System and method for managing page variations in a page delivery cache

• US 8,850,138 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Open TEXT SA (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Scheevel, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bataille, Pierre-Michel
• Application Number:
  US13/619,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 711/133, 711/118, 711/E12.002, 711/159, 711/E12.021, 711/E12.017, 709/213, 709/224
• US Class Current: 711/159
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/58 Caching of addresses or names
• 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 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a high performance content delivery system in which versions of content are cached for servicing web site requests containing the same uniform resource locator (URL). When a page is cached, certain metadata is also stored along with the page. That metadata includes a description of what extra attributes, if any, must be consulted to determine what version of content to serve in response to a request. When a request is fielded, a cache reader consults this metadata at a primary cache address, then extracts the values of attributes, if any are specified, and uses them in conjunction with the URL to search for an appropriate response at a secondary cache address. These attributes may include HTTP request headers, cookies, query string, and session variables. If no entry exists at the secondary address, the request is forwarded to a page generator at the back-end.

Claims

1. A system for managing page variations, comprising:

a cache storing a plurality of pages;

a cache reader communicatively connected to the cache and to a client computer over a network connection, wherein the cache reader is operable to;

compute a primary cache address based on a uniform resource locator (URL) contained in a request for content from the client computer;

if an entry at the primary cache address indicates that the content requested by the client computer is subject to a variation scheme requiring different levels of content based on user subscriptions, compute a secondary cache address utilizing the URL contained in the request for content and at least one parameter extracted from the request for content, the at least one parameter being related to a subscription level;

utilizing the secondary cache address to locate a page variation at the subscription level; and

returning the page variation to the client computer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein if no page variation at the subscription level is found in the cache, the cache reader is further operable to forward the request for content to a page generator.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the page generator is operable to generate a requested page at the subscription level, the requested page being a variant of the content requested by the client computer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the cache reader comprises a web-tier cache reader, an application-tier cache reader, or a combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cache reader is further operable to:

examine entry metadata of the entry at the primary cache address; and

determine if requests for content at the URL are subject to variation negotiation based on page variation information in the entry metadata.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein if the content requested by the client computer is subject to the variation scheme, the cache reader is further operable to determine what request and session data are needed to compute the secondary cache address.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the cache reader is further operable to determine whether session-variables are involved in the variation scheme.

8. A method for managing page variations, comprising:

computing, by a cache reader communicatively connected to a cache and to a client computer over a network connection, a primary cache address based on a uniform resource locator (URL) contained in a request for content from the client computer;

if an entry at the primary cache address indicates that the content requested by the client computer is subject to a variation scheme requiring different levels of content based on user subscriptions, computing a secondary cache address utilizing the URL contained in the request for content and at least one parameter extracted from the request for content, the at least one parameter being related to a subscription level;

utilizing the secondary cache address to locate a page variation at the subscription level; and

returning the page variation to the client computer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein if no page variation at the subscription level is found in the cache, the cache reader is operable to forward the request for content to a page generator.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the page generator is operable to generate a requested page at the subscription level, the requested page being a variant of the content requested by the client computer.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the cache reader comprises a web-tier cache reader, an application-tier cache reader, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

examining, by the cache reader, entry metadata of the entry at the primary cache address; and

determining, by the cache reader, if requests for content at the URL are subject to variation negotiation based on page variation information in the entry metadata.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein if the content requested by the client computer is subject to the variation scheme, the cache reader is operable to determine what request and session data are needed to compute the secondary cache address.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the cache reader is operable to determine whether session-variables are involved in the variation scheme.

15. A computer program product for managing page variations, comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions translatable by a processor to cause a cache reader communicatively connected to a cache and to a client computer over a network connection to perform:

computing a primary cache address based on a uniform resource locator (URL) contained in a request for content from the client computer;

if an entry at the primary cache address indicates that the content requested by the client computer is subject to a variation scheme requiring different levels of content based on user subscriptions, compute a secondary cache address utilizing the URL contained in the request for content and at least one parameter extracted from the request for content, the at least one parameter being related to a subscription level;

utilizing the secondary cache address to locate a page variation at the subscription level; and

returning the page variation to the client computer.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein if no page variation at the subscription level is found in the cache, the cache reader is further operable to forward the request for content to a page generator.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the page generator is operable to generate a requested page at the subscription level, the requested page being a variant of the content requested by the client computer.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the cache reader is further operable to:

examine entry metadata of the entry at the primary cache address; and

determine if requests for content at the URL are subject to variation negotiation based on page variation information in the entry metadata.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein if the content requested by the client computer is subject to the variation scheme, the cache reader is further operable to determine what request and session data are needed to compute the secondary cache address.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the cache reader is further operable to determine whether session-variables are involved in the variation scheme.