KR20030041856A - System, method and program for ordered anticipatory caching of linked files in a client/server network - Google Patents

Abstract

In a system and method for transmitting information using a client / server network, link popularity information is sent from the server to the client that defines the popularity of the file linked to the requested file. Popularity includes the relative likelihood of user demand for each of the linked files. Link popularity information is used to select only the more popular link files for anticipatory caching. The file corresponding to the link most likely to be selected by the user is loaded into the server's cache memory and / or downloaded to the client prior to any link selection by the user. Ordering files based on their popularity for prior caching increases the probability that the file corresponding to the selected link is already stored on the client computer at the time the link is selected. Therefore, the time from selecting the link by the user to viewing the corresponding file is greatly shortened. The most popular link files are cached first, and less popular files are never selected for precaching, so compared to precaching all files linked to the requested file, the time and resources required to perform caching Decreases.

Description

METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR ORDERED ANTICIPATORY CACHING OF LINKED FILES IN A CLIENT / SERVER NETWORK}

Field of invention

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the transmission of information over a network of computer devices, and more particularly to ordered anticipatory caching of files linked to a requested file over a network.

Background of the Invention

With the proliferation of powerful and convenient computer devices, the use of networks connecting these devices has increased. Computer devices include computers and other devices, often portable devices such as wireless telephones, PDAs, and automotive based computers. Such portable computer devices are also called "pop-up devices." As used herein, "computer" refers to all such computer devices. The network connecting the computer devices is a "wired" network formed using "terrestrial telecommunications lines" such as copper or fiber optic cables, or a wireless network employing land and / or satellite based wireless transmission lines, or of wired and wireless network portions. It may be a combination. Many networks are organized using a client / server architecture, where a "server" computer device manages resources such as files, peripherals, or processing power that may be required by the "client" computer device. Client devices are often operated by users of the network. Computer devices that are not directly operated by a user, such as a "proxy server" operating on behalf of another machine, may act as a client or server.

The most widely used network today is the Internet, which is a wide area network of computer devices that communicate using a set of protocols called TCP / IP. Especially popular on the Internet is the World Wide Web (WWW) or the web, which is a collection of interlinked documents formed in hypertext markup language (HTML). These documents or "web pages" may include text, graphics, audio and / or video content, and may contain convenient links, often referred to as "hyperlinks" or simply "links," to each other. It may be. Documents or files are required by the client computer through an application called a web browser. Files are required from a server computer or web server. The transfer of files uses an additional Internet protocol called Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). A user viewing a web page on a computer display screen “clicks” a hyperlink using a pointing device, and immediately the linked document is sent to the user's computer for display.

However, the file corresponding to the link selected by the user may not appear immediately on the user's display screen. Linked files are typically stored on a storage device associated with a web server, such as a hard drive. Therefore, the file must be retrieved from the storage device and then transferred to the user's computer via the Internet. This time for searching and sending can cause a significant (and sometimes quite tedious) time delay for the time from selecting a link to listing the associated file or document. Some web servers may partially solve the aforementioned problem by keeping the requested file in cache memory for some time after the file is requested. As used herein, cache memory refers to memory that allows for quick access to stored items. Typically, cache memory is a portion of system memory that is allocated for short term storage of frequently used information. Files in cache memory can be transferred without incurring the delays associated with retrieving files from long-term storage devices, so that files (which may have been recently requested and left in the cache) may be The requesting user will experience a shorter delay before listing the file after selecting the corresponding link. After this request, file caching may be implemented, for example, by a proxy server that transfers web documents between the web server and multiple users. Proxy servers are often used by large Internet service providers or ISPs. Although this type of caching can reduce the delay in listing a particular document, it is not necessarily highly likely that a file corresponding to a link selected by a particular user exists in the cache.

Another possible solution to reducing the delay in listing linked files is often referred to as "anticipatory caching". In prior caching, prior to the user's request for any of the linked files, files linked to the requested file (via hyperlinks) are moved to the web server's cache memory and / or downloaded to the client computer. However, a typical web page has a number of linked documents, and many of the corresponding links may not be selected by the viewer of the web page. Therefore, caching and / or downloading both linked documents is time consuming and unnecessarily uses resources (eg cache memory space) and network resources (transmission bandwidth) of the server and client computer. Unnecessary loading of network transmission capabilities can increase the transmission delay across the network as a whole.

