ISPPlanet Cache Review Series - Compaq TaskSmart

Tuning Cache Behavior

TaskSmart caching behavior can be customized with the Tuning panel (right)to increase efficiency and mitigate interoperability problems. The TaskSmart relies on Time-to-Live (TTL) tags to evaluate object freshness. HTTP, FTP, and Gopher refresh defaults determine how long objects without TTL remain fresh. HTTP max and min intervals can be used to override TTL tags by forcing early or late expiration.

A maximum "hot" unreferenced time controls how long objects remain in memory for more rapid retrieval.

The TaskSmart will pre-fetch embedded objects when a page is requested to speed access. However, in the absence of client requests, the TaskSmart proactively fetches objects only if hourly, daily, or one-time retrieval is specified using the Download panel.

The Tuning panel also configures maximum sizes for HTTP, FTP, and Gopher objects, permitting some administrator control over disk usage. While Client and Server Acceleration log files can be analyzed to derive usage patterns, ability to view cached object size and age would make these tuning features stronger.

Additional Tuning knobs include the ability to ignore client browser refreshes, disable persistent connections (enabled by default for better performance), filter cookies, strip Java applets, and split replies with ?, /cgi, or NO-CACHE headers.

 

Introduction/Under the Hood	Tuning Cache Behavior
Getting Started	> NICS Monitoring
Where to Use the TaskSmart	Integrated Management
Configuring the TaskSmart	Compaq Insight Manager
Defining Cache Services <	Product Support/Final Thoughts