System and method to accelerate client/server interactions using predictive requests

• US 8,291,007 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2001
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Flash Networks, Ltd. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Flash Networks, Ltd. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: Orr, Michael, Segall, Udi, Shapira, Yair, Peled, Zvi, Weiss, Yoav, Shulman, Ariel, Siev, Amnon, Av-Ron, Boaz
• Primary Examiner(s): Refai, Ramsey
• Application Number:
  US09/788,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20020023145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,255 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/227, 709/234, 709/235, 715/234, 715/812
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

As part of the system and method of the present invention, either a Client Agent and/or a Predictive Server intercept a request from a client to a server, and a response from the server to the client. Based on information derived from the client/server communication, either the Client Agent or the Predictive Server generates a predictive request for data. The server'"'"'s response to the predictive request is stored at either the Client Agent or the Predictive Server, and is forward to the client when the client generates a request for the data contained in the response.

Claims

1. A system for enhancing perceived throughput between a client and a server, said system comprising:

a predictive server in association with said server, wherein said predictive server comprises a server analyzer unit and a server storage unit; and

a client agent in association with the client, wherein the client agent comprises an agent analyzer unit and an agent storage unit;

wherein the predictive server analyzes, at the predictive server analyzer unit, a first response that is received from said server acting on a request for a web page and, accordingly generates at the predictive server storage unit a predictive list of requests for objects which are needed for presenting the requested web page, and wherein the predictive server further issues predictive requests to the server, receives predictive responses from the server, and forwards the first response and the received predictive responses to the client agent; and

wherein the client agent receives, with the agent analyzer unit of the client agent, via the predictive server, the first response, analyzes the first response, automatically forwards said first response to the client, receives from the client a request for an object contained in the first response and is needed for presenting the requested web page, compares the request for said object with the already received predicted responses, and when an already received corresponding predicted response exists, the existing predictive response is forwarded to the client.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

the client agent further compares the request against an agent'"'"'s predictive list which is generated based on the client agent analyzing the first response, and if no entry for that request for an object is found, the request is forwarded towards the server.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said client agent receives requests from said client and forwards the requests to said predictive unit using encapsulation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein data transmitted between said client agent and said predictive server undergoes a data processing step selected from a group consisting of data compression, partial information transfer, protocol conversion, and data packet combining.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the client agent is adapted to transmit a fake response to a client before a real response from said server has been received.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said client agent is further capable of issuing a re-load command.

6. A method for enhancing perceived throughput for the delivery of a requested web page between a server and a client, said method utilizing a predictive server and a client agent, said method comprising:

analyzing a first response of the server as a result of a request issued by the client for the requested web page;

generating a list of predictive requests for objects needed for presenting the requested web page based on the content of the first response;

sending the list of predictive requests toward the server;

the predictive server automatically transferring the first response toward the client by means of the client agent;

receiving at the predictive server, predictive responses from said server;

sending with the predictive server the predictive responses toward the client agent;

the client receiving the first response and issuing a first request for an object contained within the first response and is needed for presenting the requested web page, the first request is forwarded to the client agent; and

the client agent comparing the first request to the received predictive responses and, if a corresponding predictive response exists, the existing predictive response is forwarded to the client.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising by the client agent:

generating a client agent predictive list; and

comparing received requests for objects with objects listed in the client agent predictive list and if no entry for that object is in said client agent predictive list the client agent forwarding the request to the server.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the client agent receives the response to one of the one or more predictive requests after said client agent forwards the client'"'"'s request for reload to said predictive server.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein said predictive server receives multiple predictive responses, encapsulates the multiple predictive responses and forwards the encapsulated responses to the client agent.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein data transmitted between said client agent and said predictive server undergoes a data processing step selected from a group consisting of data compression, partial information transfer, protocol conversion, and data packet combining.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the client agent unit transmits fake responses to a client.