Therefore, it is desirable to develop a system and method for reducing the delay associated with viewing linked documents such as web pages using a network such as the Internet. The preferred method reduces the delay associated with listing most of the selected links, while minimizing time and resource consumption.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the following accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only.

1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system for transmitting information in a client / server network.

2 illustrates example link popularity data for links in a file accessible using a client / server network.

3 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method that may be understood and performed on a server to transmit information in a client / server network.

4 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method that may be performed by a client to transmit information in a client / server network.

The foregoing problems are largely solved by a system and method for transmitting link popularity information between a network server and a network client. Link popularity information defines the popularity of files linked to the requested file. Popularity may include the relative likelihood of a user request for each of the linked files. Link popularity information can be generated in a variety of ways, such as by interpreting server log files, tracking "hits" or visits to various web pages, or transmitted to a server by a client. It may also include analyzing informational content such as "cookies." The transmission of link popularity information from the server to the client can also be done in various ways. For example, this information may be stored in a separate file and attached to the requested file and sent to the client. Link popularity information may also be included in protocols such as the HTTP protocol used to transfer the required files. Further, link popularity information may be included in the required file itself, for example by being included in code (eg, HTML) used to define a link to the linked file.

Link popularity information may be used to select only more popular link files for preceding caching. The file corresponding to the link most likely to be selected by the user may be loaded into the cache memory of the server and / or downloaded to the client computer device prior to any link selection by the user. Ordering the files based on their popularity for prior caching increases the probability that the file corresponding to the selected link is already stored on the client computer at the time the link is selected. Therefore, the time from selecting the link by the user to listing the corresponding file (this is often referred to as "latency") will be greatly shortened. The most popular link files are cached first, and less popular files are never selected for precaching, which reduces the time and resources required to perform caching, compared to precaching all files linked to the requested file. will be.

In one embodiment of the method, the link popularity information is sent from the server to the client at about the same time as the requested file containing the link corresponding to the popularity information is sent to the client. At least one of the linked files may be sent from the server to the client, where the linked files are sent in the order determined using the link popularity information. In a preferred embodiment, this transfer of the link file is a download initiated by the client. As soon as the user selects a link in the original requested document that corresponds to one of the linked files, the linked file will be displayed on the user's display screen (typically the display screen of the client computer device).

One embodiment of a system for transmitting information in a client / server network includes a network server that provides a requested file to a network client, where the network server also provides the network client with link popularity information associated with the requested file. The network server may include a processor, cache memory, a storage device such as a hard drive, and a transmission medium connection. The required file and additional files linked to the required file are typically stored on the storage device. The system may further comprise a network client, where the client downloads one or more additional linked files from the server prior to a user request for any of the linked files. The client typically downloads additional files using a web browser. The web browser may also allow the user to choose whether or not advanced caching is enabled.

In addition to the methods and systems described above, a computer-usable carrier medium is also contemplated herein. The transmission medium may be a storage medium such as magnetic or optical disk or magnetic tape or memory. In addition, the transmission medium may be a transmission medium such as a wire, a cable, or a wireless medium through which data or program instructions are transmitted, or may be a signal for transmitting data or program instructions through such a wire, cable, or wireless medium. The delivery medium may also include program instructions executable to carry out embodiments of the methods described above.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a system 10 for transmitting information in a client / server network. System 10 includes a network server 12, which is a computer device that may be a web server. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, server 12 includes a cache 14, a processor 16, and a storage device 18. The cache 14 is a collection of storage locations that are quickly accessible by the processor 16. In one embodiment, the cache 14 may be part of the processor's system memory allocated for temporary information storage. Storage device or storage medium 18 may take many forms, for example, volatile or nonvolatile memory, magnetic disks such as hard drives or floppy drives, optical disks and / or magnetic tapes. Such storage devices are sometimes referred to as "direct access storage devices" (DASDs). Typically, storage device 18 has a larger storage capacity than cache 14, but takes longer for processor 16 to access.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, storage device 18 includes a file 20 and program instructions 22, which are also called executable programs. Program instructions are typically stored in storage as "executable files" and loaded into memory during execution. File 20 may include a document, such as a web page, suitable for viewing by users of the network, and may include text, graphics, video, and / or audio information. Such a document file may be an HTML language, or may be another suitable language such as, for example, Extensible Markup Language (XML) or Wireless Markup Language (WML). File 20 may also include a data file suitable for use by a computer device communicating across the network. For example, the file 20 may include a file containing link popularity information for additional files linked to a particular file. As used herein, "file" refers to any collection of data suitable for storage on a computer device or for transmission within a network. Program instructions 22 may include various program instructions used to implement the functionality of network server 12, such as program instructions used to implement the methods described above.

