A congestion control system provided in a connection portion between a network for an Internet provider and the Internet estimates a processing capability of a Web server on the basis of states of TCP/IP such as a window size of connection being connected, a cancellation rate of packet, a response time, a throughput and the like in a congestion state of the Web server to be requested and a network to the Web server and calculates a regulation duration for each Web server on the basis of the processing capability and the number of clients being in a waiting state for a re-request to the Web server so that the client is regulated when a response for regulating the re-request with the regulation duration is returned to the client. Consequently, since the number of re-requests per unit time can be made fixed, congestion due to re-requests can be prevented and the user can necessarily utilize the Web server upon re-request. Further, the service utilizable hour can be grasped to utilize the Web service deliberately.

A method of reducing network congestion and service latency associated with downloading Web pages containing third party advertisements. In one embodiment, pattern recognition algorithms are employed to determine whether a request for a URL may be satisfied by the content associated with a URL which is contained in the client's cache; if there is a pattern match, the cached contents associated with the URL are delivered to the browser to satisfy the request. In another embodiment, images associated with HTML snippet ads are requested and cached by client software before they are requested by the browser downloading the Web page where the images will be displayed. In a third embodiment, latency is reduced by "time shifting," wherein a cached ad is displayed while client software requests and caches the ad originally requested ad, which will be shown the next time the URL is requested. In other embodiments, this time-shifting technique may also be combined with the pattern-recognition technique and the approach to accelerating delivery of HTML snippet ads.

A self-support module of an information handling system selectively downloads self-support updates for selected component categories from a self-support network location by periodically communicating component usage information to the network location for selection of self-support updates based on predetermined levels of component usage. For instance, a self-support usage analysis engine tracks inputs to the self-support module to identify information handling system hardware or software components that are the subject of user requests for self-support and provides the usage information to the network location to select self-support downloads of updates associated with hardware and software components subject to one or more requests for self-support.

Under the present invention, a request for a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is received from a client on a server. Upon receipt, a corresponding session object is obtained, and a response identifier is generated. Based on the response identifier, it is determined whether the URL was previously requested by the client. If not, generation of a final response begins. As the response is being generated, a response refresh header is generated and returned to the client with a temporary response. The response refresh header contains a time value for causing the client to automatically send a subsequent request for the URL. After generation of the final response is complete, it is stored in a cache according to the response identifier. Then, when the subsequent request is received from the client, the final response is retrieved from the cache and served to the client.

Under the present invention, a history of requests for data objects are tracked and maintained in a cache log. Based on the history, certain data objects are prefetched into a cache. When a request for a cached data object is later received, the requested data object can be retrieved from the cache and served to the requesting user. Thus, the latency involved with obtaining the data objects from the appropriate sources is eliminated. Further, under the present invention, discard and refresh rules are assigned to each data object on a class basis. Accordingly, data objects in the cache can be refreshed and/or discarded so that the caching operation can be optimized.