Directory Server Cache Expiration Randomization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current directory server integration technologies face performance degradation due to cached directory data becoming stale and the burden of frequent updates, leading to high throughput issues in applications like enterprise messaging security.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that sets a range of permissible expiration times for cached directory entries using a maximum Time To Live (TTL) parameter and a minimum TTL parameter, along with a TTL variance parameter, to distribute expiration times randomly, reducing the synchronization load on directory servers and providing expired cached entries when the server is inaccessible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cached directory data is updated periodically to maintain freshness, then data accuracy is improved, but server performance deteriorates due to large burden on directory server
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of expiration time from a fixed value to a randomized value within a range. Each cached directory entry is assigned a random expiration time between minimum and maximum TTL values, which distributes the refresh burden across different time points rather than having all entries expire simultaneously, thereby maintaining data accuracy while preserving server performance
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts expiration times for different cached entries based on random selection within permitted ranges. This dynamic approach allows the cache to adapt its refresh pattern to current server conditions, spreading update loads over time while maintaining acceptable data freshness levels
2Device complexity
If fixed expiration time is assigned to cached entries, then implementation simplicity is improved, but server load synchronization worsens causing performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the expiration time parameter from a single fixed value to a randomized value selected within a permitted range [minimum TTL, maximum TTL]. This simple parameter change effectively distributes cache entry expirations across different time points, preventing synchronized refresh bursts that would degrade server throughput while maintaining implementation simplicity
3Speed
If cached directory data is used to improve performance, then client response time is improved, but data staleness worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the expiration time parameter from fixed to randomized within a range, which distributes data freshness levels across different cached entries. This allows the system to maintain acceptable data freshness while improving client response time through effective caching, as entries expire at different times rather than all becoming stale simultaneously
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Techniques for directory server integration are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for directory server integration comprising setting one or more parameters determining a range of permissible expiration times for a plurality of cached directory entries, creating, in electronic storage, a cached directory entry from a directory server, assigning a creation time to the cached directory entry, and assigning at least one random value to the cached directory entry, the random value determining an expiration time for the cached directory entry within the range of permissible expiration times, wherein randomizing the expiration time for the cached directory entry among the range of permissible expiration times for a plurality of cached directory entries reduces an amount of synchronization required between cache memory and the directory server at a point in time.