Method, computer program product, and system for client-side deterministic routing and url lookup into a distributed cache of urls

Abstract

A method, computer program product, and system for directly accessing URL data object requests in a proxy server array. A URL data object request is generated by an enabled client to request a URL data object that resides in the local cache of proxy server in an array of proxy servers configured as a distributed cache. The enabled client will deterministically identify the residing proxy server based on information residing thereon without resorting to expensive query-response transactions, such as those that occur in proxy server arrays using ICP, or routing the URL data object request through different proxy servers of the array. An array membership list containing array membership information is available at each and every proxy server as well as all enabled clients. This list is used in conjunction with the URL as the information for identifying the correct proxy server where the URL data object resides. First, a deterministic hash value is computed for each proxy server name and the URL. Next, a combined hash value is computed that combines the URL hash value with each proxy server hash value. Finally, the proxy server with the highest “score” or combined hash value is identified as the proxy server where the desired URL data object should reside in local cache storage. Since the array membership list, the URL, and the hashing algorithm are the same at all enabled clients, the same proxy server will be identified as having the URL data object regardless of which enabled client generated the URL data object request.