Transmission medium 24 may be used to connect network server 12 to other computer devices, such as proxy server 26 and / or client 28, for example. Transmission medium 24 may include, for example, wiring, cable, wireless transmission path, or a combination thereof. The protocol used for transmission with the transmission medium 24 may include TCP / IP, HTTP and / or other suitable protocols such as, for example, wireless application protocol (WAP).

System 10 may include a client 28 linked to server 12 using a transmission medium 24. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the client 28 includes a cache 14, a processor 16, and a storage device 35. The storage device 35 is similar to the storage device 18 described above, and may include a file 39, a browser program 37, and a program instruction 36. Browser programs, such as browser 37, are implemented using program instructions (or executable programs), such as instruction 36, but are shown separately in FIG. 1 to highlight these features of the client. The browser program 37 may be, for example, a web browser that allows a user to browse and view a file on the WWW, or a program that performs a similar function on some other network. In some embodiments, the browser 37 includes client functionality related to the implementation of the methods described above. These and / or other functions of the client computer device may be implemented as separate program instructions, such as program instructions 36. File 39 may include various files stored on a client computer device, including files downloaded from a network server such as server 12. In particular, in embodiments where the client computer device is manipulated by a user of system 10, client 28 is typically associated with output device 38 and input device 40. The output device 38 may, for example, comprise a display screen and / or a printer. The input device 40 may comprise a pointing device, for example a keyboard and / or a mouse.

In some embodiments, system 10 may include proxy server 26. Proxy server, as used herein, refers to a computer device that acts as an intermediary between a client and a "real" server. The proxy server may appear to the client as if it were a server, and to the real server, it might appear to be a client. The request from the client is either answered by the proxy server or forwarded to the real server. Files or other communications from the real server are forwarded to the client by the proxy server. Proxy servers may be employed in system 10 for a variety of reasons. For example, a proxy server may be used to provide specialized content and / or improved performance for a selected group of client computers. An example of this would be to use caching by a proxy server to increase the speed of serving certain files to subscribers for a particular ISP. Another use of a proxy server is to filter information sent from the client to the real server or vice versa. For example, a proxy server may be used to implement a "firewall" that restricts external access to a computer at a company or other organization. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, proxy server 26 includes a cache 14 processor 16 and a storage device 30. Storage device 30 may include a file 32 and a proxy server program instruction 34. File 32 may include all files stored on a proxy server, such as files being transferred between a server and a client. Program instructions 34 may include various program instructions used to implement the functionality of proxy server 26, such as, for example, a conversation with a client computer.

In FIG. 1 and other block diagrams appended hereto, the blocks are intended to represent a function rather than a specific structure. Implementing the represented system using circuits and / or software may involve combining multiple blocks into a single circuit or device, or combining multiple circuits and / or devices to realize the functionality of one block. have. For example, the cache 14 may be included in a semiconductor chip containing the processor 16. Furthermore, a system such as system 10 may include other components not shown. For example, a number of servers, proxy servers, and / or clients not shown in FIG. 1 may be included in the system used to implement the methods described herein. The server, proxy server and / or client computer device may also include additional elements that are not shown per se.

