Smart caching based on reputation information

• US 10,735,550 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carbonite LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Webroot Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Lonas, Hal Case, Helvey, Thomas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheema, Umar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rotolo, Anthony T
• Application Number:
  US14/266,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20150319261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,288 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0802 Addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means, e.g. caches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0864 using pseudo-associative means, e.g. set-associative or hashing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0875 with dedicated cache, e.g. instruction or stack
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/12 Replacement control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/128 adapted to multidimensional cache systems, e.g. set-associative, multicache, multiset or multilevel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/6032 Way prediction in set-associative cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5683 Storage of data provided by user terminals, i.e. reverse caching

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems and methods for providing a smart cache. In embodiments, a variable time to live (TTL) may be calculated and associated with data as it is stored in a cache. The variable TTL may be calculated based upon reputation and/or category information related to the source of the data. The reputation and/or category information may include TTL modifiers for adjusting the TTL for data from a particular data source that is stored in the cache. In further embodiments, a feedback method may be employed to update reputation and/or category information for a particular data source.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving requested data from a data source;

sending a request for reputation information for the data source;

receiving a first time to live (TTL) modifier associated with reputation information for the data source, wherein the first TTL modifier is received from a reputation source that is different from the data source and the first TTL modifier is different from and based on the reputation information;

receiving a second TTL modifier associated with category information about the data source;

modifying a baseline TTL for the received data utilizing the first TTL modifier, the second TTL modifier, and a third TTL modifier determined from a type of user associated with the request data;

storing the received data in a cache, wherein the received data is associated with the modified baseline TTL; and

analyzing telemetry data to determine an effectiveness of the cache, wherein determining the effectiveness of the cache includes at least one of determining if the received data stored in the cache became stale during a TTL period assigned to the received data stored in the cache, and determining if received data stored in the cache and associated with an expired cached entry was accurate at a time when the cached entry expired.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reputation information and the category information are associated with the data source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first TTL value is derived from reputation information including a reputation score.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the category information comprises a category classification.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing telemetry data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the variable first TTL modifier and the second TTL modifier comprises a negative value.

7. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoding computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method comprising:

sending a request for data to a remote data source;

receiving the data from the remote data source;

sending a request for reputation information for the remote data source;

receiving a first time to live (TTL) modifier associated with reputation information for the remote data source, wherein the first TTL modifier is received from a reputation source that is different from the remote data source and the first TTL modifier is different from and based on the reputation information;

receiving a second TTL modifier associated with category information about the remote data source;

modifying a baseline TTL for the received data utilizing the first TTL modifier, the second TTL modifier, and a third TTL modifier determined from a type of user associated with the request data;

storing the data in a cache, wherein the received data is associated with the modified baseline TTL; and

analyzing telemetry data to determine an effectiveness of the cache, wherein determining the effectiveness of the cache includes at least one of determining if the received data stored in the cache became stale during a TTL period assigned to the received data stored in the cache, and determining if received data stored in the cache and associated with an expired cached entry was accurate at a time when the cached entry expired.

8. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 7, further comprising providing telemetry data.

9. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the telemetry data comprises at least one of:

a number of cached entries stored in the local cache;

a number of requests that were supplied by the cache; and

a number of data requests that required retrieving data from a remote device.

10. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein calculating the modified baseline TTL comprises providing the first TTL modifier and the second TTL modifier to a function.

11. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein a unit of the variable TTL relates to one of:

a second;

a minute;

an hour; and

a day.

12. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 7, wherein the category information comprises two or more category classifications.

13. A method for updating TTL modifiers, the method comprising:

receiving telemetry data from at least one client device, wherein the telemetry data is related to an effectiveness of a cache on the client device;

analyzing the telemetry data to determine the effectiveness of the cache, wherein determining the effectiveness of the cache includes at least one of determining if the received data stored in the cache became stale during a TTL period assigned to the received data stored in the cache, and determining if received data stored in the cache and associated with an expired cached entry was accurate at a time when the cached entry expired;

based upon the analysis, updating at least a first TTL modifier associated with a reputation score and updating at least a second TTL modifier associated with a category classification; and

sending the updated first and second TTL modifiers to the at least one client device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first TTL value is derived from reputation information including a reputation score.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the variable first TTL modifier and the second TTL modifier comprises a negative value.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the telemetry data comprises at least one of:

a number of cached entries stored in the cache;

a number of requests that were supplied by the cache; and

a number of data requests that required retrieving data.