Systems and methods of revalidating cached objects in parallel with request for object

• US 8,615,583 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2010
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Plamondon, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US12/835,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20100281112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/217, 709/219, 709/225, 711/118, 711/125, 711/137
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC

Abstract

The present solution provides a variety of techniques for accelerating and optimizing network traffic, such as HTTP based network traffic. The solution described herein provides techniques in the areas of proxy caching, protocol acceleration, domain name resolution acceleration as well as compression improvements. In some cases, the present solution provides various prefetching and/or prefreshening techniques to improve intermediary or proxy caching, such as HTTP proxy caching. In other cases, the present solution provides techniques for accelerating a protocol by improving the efficiency of obtaining and servicing data from an originating server to server to clients. In another cases, the present solution accelerates domain name resolution more quickly. As every HTTP access starts with a URL that includes a hostname that must be resolved via domain name resolution into an IP address, the present solution helps accelerate HTTP access. In some cases, the present solution improves compression techniques by prefetching non-cacheable and cacheable content to use for compressing network traffic, such as HTTP. The acceleration and optimization techniques described herein may be deployed on the client as a client agent or as part of a browser, as well as on any type and form of intermediary device, such as an appliance, proxying device or any type of interception caching and/or proxying device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) receiving, by a device intermediary to a client and a server, a request from the client for an object from the server;

(b) determining, by the device, that the object is in a cache; and

(c) transmitting, by the device, both the object from the cache to the client and a request to the server to determine a status of the object responsive to the same determination that the object is in the cache.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises transmitting, by the device, the object from the cache concurrently with transmitting the request to the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises transmitting, by the device, the object from the cache prior to transmitting the request to the server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises transmitting, by the device, the object from the cache after transmitting the request to the server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises transmitting, by the device, to the client a response to the request, the response comprising the object from the cache.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises transmitting, by the device, to the server a conditional request for the object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating, by the device, the object in the cache with an updated version of the object from the server.

8. A method comprising:

(a) receiving, by a an agent executing on a client, a request from an application of the client for an object from a server;

(b) determining, by the agent, that the object is stored in a cache; and

(c) both serving, by the agent the object from the cache to the application and transmitting, by the agent, a request to the server to determine a status of the object responsive to the same determination that the object is stored in the cache.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step (c) further comprises serving, by the agent, the object from the cache concurrently with transmitting the request to the server.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein step (c) further comprises serving, by the agent, the object from the cache prior to transmitting the request to the server.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein step (c) further comprises serving, by the agent, the object from the cache after transmitting the request to the server.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein step (c) further comprises serving, by the agent, to the application a response to the request, the response comprising the object from the cache.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein step (c) further comprises transmitting, by the agent, to the server a conditional request for the object.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising updating, by the agent, the object in the cache with an updated version of the object from the server.

15. A system comprising:

a device intermediary to a client and a server, intercepting a request from the client for an object from the server;

a cache manager of the device determining that the object is stored in a cache; and

wherein the device both serves the object from the cache to the client and transmits a request to the server to determine a status of the object responsive to the same determination of the cache manager.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the device comprises transmits the object from the cache concurrently with transmitting the request to the server.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the device comprises transmits the object from the cache prior to transmitting the request to the server.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the device comprises transmits the object from the cache after transmitting the request to the server.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the device comprises transmits, to the client a response to the request, the response comprising the object from the cache.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the device updated the object in the cache with an updated version of the object from the server.