Scalable cache invalidation algorithms for mobile data access

In this paper, we address the problem of cache invalidation in mobile and wireless client/server environments. We present cache invalidation techniques that can scale not only to a large number of mobile clients, but also to a large number of data items that can be cached in the mobile clients. We propose two scalable algorithms: the Multidimensional Bit-Sequence (MD-BS) algorithm and the Multilevel Bit-Sequence (ML-BS) algorithm. Both algorithms are based on our prior work on the Basic Bit-Sequences (BS) algorithm. Our study shows that the proposed algorithms are effective for a large number of cached data items with low update rates. The study also illustrates that the algorithms can be used with other complementary techniques to address the problem of cache invalidation for data items with varied update and access rates. Index Terms--Mobile data access, cache invalidation, disconnected operation, data broadcast.