Smart prefetching of data over a network

• US 8,326,923 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Szabo, Paul I., Amdahl, Saxon Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Swearingen, Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US13/109,846
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 711/137
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

A method, system, an apparatus are directed towards selectively prefetching content over a network. A request for a content object is received. The content object may comprise a link to another content object. A cachability measure for the link may be determined based on whether a plurality of previous requests for the link returned the other content object, an annotation in a link map, a probability of traversing the link, a network metric, or the like. A prefetchability measure for the link may be determined based on the cachability measure and/or another factor relating to the link. The other factor may be an annotation of the link indicating that caching the other content object will cause a related object to be uncachable. Based on the prefetchability measure, the other content object is selectively prefetched for subsequent provisioning and/or display.

Claims

1. A client device, comprising:

a transceiver for sending a request for a content object over a network; and

a processor configured for executing instructions that perform actions, including;

receiving the requested content object;

detecting within the content object at least one link to an other content object;

determining a prefetchability measure for the at least one link based in part on a number of times the other content object is returned for multiple previous requests, and an annotation of the at least one link;

determining a location and priority for prefetching the other content object;

based on the determined prefetchability measure, location, and priority, selectively prefetching the other content object to the determined location at the determined priority;

and selectively providing the prefetched content object to an application on the client device in response to a subsequent request from the application for the other content object.

2. The client device of claim 1, wherein the client device further includes a traffic intercept manager application that is configured to intercept a request for a content object and to provide the request to an acceleration soft client for managing prefetch actions on the client device.

3. The client device of claim 1, wherein determining a prefetchability measure based in part on the annotation of the link further comprises determining whether the annotation indicates that caching of the other content object will cause a related content object to be uncachable.

4. The client device of claim 1, wherein determining a location for prefetching the other content object further comprises determining the location based in part on at least one of a security of the client device, a security of an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the client device, or an authorization of the client device.

5. The client device of claim 1, wherein selectively prefetching of the other content object further comprises:

when the annotation of the link indicates that caching of the other content object will cause a related content object to be uncachable, inhibiting prefetching of the other content object.

6. The client device of claim 1, wherein selectively prefetching of the other content object further comprises employing a priority queue from which requests for content objects are serviced, and wherein requests within the priority queue that are determined to be unserviced after a threshold time limit are removed from the priority queue such that a content object associated with the removed request is not prefetched.

7. The client device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform actions, further including:

determining a caching behavior of the client device; and

based further on the determined caching behavior, selectively prefetching the other content object to either the client device or a proxy device interposed between the client device and a server device configured to provide the other content object.

8. A computer storage device having stored thereon instructions that when installed into a client device, enables the client device to perform actions, comprising:

receiving a content object in response to sending a request for the content object over a network;

detecting within the content object at least one link to an other content object;

determining a prefetchability measure for the at least one link based in part on a number of times the other content object is returned for multiple previous requests;

modifying the prefetchability measure based on a probability of prefetchability of the other content object based in part on an annotation of the at least one link;

determining a location and priority for prefetching the other content object;

based on the modified prefetchability measure, the determined location, and the determined priority, selectively prefetching the other content object to the determined location at the determined priority;

and selectively providing the prefetched content object to an application on the client device in response to a subsequent request from the application for the other content object.

9. The computer storage device of claim 8, wherein the computer storage device includes a traffic intercept manager application configured to intercept a request for a content object and to provide the request to an acceleration soft client for managing prefetch actions on the client device.

10. The computer storage device of claim 8, wherein the annotation of the at least one link further indicates that caching of the other content object will cause a related content object to be uncachable.

11. The computer storage device of claim 8, wherein determining a location for prefetching the other content object further comprises determining the location based in part on at least one of a security of the client device, a security of an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the client device, or an authorization of the client device.

12. The computer storage device of claim 8, wherein selectively prefetching of the other content object further comprises:

when the annotation of the link indicates that caching of the other content object will cause a related content object to be uncachable, inhibiting prefetching of the other content object.

13. The computer storage device of claim 8, wherein selectively prefetching of the other content object further comprises employing a priority queue from which requests for content objects are serviced, and wherein requests within the priority queue that are determined to be unserviced after a threshold time limit are removed from the priority queue such that a content object associated with the removed request is not prefetched.

14. A method operating within a client device, the method comprising:

intercepting a content object based on a request for the content object from an application within the client device;

detecting within the content object at least one link to an other content object;

determining a prefetchability measure for the at least one link based in part on a number of times the other content object is returned for multiple previous requests;

modifying the prefetchability measure based on a probability of prefetchability of the other content object based in part on an annotation of the at least one link;

determining a location and priority for prefetching the other content object;

based on the modified prefetchability measure, the determined location, and the determined priority, selectively prefetching the other content object to the determined location at the determined priority;

and selectively providing the prefetched content object to an application on the client device in response to a subsequent request from the application for the other content object.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the annotation of the at least one link further indicates that caching of the other content object will cause a related content object to be uncachable.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining a location for prefetching the other content object further comprises determining the location based in part on at least one of a security of the client device, a security of an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the client device, or an authorization of the client device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein selectively prefetching of the other content object further comprises:

when the annotation of the link indicates that caching of the other content object will cause a related content object to be uncachable, inhibiting prefetching of the other content object.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein selectively prefetching of the other content object further comprises employing a priority queue from which requests for content objects are serviced, and wherein requests within the priority queue that are determined to be unserviced after a threshold time limit are removed from the priority queue such that a content object associated with the removed request is not prefetched.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the prefetchability measure further comprises determining a cachability measure based on a time-to-live for the link or the other content object.