Cache Manager Optimizing Data Distribution in Mobile Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In mobile packet data networks, caching methods face inefficiencies due to small cache populations leading to low cache hit rates and increased bandwidth usage, resulting in potential congestion, especially when content is duplicated across many small caches.
Innovation Solution
A cache manager system that monitors data object requests, classifies objects by popularity, and optimally distributes them between caches using unused network capacity, considering topology and load profiles to create a large virtual cache while minimizing bandwidth overload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If content is duplicated across many small caches in RBSs, then local cache hit rate increases, but total storage size and bandwidth usage increase causing congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cache domain into multiple cache groups, where each group shares a portion of the virtual cache. This segmentation allows content to be distributed across groups based on popularity, improving hit rates without requiring every cache to store all content, thus reducing total storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple small caches into a virtual cache structure where caches within a group share cached content. This merging enables content to be stored once in the group and accessed by multiple caches, increasing hit rates while avoiding duplication across the entire network.
2Speed
If content is distributed across many small caches, then local access speed improves, but bandwidth consumption increases due to data transfer between caches
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by distributing content within cache groups based on local popularity patterns. Each cache group maintains a virtual cache tailored to its specific population's needs, optimizing local access speed while minimizing unnecessary data transfer across the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses preliminary action by pre-distributing content to cache groups based on predicted popularity and historical access patterns. This allows content to be available locally before requests arrive, improving access speed while avoiding last-minute data transfers that would consume bandwidth.
3Productivity
If a large virtual cache is formed from many small caches, then overall cache efficiency improves, but network load increases during content distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by distributing content to cache groups in scheduled intervals rather than all at once. This periodic distribution spreads the network load over time, maintaining cache efficiency while preventing network congestion during distribution phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by distributing only the necessary portion of content to each cache group based on their specific needs and capacity. This avoids excessive data transfer while still achieving sufficient cache efficiency for each group's population.
Data Source
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AI summary
There is described a method for optimising the distribution of data objects between caches in a cache domain of a resource limited network. User requests for data objects are received at caches in the cache domain. A notification is sent from each cache at which a request is received to a cache manager. The notification reports the user request and identifies the requested data object. At the cache manager, object information including the request frequency of each requested data object and the locations of the caches at which the requests were received is collated and stored. At the cache manager, objects for distribution within the cache domain are identified on the basis of the object information. Instructions are sent from the cache manager to the caches to distribute data objects stored in those caches between themselves. The objects are classified into classes according to popularity, the classes including a high popularity class comprising objects which should be distributed to all caches in the cache domain, a medium popularity class comprising objects which should be distributed to a subset of the caches in the cache domain, and a low popularity class comprising objects which should not be distributed.