SwiftCache: Model-Based Learning for Dynamic Content Caching in CDNs

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Abolhassani, Bahman, Eryilmaz, Atilla, Hou, Tom
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Abolhassani, Bahman
Eryilmaz, Atilla
Hou, Tom
author_facet Abolhassani, Bahman
Eryilmaz, Atilla
Hou, Tom
contents We introduce SwiftCache, a "fresh" learning-based caching framework designed for content distribution networks (CDNs) featuring distributed front-end local caches and a dynamic back-end database. Users prefer the most recent version of the dynamically updated content, while the local caches lack knowledge of item popularity and refresh rates. We first explore scenarios with requests arriving at a local cache following a Poisson process, whereby we prove that the optimal policy features a threshold-based structure with updates occurring solely at request arrivals. Leveraging these findings, SwiftCache is proposed as a model-based learning framework for dynamic content caching. The simulation demonstrates near-optimal cost for Poisson process arrivals and strong performance with limited cache sizes. For more general environments, we present a model-free Reinforcement Learning (RL) based caching policy without prior statistical assumptions. The model-based policy performs well compared to the model-free policy when the variance of interarrival times remains moderate. However, as the variance increases, RL slightly outperforms model-based learning at the cost of longer training times, and higher computational resource consumption. Model-based learning's adaptability to environmental changes without retraining positions it as a practical choice for dynamic network environments. Distributed edge caches can utilize this approach in a decentralized manner to effectively meet the evolving behaviors of users.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2402_17111
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle SwiftCache: Model-Based Learning for Dynamic Content Caching in CDNs
Abolhassani, Bahman
Eryilmaz, Atilla
Hou, Tom
Optimization and Control
We introduce SwiftCache, a "fresh" learning-based caching framework designed for content distribution networks (CDNs) featuring distributed front-end local caches and a dynamic back-end database. Users prefer the most recent version of the dynamically updated content, while the local caches lack knowledge of item popularity and refresh rates. We first explore scenarios with requests arriving at a local cache following a Poisson process, whereby we prove that the optimal policy features a threshold-based structure with updates occurring solely at request arrivals. Leveraging these findings, SwiftCache is proposed as a model-based learning framework for dynamic content caching. The simulation demonstrates near-optimal cost for Poisson process arrivals and strong performance with limited cache sizes. For more general environments, we present a model-free Reinforcement Learning (RL) based caching policy without prior statistical assumptions. The model-based policy performs well compared to the model-free policy when the variance of interarrival times remains moderate. However, as the variance increases, RL slightly outperforms model-based learning at the cost of longer training times, and higher computational resource consumption. Model-based learning's adaptability to environmental changes without retraining positions it as a practical choice for dynamic network environments. Distributed edge caches can utilize this approach in a decentralized manner to effectively meet the evolving behaviors of users.
title SwiftCache: Model-Based Learning for Dynamic Content Caching in CDNs
topic Optimization and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17111