On the World Wide Web, speed and efficiency are vital. Users have little patience for slow web pages, while network administrators want to make the most of their available bandwidth. A properly designed web cache reduces network traffic and improves access times to popular web sites--a boon to network administrators and web users alike.

Web Caching hands you all the technical information you need to design, deploy, and operate an effective web caching service. It starts with the basics of how web caching works, from the HTTP headers that govern cachability to cache validation and replacement algorithms.

Topics covered in this book include:

• Designing an effective cache solution
• Configuring web browsers to use a cache
• Setting up a collection of caches that can talk to each other
• Configuring an interception cache or proxy
• Monitoring and fine-tuning the performance of a cache
• Configuring web servers to cooperate with web caches
• Benchmarking cache products

The book also covers the important political aspects of web caching, including privacy, intellectual property, and security issues.

Internet service providers, large corporations, or educational institutions--in short, any network that provides connectivity to a wide variety of users--can reap enormous benefit from running a well-tuned web caching service. Web Caching shows you how to do it right.

In Web Caching and Replication, two AT&T Labs experts bring together real-world implementations, the latest IETF and W3C technical standards, and the field's most advanced research, offering systematic guidance for maximizing Web scalability and performance. The authors first introduce key concepts of Web caching and replication.They introduce HTTP's support for caching and replication, and broadly characterize Web behavior, offering practical rules of thumb for optimizing performance. Next, they focus on caching, helping implementers realistically assess proxy caching, deploy proxies in corporate and ISP networks; and utilize cooperative proxy caching. They offer in-depth insights into cache consistency, and caching the "uncacheable" -- including "cookied" and dynamic content. Part III introduces today's best techniques for web replication, offering in-depth coverage of content delivery networks, server selection, content placement, and more. For all networking professionals, IT professionals, and engineers involved with building or optimizing Internet services or equipment; for content delivery specialists and service providers; and for owners of large sites concerned about scalability and performance.

Just as TCP/IP is a central protocol for the Internet, HTTP is a central protocol for the web. They are both critical for web networking. Web Protocols and Practice is the most authoritative and comprehensive guide to the Web's technical underpinnings. Authored by AT&T Labs researcher Bala Krishnamurthy and renowned Web networking expert Jennifer Rexford, this book offers exceptionally thorough coverage of core Web protocols-including the most detailed discussion of HTTP /1.1 and its relationship to TCP/IP networking ever presented.

The authors begin with a broad overview of the evolution of the Web, including its naming infrastructure, HTML document language, and HTTP message exchange protocol. Next, they introduce the inner workings of clients, proxies, and servers, as well as scripts, handlers, search engines, cookies, and authentication. The heart of the book is a detailed discussion of the core Web protocols DNS, TCP/IP, and HTTP. Readers will also find important coverage of traffic measurement, as well as web caching and multimedia streaming-the hottest emerging areas in web networking. The authors conclude by presenting the latest research previewing major technology enhancements likely to be incorporated into the Web in the coming years.

An essential resource for all networking and Internet professionals, and for all developers building Internet applications. Features

Proxy servers are specialized Web servers that operate behind firewalls to improve network efficiency and security. They are critical to the success of virtually every large Web and intranet site -- but until this book, optimizing them was a "black" art. Now, one of the world's leading proxy server experts explains the technology in depth -- and shows exactly how to make the most of proxy servers in any environment.

Understand the basic architecture of proxy servers, and the differences between firewall proxy servers, departmental, personal and specialized proxies. Review critical, proxy-server related protocols, including HTTP, cookies, the Internet cache protocol, and LDAP. Understand proxy server caching in depth -- including the special issues that arise in Web-based advertising. Review performance issues, especially sizing and load balancing; and take a close look at proxy server security. Finally, review the different configuration issues at work in extranets, virtual private networks, and "DNS-deprived" environments.

For all Web administrators and network managers at medium-to-large sites who want to improve bandwidth and security.

To be published January 2004.