Network caching system for streamed applications

摘要

A network caching system for streamed applications provides for the caching of streamed applications within a computer network that are accessible by client systems within the network. Clients request streamed application file pages from other client systems, proxy servers, and application servers as each streamed application file is stored in a cache and used. Streamed application file page requests are broadcast to other clients using a multicast packet. Proxy servers are provided in the network that store a select set of streamed application file pages and respond to client requests by sending a response packet containing the requested streamed application file page if the streamed application file page is stored on the proxy server. Streamed application servers store all of the streamed application file pages. Clients try to send requests to streamed application servers as a last resort. Clients can concurrently send requests to other clients, to a proxy server, and to a streamed application server. Clients measure the response time to the clients requests placing a positive weighting on the more responsive request path and sending subsequent requests to the more positively weighted request path first.