An exemplary set of link popularity information 41 that may be used to implement the foregoing method is shown in FIG. 2. The requested file 42 is a file that may be required by the user (eg, via a web browser) and thus a file that may be required from the server by the client. In the data of Fig. 2, the required file is an HTML file called "corporationx.html". The linked file 44 is a file linked in the corresponding request file 42. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the required file "corporationx.html" contains links to seven linked files, including "products.html" and "address.html". In this embodiment, for the requested file 42 to be an HTML file, a link to the linked file 44 may be included in the requested file 42 using an HTML formatting tag that defines the link. Each of the linked files 44 is associated with a corresponding popularity indicator 46. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, each popularity indicator is represented as the probability that the corresponding linked file will be selected by the user selecting the link in the requested file 42. In this example, the indicators for all of the linked files are added to 1, so 40% of the link selections from "corporationx.html" select links that correspond to "products.html". However, popularity indicator 46 may be represented in other forms. For example, the percentage of link selection that selects the corresponding file may be described for each file, or the percentage by which the user who selected the corresponding link lists the selected file may be used. Alternatively, the actual number of times of selection or the rate of selection of a link over a period of time may be given.

Due to the link popularity information of FIG. 2, the server containing the requested file 42 and the linked file 44 (typically on a storage device such as the device 18 of FIG. 1), may request the requested file “corporationx As soon as .html "is sent to the client, the linked files" products.html "and" support.html "are loaded into cache memory on the server, such as cache 14 of FIG. If one of these linked files is subsequently requested by the client, the server can quickly send it to the client without the delay incurred in connection with reading these files from the storage device. Link popularity information 41 may also be made available to the client. Due to the link popularity information, the client may download, for example, the linked files "products.html" and "support.html" from the server prior to any selection by the user of the linked file. In this way, if one of these linked files is selected by the user, the file will already exist on the client computer and the delay associated with the transfer between the server and the client will be eliminated. Link popularity information (41) indicates that about 70% of link selections are for "products.html" or "support.html", so caching and / or downloading of these two files is a link selection from "corporationx.html". Will reduce the waiting time for about 70% of the time. This performance improvement can be achieved without caching and / or downloading other less popular linked files without the need for additional time and resources.

The determination of the popularity indicator 46 for forming the link popularity information 41 can be performed in a variety of ways. For example, a tracking program may be used to chart the number of times a particular file stored by a web server is accessed. Many implementations are now commercially available with tracers that often provide additional information that a particular user is accessing a file. In some embodiments, identification information or “cookies” that may be sent by the web browser to the web server may be used to track the selection of a particular linked file. Another way to determine the popularity of a linked file is to analyze the file, including the server log or a record of activity on the server. Web servers typically include such log files that contain all the requests made to the server. In other embodiments, link popularity information may be evaluated, for example, based on an understanding of the nature of the link. This evaluation may in some embodiments be used as an initial or default setting for link popularity information, which may later be updated by server statistics or log file analysis. In some embodiments, update of link popularity information may be performed periodically in conjunction with other updates and maintenance associated with the server, if possible.

Link popularity information, such as information 41 shown in diagrammatic form in FIG. 2, may be stored on the server and transmitted to the client in a number of different ways. In one embodiment, information similar to FIG. 2 may be stored in a separate file and stored on a server, such as storage device 18 of FIG. 1. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, for example, such a file named "corporationx_linkpopularity.html" may be transmitted to the client at the same time that the requested file ("corporationx.html") is transmitted. This file may contain various programming languages, and any of a number of data structures (eg, tabular structures or object-oriented structures) may be used to associate the information. Optionally, link popularity information may be included in the requested file itself, for example, in the formatting used to establish each link to the linked file. In this embodiment, the client browser program is preferably configured to extract link popularity information from the requested file. Link popularity information may also be included in the header for the requested file, and may be included in the beginning of the file reserved for information related to the file. In another embodiment, link popularity information may be transmitted from the server to the client (e.g. in its header information) using, for example, a communication protocol such as HTTP. In some embodiments, an implementation of the method of transmitting link popularity information may relate to augmentation of a specification for a programming language (such as HTML) or a communication protocol (such as HTTP). Rapid development of computer-based networks results in frequent enhancements and upgrades to these specifications.

