WCCP Network Caching

WCCP Network Caching

• In 1997, Cisco developed WCCP, a router-cache protocol that localizes network traffic and provides “network-intelligent” load distribution across multiple network caches for maximized download performance and content availability.

• The cache component of the Cisco caching solution comprises network-integrated caching solutions—the Cisco Cache Engine 500 Series. They are network-integrated because they:

• Provide network management capabilities already available on traditional Cisco networking gear(such as Cisco IOS CLI and RADIUS support), resulting in minimized management and operational costs.

• Are inherently designed and implemented as caching-specific networking hardware, rather than being standalone server platforms adapted as caches. Thus, the high-density Cisco Cache Engines physically integrate better into the network infrastructure as network extensions transparently insert into existing network infrastructures and adapt to unusual network conditions, resulting in minimized deployment and operational costs and greater content availability.

Network-Based Shared Caching

The cache engine was designed from the ground up as a loosely coupled, multinode network system optimized to provide robust shared network caching. The cache engine solution comprises the Web Cache Control Protocol (a standard feature of Cisco IOS software) and one or more Cisco cache engines that store the data in the local network.

The Web Cache Control Protocol defines the communication between the cache engine and the router. Using the Web Cache Control Protocol, the router directs only Web requests to the cache engine (rather than to the intended server). The router also determines cache engine availability, and redirects requests to new cache engines as they are added to an installation.

The Cisco cache engine is a single-purpose network appliance that stores and retrieves content using highly optimized caching and retrieval algorithms. (See Figure below)