Methods and Systems for Caching Content at Multiple Levels

Abstract

A cache includes an object cache layer and a byte cache layer, each configured to store information to storage devices included in the cache appliance. An application proxy layer may also be included. In addition, the object cache layer may be configured to identify content that should not be cached by the byte cache layer, which itself may be configured to compress contents of the object cache layer. In some cases the contents of the byte cache layer may be stored as objects within the object cache.

1 . A cache, comprising:
 an object cache layer and a byte cache layer, each configured to store information to storage devices included in the cache, the object cache layer and the byte cache layer being configured to communicate with one another through a socketpair and wherein contents of the byte cache layer are stored as objects within the object cache; and   an application proxy layer configured to identify content the should not be cached by one or more of the object cache layer and the byte cache layer and to pass content not cacheable at the object cache layer to the byte cache layer.   
     
     
         2 - 4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The cache of  claim 1 , wherein the application proxy layer is configured to determine whether the content is compressible or not compressible and the byte cache layer is configured to compress contents of the object cache layer. 
     
     
         6 . The cache of  claim 5 , wherein the object cache layer enables or disables compression at the byte cache layer based on whether the content is known to be compressible or not compressible. 
     
     
         7 - 8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . A method, comprising receiving content from a content source at a cache having an object cache layer and a byte cache layer, the object cache layer and the byte cache layer being configured to communicate with one another through a socketpair, and caching said content first at the object cache layer of the cache and next at the byte cache layer of the cache so as to eliminate repeated strings present within the content after caching at the object cache layer, said contents of the byte cache layer being stored as objects within the object cache. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising prior to caching said content at the object cache layer, transforming the content from a first format to a second format. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said first format comprises an encrypted data format and said second format comprises a decrypted data format. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising prior to caching said content at the object cache layer, examining said content for compliance with one or more policies. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein said one or more policies include policy checking performed remotely from the cache. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising prior to compressing said content at the byte cache layer, said content is transformed from a first format to a second format. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising intra-stream compressing an output of the byte cache layer. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising transforming intra-stream compressed output of the byte cache layer from a first data format to a second data format. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first data format comprises an unencrypted data format and the second data format comprises an encrypted data format. 
     
     
         18 . A method, comprising receiving content from a content source at a cache having an object cache layer and a byte cache layer, the object cache layer and the byte cache layer being configured to communicate with one another through a socketpair, decompressing said content at the byte cache layer to produce expanded content, and transmitting said expanded content to a client along with previously cached objects from the object cache layer. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising caching the expanded content at the object cache layer. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising prior to decompressing said content at the byte cache layer transforming the content from a first data format to a second data format. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the first data format comprises an encrypted data format and the second data format comprises a decrypted data format. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the first data format comprises an encrypted and compressed data format and the second data format comprises a decrypted and decompressed data format. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising transforming the expanded content and previously cached objects from a first data format to a second data format. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the first data format comprises a decrypted data format and the second data format comprises an encrypted data format. 
     
     
         25 - 40 . (canceled)