The link popularity information shown in FIG. 2 merely represents an exemplary embodiment, and many other embodiments are possible and contemplated. For example, the data of FIG. 2 may include an appendable required file 42 along with a corresponding link file and popularity indicator. In fact, all of the linked files 44 shown in FIG. 2 may also include linked files themselves, and so may be included as one of the required files 42. The link popularity information may also be arranged in a form other than that shown in FIG. For example, the requested file may be represented as an object in an object-oriented programming method, and the linked file and the corresponding popularity indicator may be represented as an attribute of that object. Furthermore, not explicitly illustrated in FIG. Other issues can be included in link popularity information. For example, in addition to specifying the likelihood of a linked file that has been selected for viewing, the link popularity information may indicate, for example, the likelihood of a link being the first link selected.

3, a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method of transmitting information in a client / server network is shown. The method of FIG. 3 may be performed by a server, such as server 12 of FIG. 1, or may be implemented using program instructions, such as instruction 22. In the embodiment of Figure 3, after a request for a file stored on the server is received from the client (step 48), link popularity information for the requested file is compiled or searched (step 50). The client requesting the file may be, for example, a client such as client 28 of FIG. 1 or may be a proxy server such as proxy server 26 of FIG. In some embodiments, link popularity information is already stored on the server at the time the request for the file is received. As described above in the description of FIG. 2, the link popularity information may be included, for example, in a separate file, or may be included in the required file itself. Using already stored link popularity information can improve the speed at which the server responds to requests for files. Optionally, the link popularity information may in some embodiments be compiled in response to a file request, and thus the most recent popularity information may be provided. In another possible embodiment, the link popularity information for the requested file can be updated on demand by accessing a separate file that includes the link popularity information that is regularly updated. This method is particularly useful in embodiments where link popularity information is transmitted within the required file itself or via a communication protocol.

The requested file is sent to the requesting computer device (step 52), and the link popularity information is also sent (step 54). As discussed above, link popularity information may be transmitted in a variety of ways, and may be sent as a file in the required file and / or in a transport protocol command or header. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, one or more linked files are loaded into cache memory on the server according to the relative popularity of the linked files (step 56). Various criteria may be used to determine how many files will be cached, in some embodiments a user (typically a server administrator) may modify these criteria. For example, the linked files may be cached in order of popularity until enough files are cached to be considered that a predefined percentage of link selection has been satisfied using the cached file. Using the information of the embodiment of FIG. 2, if criteria were set indicating that enough files were cached to meet 70% of possible link selections from the cached file, then "products.html" and "support.html" would be sufficient. will be. However, if criteria indicate that 75% of possible link selections must be met using a cached file, then "stockholder.html" should also be cached. Many other types of criteria may be used, such as caching the three most popular files or caching files in order of popularity until a certain amount of time has passed. If multiple files have the same probability of being selected by the user, other types of link popularity information may be used to order the caching. For example, the link popularity information may in some embodiments include the probability that the file is first selected along with the probability that the file is selected. After a certain time has elapsed, the cached file is typically removed from the cache (or overwritten by other information).

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, one or more cached linked files are sent to the client (step 58). This is typically done in response to a client's request, which allows the client to cache the most popular linked file prior to the user's request for that file. If the linked file itself contains links to other files, the sequence of steps 48 through 58 may be performed on the requested linked file. However, this may in some cases be excessively time and resource consuming, especially if the link corresponding to the requested link file is not actually known by the user. Thus, in some embodiments, a request from a client for a file may include information as to whether the file was requested by the user or for prior caching (prior to the user's request). In such an embodiment, the server may be configured to transmit link popularity information only for the file requested by the user.

