The UK National Web Cache - A State of the Art Report

Two years after its introduction at the First International World-Wide Web Conference at CERN, Geneva, the use of caching technology to improve the efficiency of network utilisation has become a hot topic. With relatively poor international connectivity, if was through necessity that UK academia was one of the first communities to make widespread use of this technology on a large scale. The implementation of a national strategy proposed by HENSA Unix in June 1995 has led an experimental project to become what is probably the most mature caching facility in the world today. In this paper we present a brief history of the project, a discussion of the evolution of the hardware, software and networking systems involved, and take a look to the future of the project within the framework of the UKs networking strategy. It is hoped that some of our experiences may be of use to other large bodies of users who are tired of waiting for their Web pages to arrive.