Web Server Caching via Component Fragmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current caching systems for web servers set the Time To Live (TTL) of composite documents to the shortest TTL of their components, leading to premature retrieval from the web application and unnecessary rebuilding of unexpired components, and store duplicate resources indexed by different URLs, wasting cache space.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a front-end application that uses a rule set to cache and manage component resources of composite documents separately, allowing each resource to be fetched based on its individual TTL and sharing common resources across multiple documents, reducing unnecessary requests and storage of duplicates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the TTL of composite documents is set to the shortest TTL of their components, then the cache consistency is maintained, but unnecessary requests to the web application are generated and cache space is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments composite documents into individual component resources, each with its own TTL. Instead of treating the composite document as a single unit with the shortest TTL, each component (e.g., video clip, description, commentary) is cached separately with its own expiration time. This allows the cache to retain valid components beyond the expiration of the composite document, reducing unnecessary requests and improving cache utilization.
2Productivity
If component resources are cached separately with individual TTLs, then cache utilization is improved, but cache management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a rule set as an intermediary layer between the web application and the cache. The rule set contains predefined patterns that map composite document URLs to their component resources. When a composite document is requested, the rule set automatically identifies and retrieves only the necessary components from cache or the web application, simplifying the management of segmented resources while maintaining improved cache utilization.
3Adaptability or versatility
If duplicate resources are stored under different URLs, then resource accessibility is maintained, but cache space is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a canonical URL mechanism where duplicate resources accessed through different URLs are identified and stored once in cache under a canonical identifier. The rule set maps various URL variations to their canonical forms, allowing the cache to serve multiple URL patterns from a single cached resource, thereby maintaining resource accessibility while eliminating duplicate storage.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for intelligent caching is provided. A thin layer of business logic on a web server receives URL requests sent to the web server from clients and resolves the URLs into URLs corresponding to component parts of the requested document according to the rules of a rule set. Thus only the component resources of a composite document are cached in the web server's caching layer. The rule set defines a format for the requests sent to the web server, the manner in which properly formatted requests should be resolved, and the manner in which the component resources should be assembled into the composite document.