WWW: Beyond the Basics

25. Methods for Web Bandwidth and Response Time Improvement

by David C. Lee

ABSTRACT

To some people, the acronym WWW means the World-Wide Wait. This is caused by a lack of bandwidth and poor response time. Bandwidth and response time problems will most likely increase as more people use the Internet. Thus, improving bandwidth and response time for the primary Internet traffic source, the Web, is a major research area. This chapter provides an overview of potential solutions to the bandwidth and response time problems, including protocol modifications (such as binary protocols, transaction-based protocols, and document compression), document caching (caching hierarchies and document pre-fetching), and new distribution mechanisms (multicast and remote distribution sites).

CHAPTER CONTENT

  1. Introduction
  2. Improving HTTP
    1. Problems caused by HTTP 1.0
    2. Solutions and ideas in HTTP 1.1
    3. Solutions and ideas in HTTP-NG
    4. Other solutions and ideas
  3. Document caching strategies
    1. Caching schemes/hierarchy
    2. Metrics
    3. User caches
    4. Cache servers
    5. Server caching
    6. Pre-fetch caching
  4. Alternative distribution
    1. Multicast document delivery
    2. Remote distribution mechanisms
  5. Conclusion
References

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Copyright © 1996 David C. Lee, All Rights Reserved

David C. Lee <dlee@vt.edu>
Last modified: Mon Nov 18 15:22:36 EST 1996