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Subject: RE: cache POST requests
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:21:16 -0500
Message-ID: <A84920684DBB3746A1BEA1296EC9E4EB0324F18E@EXCVSRV2.aoins.com>
In-Reply-To: 
 <40D5E3C3CBE03D45A776E7C358BDE908E3857E@missoula.formatdynamics.com>
Thread-Topic: cache POST requests
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From: "Houser, Rick" <Houser.Rick@aoins.com>
To: modules-dev@httpd.apache.org
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> then when the redirect request comes back to the app server, recognize
a > hash is in it, and have it pull the content for that hash, and then
> apache subsequently would cache based on that URL with the hash in it.
> MIGHT be work the extra request and hashing time/storage.

Why go back to the app server?  Just put this where Apache can access
the output directly, enable mod_expires, and you should be good to go.
Nobody said it had to be a hash, either.

In any case, I really can't respond to this further.  If you still need
help, you have some basic web development research to do first.  I
really don't see anything about your problem that requires creating or
modifying a module, either.


Thanks,

Rick Houser
Auto-Owners Insurance
Systems Support
(517)703-2580

-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony J. Biacco [mailto:abiacco@formatdynamics.com]=20
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 4:53 PM
To: modules-dev@httpd.apache.org
Subject: RE: cache POST requests

Ok, then the /URL/1 part becomes the problem for me. I can make the GET
redirect request I send back to have the same key pairs in it to
retrieve the same content and cache it, but again, then the redirect GET
is longer than 2k (or however long the POST content was, just in the GET
format), and I run into the IE truncate problem. I'd have to construct a
URL that's:
1. <=3D 2k and 2. Has enough uniqueness that no 2 gets for different
content are the same. 3. Has some way of tieing that get url into the
same POST content.

Something like, POST the content, have the app server MD5 hash the
content (which if it's large, like 1MB put a strain on the app-server),
put the content and hash somewhere (app server, db, memcached), respond
with the redirect GET url including the hash in it, then when the
redirect request comes back to the app server, recognize a hash is in
it, and have it pull the content for that hash, and then apache
subsequently would cache based on that URL with the hash in it.
MIGHT be work the extra request and hashing time/storage.

-Tony
---------------------------
Manager, IT Operations
Format Dynamics, Inc.
303-573-1800x27
abiacco@formatdynamics.com
http://www.formatdynamics.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Houser, Rick [mailto:Houser.Rick@aoins.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 2:24 PM
To: modules-dev@httpd.apache.org
Subject: RE: cache POST requests

Is this a little clearer?  Notice how the Get request and post response
are both tiny.  This also opens up a whole slew of other possibilities
now that you have a per-request URL to access.


Current (as I understand it):

-> POST (DOC file #1, 800KB)
<- 200 OKAY (PDF file 600KB - non-cacheable, and substantial usability
problems)

Alternative (post, redirect, get):

-> POST (DOC file #1, 800KB)
<- REDIRECT FOR GET /URL/1 (< 1KB) (non-cacheable)
-> GET /URL/1 (< 1KB)
<- 200 OKAY (PDF file 600KB - easily cacheable, options for bookmarking,
etc.)


Thanks,

Rick Houser
Auto-Owners Insurance
Systems Support
(517)703-2580

-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony J. Biacco [mailto:abiacco@formatdynamics.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 3:46 PM
To: modules-dev@httpd.apache.org
Subject: RE: cache POST requests

I did mean requests, yes. We run a content reformatting service using
Tomcat, so in reality the responses are large also, because nearly the
same content (formatted differently) is sent back.
Another problem I found with large GETs is that IE will truncation them
if they are 2k or larger. Now, if that is pre- rendering engine or in
the actual engine, I don't know? If it's pre then maybe the limit
wouldn't be affected a redirect? That gets a little off-topic.

Thanx,

-Tony
---------------------------
Manager, IT Operations
Format Dynamics, Inc.
303-573-1800x27
abiacco@formatdynamics.com
http://www.formatdynamics.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Houser, Rick [mailto:Houser.Rick@aoins.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 12:20 PM
To: modules-dev@httpd.apache.org
Subject: RE: cache POST requests

You mean post REQUESTS, not RESPONSES, correct?  GET requests shouldn't
be very large, but it's not all that uncommon to have GET responses
larger than 1GB (local LANS, etc.).  Accept all the incomming data on a
post (which could be 1+MB file attachments, etc.), generate a unique
URL, and redirect the user there to fetch the result.


Thanks,

Rick Houser
Auto-Owners Insurance
Systems Support
(517)703-2580

-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony J. Biacco [mailto:abiacco@formatdynamics.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 1:52 PM
To: modules-dev@httpd.apache.org
Subject: RE: cache POST requests

I read that for the 1.0 spec, but thought for the 1.1 it was possible
with the proper expiration headers. Although I do understand the keying
problem.
My problem is that my POSTs vary wildly in size from 5k to over a meg,
and avg. out to about 45k. Being that GETs in apache by default are
limited to 8k, I'll get a 414 error, so I'm not sure where I can turn to
cache this. I suppose I can up the LimitRequestLine parameter to the max
I need, but I'm not sure how kosher that is.

Thanx,

-Tony
---------------------------
Manager, IT Operations
Format Dynamics, Inc.
303-573-1800x27
abiacco@formatdynamics.com
http://www.formatdynamics.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Houser, Rick [mailto:Houser.Rick@aoins.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 11:37 AM
To: modules-dev@httpd.apache.org; users@httpd.apache.org
Subject: RE: cache POST requests

You really shouldn't be trying to cache responses to post requests.
Completely from memory, but the HTTP spec says not to cache post
responses.  The URI is the base key to any caching implementations (with
the addition of a select few vary headers, etc.), and your post data
really doesn't factor in.

The normal pattern to use in most of these situations is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post/Redirect/Get.  Think of a post as a
submission from the client.  Once you have that submission, just tell
the client where to get the appropriate resource with a GET request and
leave the heavy lifting/caching until that request comes in.


Thanks,

Rick Houser
Auto-Owners Insurance
Systems Support
(517)703-2580

-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony J. Biacco [mailto:abiacco@formatdynamics.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 1:25 PM
To: users@httpd.apache.org
Cc: modules-dev@httpd.apache.org
Subject: cache POST requests

Hello,

I'm using apache 2.2.11 on centos 5/x86_64 I'm testing out caching data
for GET requests using mod_disk_cache, which I have working.
I'd also like to cache data for the same requests via the POST method,
but this doesn't seem to work.
Is this supported? If so, is there any config changes required for this
to work? If not, is this feature planned?

Thanx,

-Tony
---------------------------
Manager, IT Operations
Format Dynamics, Inc.
303-573-1800x27
abiacco@formatdynamics.com
http://www.formatdynamics.com