Method for dynamically and efficiently caching objects received from an application server by a client computer by subdividing cache memory blocks into equally-sized sub-blocks

A method for dynamically reconfiguring a maximal size logical cache memory page to store a data object having a size different from the size of a data object previously stored by that logical cache memory page, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) at an application server
• (i) determining an associated size of a data object;
• (ii) transmitting the data object and the associated size of that data object to a client workstation;
• (b) at the client workstation
• (i) receiving the data object and the associated size, wherein the associated size of the data object is greater than a maximal size of a logical cache memory page;
• (ii) subdividing the data object into first and second data chunks;
• (iii) assigning a first chunk index to the first data chunk and a second chunk index to the second data chunk, each index representing the maximal size logical cache memory page in which the respective data chunk is stored;
• and
• (iv) storing the second chunk index at a location in a control store that corresponds to the first chunk index for use in identifying the location of the second data chunk.

A method for efficiently caching data objects in a logical cache memory including a plurality of maximal size pages beginning at a logical base memory address, the logical cache memory using prescribed portions of a plurality of heterogeneous physical memory units for storage of data, the method comprising:

• (a) at an application server
• (i) determining an associated size of a data object;
• (ii) transmitting the data object and the associated size of that data object to a client workstation;
• (b) at the client workstation
• (i) labeling each of the plurality of heterogeneous physical memory units with a unique rank index, the rank index indicative of the relative memory speed of the physical memory unit;
• (ii) allocating a portion of each physical memory unit for use by the logical cache memory;
• (iii) forming a continuous, addressable logical address space for the logical cache memory that encompasses the allocated portions of the physical memory units by ordering the allocated portions of the physical memory units based on the rank indices of the logical cache memory beginning at a logical cache memory base address, each maximal size page configured to store data objects of a maximal size and identified as storing data objects of a maximal size;
• (iv) receiving the data object and the associated size, wherein the associated size of the data object is smaller than the maximal size;
• (v) determining whether one of the plurality of logical cache memory pages is already configured to store data objects having the smaller size of the received data object;
• (vi) selecting, when no logical cache memory page is already configured to store data objects having the smaller size of the received data object, one of the logical cache memory pages which is the maximal size;
• and
• (vii) reconfiguring the selected maximal logical cache memory page into more than two equally-sized blocks for storing data objects having the smaller size of the received data object.