Information caching system

• US 8,706,805 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Radhakrishnan, Rajesh, Cox, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Liangche A
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGUIAR, JOHNNY B
• Application Number:
  US13/330,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A method, data processing system, and computer program product for caching information. A computer determines whether at least one of a client data processing system and a hardware device in a plurality of hardware devices has performed a number of operations that have been identified as being associated with a request that is sent to a first hardware device in the plurality of hardware devices. The first hardware device is configured to obtain information from a second hardware device in the plurality of hardware devices for use in generating a response to the request. The computer caches the information in a cache for the plurality of hardware devices prior to a subsequent request for the information being sent to the first hardware device in response to a determination that the at least one of the client data processing system and the hardware device has performed the number of operations.

Claims

1. A method for expediting processing of a request by a client computer, the method comprising the steps of:

responsive to a first request by the client computer to a first server computer, one or more processors identifying second and third requests made by the first server computer to second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer, wherein the second request is for data that is generated dynamically in response to the second request, the data being needed to process the first request;

in response to the identification, the one or more processors correlating the second and third requests to the first request;

responsive to a subsequent instance of the first request by the client computer to the first server computer, and based on the correlation of the second and third requests to the first request, the one or more processors sending another instance of the second request to the second server computer to dynamically generate data needed to process the first request and another instance of the third request to the third server computer, before the first server computer is able to send the other instances of the second and third requests to the second and third server computers, respectively, in response to processing by the first server computer of the subsequent instance of the first request by the client computer without the correlation of the second and third requests to the first request performed previously in response to the identification, to expedite processing of the subsequent instance of the first request made by the client computer; and

the one or more processors receiving information from the second and third server computers in response to the other instances of the second and third requests, respectively, and sending the information to the first server computer to expedite the processing of the subsequent instance of the first request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a monitoring system monitoring operations performed by at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers; and

the monitoring system recording data about the operations performed by the at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of the one or more processors identifying the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer comprises:

the one or more processors retrieving the data from the monitoring system; and

the one or more processors identifying the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server using the data retrieved from the monitoring system and context for the data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of the monitoring system recording the data about the operations performed by the at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers comprises:

the monitoring system recording the data about the operations performed by the at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers in a log in which each entry in the log corresponds to an operation performed by one of the at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of the one or more processors identifying the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer comprises:

the one or more processors retrieving the log from the monitoring system; and

the one or more processors identifying a set of related entries recorded in the log using context for the each entry in the log in which the set of related entries correspond to the second and third requests.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of the one or more processors correlating the second and third requests to the first request comprises:

the one or more processors correlating the second and third requests that correspond to the set of related entries to the first request to form a pattern of access for the first server computer and the second and third server computers in which the pattern of access predicts that the other instances of the second and third requests will be sent to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of the monitoring system recording the data about the operations performed by the at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers in the log comprises:

the monitoring system recording an operation identifier, operation data, and a service identifier in the each entry in the log.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of the one or more processors identifying the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer comprises:

the one or more processors retrieving the data from the monitoring system;

the one or more processors determining whether the second and third requests occur within a threshold period of time from a time at which the first request is received by the first server computer and whether the second and third requests by the first server computer to the second and third server computers request information for use in processing the first request by the client computer to the first server computer; and

responsive to at least one of a determination that the second and third requests occur within the threshold period of time from the time at which the first request is received by the first server computer and a determination that the second and third requests by the first server computer to the second and third server computers request the information for use in processing the first request by the client computer to the first server computer, the one or more processors identifying the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers as part of the processing by the first server computer of the first request by the client computer to the first server computer.

9. A data processing system for expediting processing of a request by a client computer, the data processing system comprising:

a CPU, a computer-readable storage device, and a computer-readable memory;

first program instructions to identify second and third requests made by a first server computer to second and third server computers, respectively, to process a first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer, wherein the second request is for data that is generated dynamically in response to the second request, the data being needed to process the first request;

second program instructions to correlate the second and third requests to the first request in response to the identification;

