T-Caching: Enhancing Feasibility of In-Network Caching in ICN

Abstract

In Information-Centric Networking (ICN), in-network caching is one of the core functions to implement efficient content distribution. As content is served from the network cache, redundant transmission across the same link is reduced and better quality services are provided to the user. However, caching operations (locating cached content, validating/writing content to the cache) may be a large burden on routers. In this article, we substantially reduce the caching overhead of routers by introducing T-Caching, a new in-network caching model in which routers selectively cache some of the most popular content recommended by content providers. In T-Caching, tokens are used 1) to enable routers to maximize caching benefits by simply controlling the amount of content inserted into the cache; 2) to allow content providers to recommend the most popular content as much as routers would actually cache. Our simulation and empirical studies using synthetic data, as well as real-world traces, show that T-Caching allows routers to insert much less than 1 percent of the content into the cache, compared to typical caching mechanisms. Nevertheless, the cache-hit ratio is improved by up to 2~9 times depending on the cache size. We believe that T-Caching can significantly contribute to improving feasibility and performance of in-network caching in ICN.