Dynamic Cache Time Management for Digital Content Delivery Networks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Managing traffic on digital content delivery networks (CDNs) is inefficient, especially for dynamic content like breaking news and blogs, as existing methods using Time To Live (TTL) fail to optimize cached content effectively, leading to increased latency and bandwidth consumption.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that dynamically determine cache times based on the type category and update time variable of digital content, caching frequently updated content for shorter periods and less frequently updated content for longer periods, using a cache time setting algorithm that considers the 'newness' and type of content to balance network loads and ensure recent versions are delivered.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a high TTL is used for caching digital content, then bandwidth consumption is reduced and dependency on the original source decreases, but the content may become outdated and latency increases for dynamic content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the TTL value variable rather than fixed. The system dynamically adjusts the TTL based on the content type category and update time variable, allowing the cache duration to adapt to the specific characteristics of each content item. This resolves the contradiction by enabling longer TTL for static content (reducing bandwidth) while using shorter TTL for dynamic content (maintaining freshness).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of TTL from a constant value to a calculated value based on multiple factors including content type category and update time variable. By modifying this key parameter dynamically, the system optimizes both bandwidth consumption and content freshness simultaneously, rather than being forced to choose one over the other.
2Loss of time
If content is cached for longer periods, then latency is reduced and delivery speed increases, but computing resources are wasted on storing outdated content
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines cache duration based on content characteristics. By calculating an optimal TTL for each content item based on its type category and update frequency, the system caches content long enough to reduce latency but not so long that resources are wasted on outdated content. This dynamic approach optimizes the balance between latency reduction and resource conservation.
3Device complexity
If a single TTL value is used for all content types, then cache management is simplified, but optimization for different content types (especially dynamic content) becomes ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different TTL values to different content type categories. Instead of using a uniform TTL for all content, the system categorizes content into different types (e.g., static, dynamic, breaking news, blogs) and applies optimized cache durations specific to each category. This local differentiation improves delivery efficiency for each content type while maintaining manageable complexity through automated classification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the TTL parameter based on content type category and update time variable. By making the TTL parameter dependent on content characteristics rather than fixed, the system achieves optimized delivery efficiency for diverse content types. The automated calculation based on content attributes maintains simplicity while enabling sophisticated optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and storage media for managing traffic on a digital content delivery network are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may: receive an item of digital content on a digital content delivery network; assign a type category to the item of digital content; determine an update time variable of the item of digital content; determine a cache time for the item of digital content based on the type category of the item of digital content and the update time variable of the item of digital content and; and cache an instance of the item of digital content in a cache memory associated with the content delivery network for the cache time and removing the instance from the cache memory after the cache time has lapsed.