Distributed cache—adaptive multicast architecture for bandwidth reduction

摘要

Disclosed is a method and system for maximizing the use of available bandwidth on an ISP communication system between an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and remote locations where at least one of the remote locations has a remote cache. An embodiment may create a pool of the cacheable objects being sent to the remote locations from the downstream traffic. An embodiment may determine bandwidth savings for each object in the pool of cacheable objects that would be achieved by remotely caching each object and prioritize the pool of cacheable objects based on the determined bandwidth savings for each object. An embodiment may create a queue of objects to multicast to the remote caches based on the pool of cacheable objects and the remaining multicast bandwidth and then multicast the queue to the remote caches. The remote caches may intercept and reply to requests for objects held in the remote cache without accessing the ISP communication system, thus, saving bandwidth on the ISP communication system.

主权项

1. A method for communication by an Internet Service Provide (ISP) in a communication system, said ISP connected to at least one remote location having a remote cache via an ISP communication system, said method comprising:
identifying, at a computerized harvester of said ISP, a pool of cacheable objects based on downstream unicast communication traffic, said pool of cacheable objects being requested objects contained in downstream unicast replies of said downstream unicast communication traffic of said ISP communication system; prioritizing, at a computerized prioritizer of said ISP, said pool of cacheable objects based at least in part on a bandwidth savings from remote caching of each requested object in said pool of cacheable objects; determining a sub-group of said requested objects in said pool of cacheable objects to place in a queue of multicast cacheable objects to multicast to said remote cache at said at least one remote location based on said prioritized pool of cacheable objects and an available downstream multicast bandwidth of said ISP communication system; and delivering objects in said multicast queue to said remote cache at said at least one remote location using downstream multicast transmissions via said ISP communication system based on said available downstream multicast bandwidth of said ISP communication system, said delivered objects for use by said remote cache in intercepting upstream requests from said at least one remote location for objects and responding to said intercepted upstream requests with replies containing corresponding delivered objects contained in said remote cache.