Edge Cache Content Deduplication via Identifier Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content delivery networks (CDNs) face inefficiencies due to duplicated content in edge caches, leading to sub-optimal storage and increased requests to origin servers.
Innovation Solution
The system identifies and deletes common content between stored content items in a CDN's edge cache, ensuring only unique content is retained, and assigns identifiers to facilitate retrieval of common content from the remaining items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple versions of content items are stored in the edge cache, then content variety and user access options are improved, but storage capacity is wasted due to duplication
Solution Approach 1:
The content items are segmented into common content portions and unique content portions. The common content is extracted and separated from the unique content, allowing the cache to store only one copy of the common content while maintaining access to multiple versions through the unique portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The common content is extracted from multiple content items and removed from all but one copy. This extraction process identifies and isolates the duplicated portions, allowing the system to retain only a single instance of common content while preserving references to it across different content versions.
2Quantity of substance
If common content is deleted from multiple content items, then storage capacity is optimized, but access to common content may be lost
Solution Approach 1:
A content item identifier is introduced as an intermediary mechanism to track and manage common content references. When common content is deleted from multiple items, the identifier system maintains mapping information that allows the system to locate and serve the common content from the remaining content item, ensuring continuous accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of physically copying common content into multiple content items, the system uses reference copies or pointers through content item identifiers. This allows multiple content items to reference the same common content without actually storing multiple copies, optimizing storage while maintaining access.
3Productivity
If common content is deleted from content items, then requests to origin server are reduced, but system complexity increases due to identification and management processes
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification and classification of content items into common and unique portions before actual content deletion. This preliminary action involves analyzing content characteristics, comparing content items, and preparing the deletion plan in advance, which streamlines the subsequent deletion process and reduces operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms to monitor content access patterns and storage utilization. By analyzing which content items are most frequently accessed and which have the highest duplication, the system can make informed decisions about which content to consolidate, reducing the complexity of manual management and automating the optimization process.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are described for caching content items. At least first and second content items are stored in a cache. A determination is made as to whether there is common content between the first content item and the second content item. In response to determining that there is common content between the first content item and the second content item, at least a portion of one of the first content item and the second content item is deleted. A request for the common content is received. In response to receiving the request for the common content, the common content is retrieved from the other of the first content item and the second content item.