Policy-Based Intermediary for Dynamic Content Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data communication networks face challenges in dynamically and flexibly injecting content into server responses to enhance user experience and system performance, as determining when and how to modify content transactions is complex.
Innovation Solution
A policy-based intermediary system that determines when and what content to inject into client-server transactions by using a policy engine to identify events, variables, and network packet matches, allowing for the insertion of timestamps, identifiers, and other variables into HTTP prebody, postbody, or headers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an intermediary appliance processes transactions between client and server to accelerate performance, then system performance and end-user experience are improved, but determining when and how to change content becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a policy engine as an intermediary component that sits between the intermediary appliance and the content modification logic. This policy engine receives transaction data, evaluates it against predefined policies, and generates modification instructions. By separating the policy evaluation function from the content modification function, the system achieves flexible content injection without increasing the complexity of the intermediary appliance itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic content modification by allowing the intermediary appliance to adjust its behavior based on real-time transaction characteristics. The system can dynamically determine when and what content to inject into responses based on policy evaluations, enabling adaptive performance optimization rather than static modification rules.
2Ease of operation
If content is injected into server responses to enhance user experience, then end-user experience is improved, but the complexity of determining when and how to modify content increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the content injection functionality into distinct components: the intermediary appliance handles transaction processing and policy evaluation, while separate policy definitions specify the injection rules. This segmentation allows the system to provide enhanced user experience through content injection while maintaining manageable complexity by separating concerns between different system layers.
3Productivity
If the intermediary appliance modifies transaction content to accelerate performance, then system performance is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring modification effectiveness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the intermediary appliance monitors transaction characteristics before and after content injection. By measuring metrics such as response time, throughput, and other performance indicators, the system can detect and measure the effectiveness of its acceleration efforts. This feedback information can then be used to refine policy evaluations and optimize future content modification decisions.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present solution is directed towards a policy-based intermediary that dynamically and flexibly injects content in responses between a client and a server based on one or more policies. The present solution addresses the challenges of injecting content in a client-server transaction. The intermediary determines when and what content to inject into a response of a client-server transaction based on a request and/or response policy. The injected content may include timestamp and/or variable tracking of different events in a client-server transaction. For example, when an intermediary appliance is deployed in a system to accelerate system performance and improve user experience, the appliance may inject content based on policy to monitor the acceleration performance of the deployed appliance.