Network application performance enhancement using speculative execution

• US 8,140,646 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Howell, Jonathan R., Lorch, Jacob R., Elson, Jeremy E., Nightingale, Edmund B., Mickens, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): KHAN, AFTAB N
• Application Number:
  US12/478,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 715205-208, 715/240, 717168-173, 709/224, 709/219, 709/217, 709/203, 709/232, 709/226, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

A speculative web browser engine may enable providing transmission of content between a server and a client prior to a user-initiated request for the content hidden in imperative code (event handlers), which may reduce user-perceived latency when the user initiates the imperative code. In some aspects, a speculative browser state may be created from an actual browser state and used to run the event handlers. The event handlers may be modified to direct actions of the event handler to update the speculative browser state. Speculative content may be transmitted between the server and the client in response to an execution of the modified code. The speculative content may be stored in a cache and made readily available for use when the user initiates the event handler and finds that the desired content has already been fetched.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of reducing latency of network transmissions of web content between a server and a client, the method comprising:

copying at least a portion of a current browser state including an event handler to create a speculative browser state, the speculative browser state being created by implementing speculative computations using context pooling to avoid disruption of a user experience during a user interaction with the current browser state, the event handler being designated as including speculative content by employing a lazy cloning designation;

generating, from the event handler, a speculative event handler that directs resultants of the event handler to the speculative browser state;

executing the speculative event handler in the speculative browser state;

identifying the speculative content in response to the executing the speculative event handler;

transmitting the speculative content for storage in a cache;

uploading at least a portion of the transmitted speculative content from the client to the server in anticipation of a user-triggered upload; and

retrieving at least one portion of the transmitted speculative content after a user triggers a speculated-upon event.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising identifying event handlers that are initiated by user events.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

creating a speculative layout using the speculative content transmitted for storage in the cache; and

retrieving the layout when the user triggers the speculated-upon event.

4. A computer-implemented method for enabling speculative execution and data transfer of speculative content between a server and a client, the method comprising:

identifying an event handler in web content made available to the client from the server over a network, the event handler being designated as including the speculative content by employing a lazy cloning designation;

implementing speculative computations using context pooling to create a speculative browser state and to avoid disruption of a user experience during a user interaction with a current browser state;

executing the event handler in the speculative browser state to determine whether a resultant of the event handler includes a request for additional content over the network;

transmitting the additional content as the speculative content between the client and the server after the resultant of the event handler requires the additional content, the transmitting the additional content comprising speculatively uploading the speculative content from the client to the server over the network; and

storing the speculative content in a cache for storage.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4, further comprising using equivalence classes that map different user actions that result in a same browser event to a single canonical speculatable event.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4, further comprising transmitting a prioritization signal to the server prior to the transmitting the additional content by the server, the prioritization signal enabling the server to prioritize the request as a lower priority than non-speculative requests to enable smoothing loads of the server.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

creating the speculative browser state by copying at least a portion of the current browser state, the current browser state including the event handler; and

modifying program code of the event handler to direct actions of the event handler to update the speculative browser state.

8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein the at least a portion of the current browser state comprises Document Object Model (DOM) objects and the current browser state can be updated by the event handlers.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4, wherein the transmitting the additional content includes downloading the speculative content from the server to the client over the network.

10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

performing a function of creating a speculative layout using the downloaded speculative content,

storing the speculative layout in the speculative browser state, and

making the speculative layout visible to a user when the user triggers the event handler.

11. One or more computer storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to performs acts comprising:

identifying a browser state having an event handler that is designated as including speculative content by employing a lazy cloning designation;

creating a copy of at least a portion of the browser state as a speculative browser state that includes the event handler, the speculative browser state being created by implementing speculative computations using context pooling to avoid disruption of a user experience during a user interaction with a current browser state;

modifying the event handler to direct actions to occur within the speculative browser state;

executing the event handler in the speculative browser to determine the actions of the event handler prior to user input; and

transmitting the speculative content between a client and a server when the actions of the event handler requires additional content, the transmitting the content comprising speculatively uploading the speculative content from the client to the server over the network;

storing the additional content as the speculative content in a cache.

12. The one or more computer storage as recited in claim 11, wherein the acts further comprise transmitting a prioritization tag with a request for additional content to enable smoothing load on a server by deprioritizing transmission of the additional content.

13. The one or more computer storage as recited in claim 11, wherein the at least a portion of the browser state to speculatively copy is selected by determining browser objects that are modified by the event handler.

14. The one or more computer storage as recited in claim 11, wherein the event handler includes a speculation tag created by a developer to enable identification of the event handler as a target for speculative execution.

15. The one or more computer storage as recited in claim 11, wherein the transmitting the speculative content includes downloading the additional content from the server to the client in advance of a user-initiated request for the additional content.

16. The one or more computer storage as recited in claim 15, wherein the acts further comprise creating a speculative layout using the speculative content downloaded from the server.