third program instructions to send another instance of the second request to the second server computer to dynamically generate data needed to process the first request and another instance of the third request to the third server computer, before the first server computer is able to send the other instances of the second and third requests to the second and third server computers, respectively, in response to processing by the first server computer of a subsequent instance of the first request by the client computer without the correlation of the second and third requests to the first request performed previously in response to the identification, to expedite processing of the subsequent instance of the first request made by the client computer responsive to the subsequent instance of the first request by the client computer to the first server computer, and based on the correlation of the second and third requests to the first request; and

fourth program instructions to receive information from the second and third server computers in response to the other instances of the second and third requests, respectively, and send the information to the first server computer to expedite the processing of the subsequent instance of the first request, wherein the first, the second, the third, and the fourth program instructions are stored on the computer-readable storage device for execution by the CPU in the computer-readable memory.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, further comprising:

fifth program instructions to retrieve data about operations performed by at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers from a monitoring system; and

sixth program instructions to identify the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server using the data retrieved from the monitoring system and context for the data, wherein the fifth and the sixth program instructions are stored on the computer-readable storage device for execution by the CPU in the computer-readable memory.

11. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the first program instructions to identify the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer comprise:

program instructions to retrieve a log containing entries about operations performed by at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers from a monitoring system in which each entry in the log corresponds to an operation performed by the at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers; and

program instructions to identify a set of related entries recorded in the log using context for the each entry in the log in which the set of related entries correspond to the second and third requests.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the second program instructions to correlate the second and third requests to the first request comprise:

program instructions to correlate the second and third requests that correspond to the set of related entries to the first request to form a pattern of access for the first server computer and the second and third server computers in which the pattern of access predicts that the other instances of the second and third requests will be sent to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer.

13. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the first program instructions to identify the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer comprise:

program instructions to retrieve data about operations performed by at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers from a monitoring system;

program instructions to determine whether the second and third requests occur within a threshold period of time from a time at which the first request is received by the first server computer and whether the second and third requests by the first server computer to the second and third server computers request information for use in processing the first request by the client computer to the first server computer; and

program instructions to identify the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers as part of the processing by the first server computer of the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to at least one of a determination that the second and third requests occur within the threshold period of time from the time at which the first request is received by the first server computer and a determination that the second and third requests by the first server computer to the second and third server computers request the information for use in processing the first request by the client computer to the first server computer.

14. A computer program product for expediting processing of a request by a client computer, wherein the computer program product comprises a computer-readable storage device(s) and computer-readable program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device(s) to manage copies of data objects in a network data processing system, wherein the computer-readable program instructions, when executed by a CPU:

identify second and third requests made by a first server computer to second and third server computers, respectively, to process a first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer, wherein the second request is for data that is generated dynamically in response to the second request, the data being needed to process the first request;

correlate the second and third requests to the first request in response to the identification;

send another instance of the second request to the second server computer to dynamically generate data needed to process the first request and another instance of the third request to the third server computer before the first server computer send the other instances of the second and third requests to the second and third server computers, respectively, in response to processing by the first server computer of a subsequent instance of the first request by the client computer without the correlation of the second and third requests to the first request performed previously in response to the identification, to expedite processing of the subsequent instance of the first request made by the client computer responsive to the subsequent instance of the first request by the client computer to the first server computer, and based on the correlation of the second and third requests to the first request; and

receive information from the second and third server computers in response to the other instances of the second and third requests, respectively, and send the information to the first server computer to expedite the processing of the subsequent instance of the first request.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable program instructions, when executed by the CPU:

retrieve data about operations performed by at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers from a monitoring system; and

identify the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server using the data retrieved from the monitoring system and context for the data.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein in being executed to identify the second and third requests made by the first server computer to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer, the computer-readable program instructions, when executed by the CPU:

retrieve a log containing entries about operations performed by at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers from a monitoring system in which each entry in the log corresponds to an operation performed by the at least one of the client computer, the first server computer, and the second and third server computers;

identify a set of related entries recorded in the log using context for the each entry in the log in which the set of related entries correspond to the second and third requests.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein in being executed to correlate the second and third requests to the first request, the computer-readable program instructions, when executed by the CPU:

correlate the second and third requests that correspond to the set of related entries to the first request to form a pattern of access for the first server computer and the second and third server computers in which the pattern of access predicts that the other instances of the second and third requests will be sent to the second and third server computers, respectively, to process the first request by the client computer to the first server computer in response to the first request by the client computer to the first server computer.