generated that is used in predicting the resources that are likely to be needed by the application. An analyzer may also be used to simulate the system and adjust parameters used in creating the prediction graph.

Claims

1. A method for preloading resources for an application on a client device, comprising:

determining a resource list to preload onto the client device, wherein determining the list of resources, further comprises;

determining a plurality of N-order Markov Chains based on a plurality of application hints associated with a previous execution of the application, wherein N is greater than 1;

combining the plurality of N-order Markov Chains into a prediction graph based on at least one of Bayes'"'"' Theorem or a subsequence matching algorithm; and

reducing the prediction graph to constrain a size of the prediction graph, the prediction graph being useable to generate the list of resources; and

employing the resource list to preload at least one resource onto the client device before the application needs the at least one resource;

receiving an application hint associated with the application;

in response to the application hint, dynamically changing, by the client device, the resource list by, wherein dynamically changing the resource list comprises;

adding within the list another resource to preload based on the application hint, the other resource to preload being added to the list at a location within the list based on a priority associated with the resource; and

identifying which resource on the list should be loaded next into a memory local to the client device; and

preloading the client device with the resources based on the changed resource list, wherein if the resources are located on a server device, then downloading the resources from the server device, and storing the downloaded resources locally on the client device, and obtaining the resources locally if the resources are stored on the client device, the application being configured to execute with a subset of the resources associated with the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application hint is received from the application based in part on an execution of the application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource list further comprises at least one block of code of the application that enables the application to at least one of continue to execute or to complete execution.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein changing, by the client device, the resource list by adding within the list the resource to preload further comprises determining a current state of the application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application hint is associated with a next state of a game application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource list is associated with an application before the application is released.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one resource is preloaded before the application is launched.

8. A client computer for preloading resources for an application, comprising:

a network interface component for receiving and sending information;

a processor, in communication with the network interface component, that includes machine instructions that cause the processor to perform actions, including;

determining a list of resources to preload onto the client computer, each preload resource having a priority for preloading, wherein determining the list of resources, further comprises;

determining a plurality of N-order Markov Chains based on a plurality of application hints associated with a previous execution of the application, wherein N is greater than 1;

combining the plurality of N-order Markov Chains into a prediction graph based on at least one of Bayes'"'"' Theorem or a subsequence matching algorithm; and

reducing the prediction graph to constrain a size of the prediction graph, the prediction graph being useable to generate the list of resources; and

preloading at least one resource in the list of resources based on the priority associated with the at least one resource;

receiving an application hint associated with an execution of the application;

in response to the application hint, revising, by the client computer, the list of resources by adding another preload resource associated with the application hint at a location within the list of prioritized resources identified by a priority of the other preload resource, wherein the other preload resource associated with the application hint is added to the list of resources before the application needs the other preload resource; and

preloading the resources based on the revised list of resources.

9. The client computer of claim 8, wherein the application hint is based on a current state of the application.

10. The client computer of claim 8, wherein the resource is at least one of a dynamic link library, an executable, a data file, or a configuration file.

11. The client computer of claim 8, the actions further comprising:

modifying information associated with a resource local to the client computer such that modifying the information minimizes a likelihood that the resource is purged from the client computer.

12. The client computer of claim 8, wherein the application hint is one of a plurality of received application hints, and wherein revising the list of prioritized resources is based on an order in which the plurality of application hints is received.

13. The client computer of claim 8, wherein receiving the list of resources further comprises receiving the list from a server.

14. The client computer of claim 8, the actions further comprising:

modifying a priority of at least one resource within the list of resources based in part on the application hint.

15. The client computer of claim 8, wherein the application hint is based on at least one of a current state of the application, a next state of the application, or a heuristic.

16. The client computer of claim 8, the actions further comprising executing the application before all resources within the list of resources are available on the client.

17. The client computer of claim 8, wherein the application hint further comprises another list of resources for use in preloading.

18. The client computer of claim 8, wherein the application is a game application.

19. The client computer of claim 8, wherein the application hint is based on a next game level associated with the application.

20. The client computer of claim 8, wherein the at least one resource is preloaded before the application is launched.

21. A manufacture including a computer-readable non-volatile storage medium having computer-readable components therein useable in preloading resources for an application, comprising:

an application that is configured to provide an application hint during execution of the application, the application hint including a request for a preloading of a resource and a priority associated with the preload resource;

a predictor that is operative to perform actions, including;

determining a list of resources to preload onto the computer-readable non-volatile storage medium, each preload resource within the list having a priority for preloading, wherein determining the list of resources comprises eliminating resources from this list that are already present on the computer-readable non-volatile storage medium, and wherein determining the list of resources, further comprises;

determining a plurality of N-order Markov Chains based on a plurality of application hints associated with a previous execution of the application, wherein N is greater than 1;

combining the plurality of N-order Markov Chains into a prediction graph based on at least one of Bayes'"'"' Theorem or a subsequence matching algorithm; and

reducing the prediction graph to constrain a size of the prediction graph, the prediction graph being useable to generate the list of resources; and

a preloader that is operative to perform actions, including;

pre-loading at least one resource in the list of resources based on the priority associated with the at least one resource;

receiving the application hint from the application;

revising, by the computer-readable non-volatile storage medium, the list of resources by adding the preload resource associated with the application hint at a location within the list of prioritized resources identified by the priority of the other preload resource; and

employing the revised list of resources to preload at least one other resource such that the application is configured to be executed by at least one processor with a subset of the resources associated with the application.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the list of resources is allocated across a plurality of stacks based on a priority associated with each resource within the list of resources.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein determining the list of resources further comprises creating a prediction graph based on application resource request states and transitions between the states.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein determining the list of resources further comprises employing a predication graph to generate the list of resources.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein determining the list of resources further comprises:

if a resource within the list of resources is located locally on a client, removing the resource from the list of resources.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one resource is preloaded before the application is launched.

27. A manufacture including a computer-readable non-volatile storage medium having computer-readable components therein useable in preloading resources for an application, comprising:

an application that is configured to provide an application hint during execution of the application, the application hint including a request for a preloading of a resource and a priority associated with the preload resource;

a predictor that is operative to perform actions, including;

determining a list of resources to preload onto the computer-readable non-volatile storage medium, each preload resource within the list having a priority for preloading, wherein determining the list of resources comprises eliminating resources from this list that are already present on the computer-readable non-volatile storage medium; and

a preloader that is operative to perform actions, including;

pre-loading at least one resource in the list of resources based on the priority associated with the at least one resource;

receiving the application hint from the application;

revising, by the computer-readable non-volatile storage medium, the list of resources by adding the preload resource associated with the application hint at a location within the list of prioritized resources identified by the priority of the other preload resource; and

employing the revised list of resources to preload at least one other resource, wherein determining the list of resources, further comprises;

determining a plurality of N-order Markov Chains based on a plurality of application hints associated with a previous execution of the application, wherein N is greater than 1;

combining the plurality of N-order Markov Chains into a prediction graph based on at least one of Bayes'"'"' Theorem or a subsequence matching algorithm; and

reducing the prediction graph to constrain a size of the prediction graph, the prediction graph being useable to generate the list of resources.