Many variations are possible and contemplated for the method of FIG. For example, if the required file does not contain a link at all, steps associated with the link file will naturally be omitted. The methods described herein are believed to reduce time and resource consumption in providing advanced caching compared to the previous method in which all linked files were cached. But even with this method, some time and resource consumption exists, and in some cases the user may want to disable ordered leading caching. The disabling of caching would be desirable in situations where there is a potential for interference with other applications that may use caching, for example. This disablement can be implemented, for example, using options in a browser program. As such an embodiment, the request from the client for the file may include an instruction not to send link popularity information. In addition, some steps may be performed in a different order than that shown in FIG. 3. For example, the order of steps 50 and 52 may be reversed in some embodiments, and steps 54 and 56 are the same.

A flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a method of transmitting information in a client / server network is shown in FIG. 4. The method of FIG. 4 may be performed by a client, such as client 28 of FIG. 1, or may be performed by a computer acting as a client, such as a proxy server. This method is typically performed on a client using a browser program such as browser 37 of FIG. 1, but some or all of the method may be implemented using other program instructions, such as instruction 36 or proxy server instruction 34. It may be. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the file is requested from a server (possibly a proxy server) in response to user selection of the file (step 60). As noted above in the description of FIG. 3, in some embodiments such a request to the server may include a notification that the request is a response to user selection (rather than a request for a file with respect to preceding caching). In some embodiments, the request may also include other information, such as a notification that link popularity information has not been provided (in embodiments where ordered preceding caching is disabled by the user). The requested file is received from the server (step 62), and in embodiments where ordered preceding caching is not enabled, link popularity information for any linked file in the requested file is also received (step 64). . The requested file is displayed on the user's display screen (step 66).

Based on the received link popularity information, one or more linked files associated with the requested file may be requested from the server for a preceding download (step 68). The criteria used to determine how many linked files are required from the server for download may be similar to the criteria used to select files for caching on the server as described above in the description of FIG. 3. The requested linked file may be received from the server and stored in the cache memory of the client computer (step 70). If the next file required by the user (by selecting the link) is one of these cached linked files (YES at decision step 72), the requested file may be displayed quickly ( Step 74). If the requested file is not one of the cached link files (NO in step 72), the file is requested from the server (step 60). If the newly requested file has a link file therein, steps 62 to 70 will be repeated for the new request file. Many variations on the method of FIG. 4 are possible and contemplated. As in the case of FIG. 3, for example, in embodiments where the requested file does not include a link or the ordered preceding caching is disabled by the user, steps associated with the link file will be omitted. Some of the steps in FIG. 4 may be performed in a different order without affecting the usefulness of the method. For example, the order of step 62, step 64, and step 66 may be reversed in some embodiments.

Program instructions, such as instructions 22, instructions 34 or instructions 36 of FIG. 1 that implement the methods illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, or instructions within the browser 37 may be transmitted via a delivery medium or It may be stored in the transmission medium. The transmission medium may be a transmission medium such as a wire, a cable or a wireless transmission link, or may be a signal traveling along a wire, cable or link. The transfer medium may also be a storage medium such as volatile or nonvolatile memory (ROM or RAM), magnetic or optical disk, or magnetic tape.

Claims (61)

