Edge caching using HTTP headers

• US 9,043,428 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lobo, Alwyn R., Nadgir, Devaorasad K., Shenvi Kuncolienkar, Shirish T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRIJALVA LOBOS, BORIS D
• Application Number:
  US13/963,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/212, 709/213, 709217-219, 709/248, 709/249, 709/203, 709/226, 709/228, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics

Abstract

Disclosed is a program for pre-fetching resources. A computer, communicatively coupled to a plurality of client computers and a server computer, identifies a resource, through an examination of one or more HTTP server logs, that is cached on at least one of the plurality of client computers and has been validated by the server computer. The computer determines to pre-fetch the resource based on one or more predefined rules, at least one of the predefined rules including a threshold number of responses validating the resource that must be received by the computer. The computer pre-fetches and caches the resource from the server computer. The computer receives a request for the resource from a client computer that does not have the resource cached. The computer validates resource cached locally and sends the resource to the client computer from the local cache on the computer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for pre-fetching content, the method comprising:

identifying at least one resource, through an examination of one or more HTTP server logs, that is cached on at least one of a plurality of client computers and has been validated by a server computer;

determining to pre-fetch the at least one resource based on one or more predefined rules, at least one of the predefined rules including a threshold number of responses validating the at least one resource;

pre-fetching the at least one resource from the server computer;

caching the at least one resource locally;

receiving a request for the at least one resource from a client computer, of the plurality of client computers, that does not have the at least one resource cached on the client computer;

sending the at least one resource to the client computer from the local cache; and

prior to said caching the at least one resource locally;

responsive to determining that an HTTP header includes a cache-control directive that dictates that the at least one resource should not be cached, setting a flag associated with the at least one resource to indicate that the at least one resource is locally cacheable.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining that the HTTP header that dictates that the at least one resource should not be cached comprises determining that the HTTP header is a “

private”

cache-control directive.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to said sending the at least one resource to the client computer from the local cache;

determining that the at least one resource cached locally is not cacheable absent a rule or policy overriding an HTTP caching directive; and

validating the at least one resource.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more predefined rules further comprise one or more of:

a threshold number of client computers that have cached the at least one resource;

a threshold number of client computers that have requested validation of the at least one resource;

a threshold number of validation requests received; and

a threshold size of the at least one resource.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said validating the at least one resource comprises:

sending a conditional request to the server computer such that if the at least one resource on the server computer has been modified, the server computer sends a current version of the at least one resource, and if the at least one resource has not been modified, the server computer sends a response indicating that the at least one resource is current.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one resource is a video.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying the at least one resource comprises:

searching the one or more HTTP server logs for “

if-modified-since”

request headers and “

not-modified”

response headers.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying at least one peer caching computer in a hierarchical caching network for at least one of the one or more HTTP server logs.