Content Invalidation Message for Cache Refresh

Solution Overview

Problem

Current caching systems in web servers refresh cached web pages based on a predetermined time-to-live (TTL), leading to frequent regeneration and potential stale content if updates occur before the TTL limit, resulting in inefficient resource usage and outdated information.

Innovation Solution

A system that includes a content management system coupled with an application/presentation layer and a caching layer, where the content management system sends a content invalidation message to the caching layer upon updates, allowing the caching layer to refresh cached data only when content changes, thereby reducing unnecessary regeneration and ensuring freshness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the TTL is set to a short duration to ensure content freshness, then the cached content remains more up-to-date, but the page is regenerated and cached significantly more frequently than needed, wasting resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent freshnessVSAvoidregeneration frequency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-fetching content before the TTL expires and caching it proactively. The content management system identifies content that will soon expire and retrieves it in advance, so when the original content is updated, the cached version is already fresh and ready to serve, reducing the need for frequent regeneration cycles

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the content management system monitors content update patterns and TTL expiration times. Based on this feedback, it dynamically adjusts caching strategies and pre-fetching schedules, optimizing the balance between content freshness and regeneration frequency by learning from actual content update behaviors

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If the TTL is set to a long duration to reduce regeneration frequency, then resource usage decreases, but the cached page may contain stale content if updates occur before the TTL limit is reached

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveregeneration frequencyVSAvoidcontent freshness

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-fetching content before the TTL expires and caching it proactively. The content management system identifies content that will soon expire and retrieves it in advance, so when the original content is updated, the cached version is already fresh and ready to serve, reducing the need for frequent regeneration cycles

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the content management system monitors content update patterns and TTL expiration times. Based on this feedback, it dynamically adjusts caching strategies and pre-fetching schedules, optimizing the balance between content freshness and regeneration frequency by learning from actual content update behaviors

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If the cached page is regenerated frequently to ensure content freshness, then the content remains up-to-date, but the system consumes more resources and experiences higher regeneration overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent freshnessVSAvoidregeneration overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-fetching content before the TTL expires and caching it proactively. The content management system identifies content that will soon expire and retrieves it in advance, so when the original content is updated, the cached version is already fresh and ready to serve, reducing the need for frequent regeneration cycles

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the content management system monitors content update patterns and TTL expiration times. Based on this feedback, it dynamically adjusts caching strategies and pre-fetching schedules, optimizing the balance between content freshness and regeneration frequency by learning from actual content update behaviors

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS8380930B2Refreshing cached data based on content identifier map

Publication Date: 2013.02.19 DISNEY ENTERPRISES INC

AI summary

A system for refreshing cached data based on content update frequency includes an application/presentation layer coupled to a caching layer, the caching layer including cached content, and a content management system coupled to the application/presentation layer, the content management system configured to provide a content invalidation message to the caching layer informing the caching layer when the cached content is updated.