In a method for transferring information between a network server and a network client, Transferring the requested file from the server to the client, Link popularity information associated with the requested file, wherein the link popularity information defines a relative likelihood of a user's request to access each of a plurality of additional files linked to the requested file. Transmitting from the client to the client Information transmission method comprising a. The method of claim 1, The requested file transfer step includes transmitting a web page file. The method of claim 1, The requested file transfer step includes transmitting a markup language document. The method of claim 1, And transmitting the link popularity information comprises embedding the link popularity information in the requested file. The method of claim 1, Transmitting at least one of the plurality of additional files from the server to the client, The additional file is transmitted in the order determined using the link popularity information, The additional files are sent prior to a user request for any of the additional files. How to send information. The method of claim 5, Transmitting at least one of the additional files comprises transmitting the at least one of the additional files to a cache memory associated with the client. The method of claim 5, Prior to the step of transferring the at least one of the additional files, loading the at least one of the additional files into a cache memory associated with the server. The method of claim 5, Displaying one or more of the additional files in response to a user request. The method of claim 1, And before the link popularity information transmitting step, compiling the link popularity information. The method of claim 9, Compiling the link popularity information comprises analyzing a server log file (server log file). The method of claim 5, And transmitting at least one of the plurality of additional files is performed in response to a request from the client to the server. The method of claim 7, wherein The step of transmitting at least one of the plurality of additional files is performed in response to a request from the client to the server, The loading of the at least one of the additional files into the cache memory associated with the server is performed prior to the request from the client to the server. How to send information. In a method for collecting information using a client / server network, Receiving the requested file from the network server, Receiving link popularity information from the network server, the link popularity information defining a relative likelihood of a user's request to access each of a plurality of additional files linked to the requested file; Downloading at least one of the plurality of additional files into a memory, wherein the at least one of the plurality of additional files is downloaded in an order determined using the link popularity information, and the downloading step is performed for the additional file. Performed before any user request occurs—and, Displaying one or more of the downloaded additional files in response to a user request Information collection method comprising a. The method of claim 13, The receiving of the link popularity information comprises the steps of receiving a file containing the link popularity information. The method of claim 13, And receiving link popularity information comprises receiving information transmitted using transmission protocol headers. The method of claim 13, And receiving the link popularity information comprises receiving information embedded in the requested file. In a system for transmitting information within a client / server network, To the network client a requested file and link popularity information associated with the requested file, the link popularity information defining a relative likelihood of a user request to access each of a plurality of additional files linked to the requested file. Providing network server Information transmission system comprising a. The method of claim 17, And the network server comprises a computational device. The method of claim 18, The computer device comprises a computer, a telephone or a personal digital assistant (PDA). The method of claim 17, The network server includes a processor, a cache memory, a storage device and a transmission medium connection. The method of claim 20, The requested file and the plurality of linked additional files are stored in the storage device, and the additional file is linked to the file using a link embedded within the file. The method of claim 21, The requested file comprises a web page file and the link comprises hyperlinks. The method of claim 17, Network client to download the one or more files from the network server prior to a user request for one or more of the additional linked files, the order of downloading the one or more additional files determined using the link popularity information Information transmission system further comprising. The method of claim 23, The network client includes a computer device. The method of claim 24, The computer device comprises a computer, a telephone or a PDA. The method of claim 23, The network client is a proxy device, and information is transmitted between the network server and an additional network client via the proxy device. The method of claim 23, The network client includes a web browser program. The method of claim 27, And the web browser program allows the download of the additional linked file to be blocked by the user prior to a user request. In a computer-usable carrier medium, Sending from the computer device to the client computer device link popularity information associated with the requested file, wherein the link popularity information defines a relative likelihood of a user request to access each of a plurality of additional files linked to the requested file. A first program instruction executable on the computer device to A computer-useable delivery medium comprising a. The method of claim 29, A second program instruction executable on the computer device to transfer the requested file from the computer device to the client computer device Computer-enabled delivery medium further comprising. The method of claim 30, A third executable on the computer device to transmit at least one of the plurality of additional files from the computer device to the client computer device, the at least one of the additional files being sent in an order determined using the link popularity information. Program instruction Computer-enabled delivery medium further comprising. The method of claim 31, wherein A fourth program instruction executable to compile the link popularity information Computer-enabled delivery medium further comprising. In a computer-useable transmission medium, A first program instruction executable on the computer device to receive the requested file from the server computer device, Executable on the computer device to receive from the server computer device link popularity information, wherein the link popularity information defines a relative likelihood of a user request to access each of a plurality of additional files linked to the requested file. Second program instructions, Downloading at least one of the plurality of additional files from the server computer device to a memory on the computer device, the order of downloading the at least