Some providers take a more costly approach, delivering their content via satellite into nodes comprised of satellite receivers and caches connected to the Internet. One start-up, Fireclick, preloads objects directly into a user's cache. Although this may well improve performance, users are likely to balk at the idea. Many content distribution systems are also promulgating their own APIs to encourage developers to create network-aware software. The result is a content distribution system that begins to look like an interactive and predictive television system.
Users can request certain types of content through a Web browser and have it loaded into the cache.
Even when users do not request the content, the different elements of the delivery network can work together to anticipate user needs. The cache server can monitor user preferences and send feedback to the content provider. The service can then issue the request to the content server to distribute the most appropriate material at the optimal part of the day. It should be pretty clear by now that keeping up with content requests is no mean feat. Cache server vendors talk about content delivery performance in terms of the object ratio and byte hit ratios.