Prefix Caching for Network Application Latency Masking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network applications often experience significant latency due to server and network delays, leading to unacceptable delays for users and prompting them to prefer local application usage, which results in increased local storage and processor resource usage and loss of hosted application functionalities like multi-user sharing, privacy, and dynamic data updating.
Innovation Solution
The method involves recording the initial phases of application launch, known as prefixes, and presenting them as a video to users, which is cached locally or in an intermediary device for faster delivery, allowing the application to appear ready for interaction before it actually is, and synchronizing with the live output once the application is ready to receive user input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If applications are delivered as network applications, then multi-user sharing, collaboration, privacy, security, load balancing, and dynamic updating functionalities are provided, but significant latency occurs during application launch
Solution Approach 1:
The system records the initial phases of application launch (prefixes) in advance and prepares video streams showing these phases. When a user requests an application, the pre-recorded video stream is immediately displayed while the actual application initializes in the background, allowing the application to appear ready before it actually is.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates video copies of the application launch process. These video streams are cached locally or in intermediary devices and played back to users, creating a visual replica of the application startup that masks the actual latency without requiring users to wait for the real application to initialize.
2Speed
If applications are run locally to avoid latency, then application launch speed is improved, but local storage and processor resources are increased and hosted application functionalities are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces video streams as an intermediary between the user and the actual application. The video stream acts as a mediator that provides immediate visual feedback to users, making the application appear to launch instantly without requiring local computational resources or sacrificing the benefits of hosted application execution.
3Speed
If video streams are cached locally for faster delivery, then delivery speed is improved, but local storage capacity is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements selective caching where only the video stream portion of the application launch is cached locally in intermediary devices, while the actual application execution remains on remote servers. This approach provides fast video delivery to mask latency without requiring substantial local storage capacity on user devices.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for latency masking via prefix caching, by providing a recorded output of launch of a network application to a client device from a point closer to client device, or with lower latency than output of the actual network application can be provided to the client device. The resulting user experience is that of instant or near-instant launch of the application, avoiding network delays communicating with the application server or processing delays from instantiation of virtual machines or other resources to provide the network application.