one of the additional files is determined using the link popularity information, the download being the A third program instruction executable on the computer device to be performed prior to any user request for additional files A computer-useable delivery medium comprising a. The method of claim 33, wherein A fourth program instruction executable on the computer device to display one or more of the downloaded additional files in response to a user request Computer-enabled delivery medium further comprising. In a method for transferring information between a network server and a network client, Transferring the requested file from the server to the client, Link popularity information associated with the requested file with at least one of a plurality of additional files linked to the requested file, wherein the link popularity information is associated with a user request to access each of the plurality of additional files linked with the requested file. Defining the relative likelihood of occurrence—transmitting from the server to the client in the order determined Information transmission method comprising a. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein Prior to the step of transmitting one or more of the plurality of additional files, loading the one or more of the additional files into cache memory associated with the server. Information transmission method further comprising. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein Transmitting said at least one of said plurality of additional files is performed prior to any user request for said additional file. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein Transmitting said at least one of said plurality of additional files is performed in response to a request from said client to said server. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein Compiling the link popularity information prior to the step of transmitting one or more of the plurality of additional files. Information transmission method further comprising. In a method for transferring information between a network server and a network client, Transferring the requested file from the server to the client, One or more of a plurality of additional files linked to the requested file, link popularity information associated with the requested file, wherein the link popularity information is a user request to access each of the plurality of additional files linked to the requested file. Defining the relative likelihood of occurrence of-loading into the cache memory associated with the server, in the order determined using Information transmission method comprising a. The method of claim 40, And said loading step is performed prior to any request from said client to said server for said plurality of additional files. The method of claim 40, Compiling the link popularity data before the loading step Information transmission method further comprising. In a method for collecting information using a client / server network, Receiving the requested file from the network server, Link popularity information associated with the requested file, the link popularity information being associated with at least one of a plurality of additional files linked to the requested file, the link popularity information being a user request to access each of the plurality of additional files linked to the requested file. Defining the relative likelihood of occurrence of a step of downloading to memory, in the order determined Information collection method comprising a. The method of claim 43, Wherein said downloading step is performed prior to any user request for said additional file. The method of claim 43, Displaying one or more of the downloaded additional files in response to a user request Information collection method further comprising. The method of claim 43, Before the downloading step, receiving the link popularity information from the network server Information collection method further comprising. The method of claim 46, And receiving the link popularity information comprises receiving a file including the information. The method of claim 46, And receiving the link popularity information comprises receiving the transmitted information using a transport protocol header. The method of claim 46, And receiving the link popularity information comprises receiving information embedded in the requested file. In a system for transmitting information within a client / server network, Network servers, A file stored on the network server, Means for associating the file with link popularity information, wherein the link popularity information defines a relative likelihood of user request to access each of a plurality of additional files linked to the requested file. Information transmission system comprising a. 51. The method of claim 50 wherein And said associating means comprises an additional file containing said link popularity information. 51. The method of claim 50 wherein And said associating means comprises a network communication protocol. 51. The method of claim 50 wherein A cache memory inside the network server, Means for loading one or more of the plurality of additional files into the cache memory in an order determined using the link popularity information. Information transmission system further comprising. The method of claim 53, wherein And said loading means comprises means for loading said at least one of said plurality of additional files into said cache memory prior to any request from a network client for said additional file. 51. The method of claim 50 wherein Means for transmitting the file to a network client; Means for sending one or more of the plurality of additional files to the network client in an order determined using the link popularity information Information transmission system further comprising. The method of claim 55, The file transfer means comprises means for transferring the file in response to a request from the client, The means for transmitting one or more of the plurality of additional files comprises means for sending the one or more additional files in response to a request from the client. Information transmission system. The method of claim 55, And a network client further comprising the network client. In a computer-useable transmission medium, Link popularity information associated with the requested file, wherein the link popularity information is relative to a user's request to access each of the plurality of additional files linked to the requested file. Define a likelihood of occurrence—a first program instruction executable on a computer device for transmission to a client computer device in an order determined using A computer-useable delivery medium comprising a. The method of claim 58, A second program instruction executable on the computer device to transfer the requested file to the client computer device prior to transferring the one or more additional files. Computer-enabled delivery medium further comprising. The method of claim 58, And the first program instruction is further executable to transmit the one or more additional files prior to a user request for the additional file. The method of claim 58, Prior to transmitting the one or more additional files, further comprising the second program instructions executable to load the one or more additional files into cache memory in an order determined using the link popularity information.