User:Amit karandikar

BranchCacheTM is a new feature in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 which enables the content from file and Web servers on a wide area network (WAN) to be cached on computers at a local branch office. BranchCache can improve application response time and reduce WAN traffic. Cached content can either be distributed across peer client computers (Distributed Cache mode) or centrally hosted on a server (Hosted Cache mode).

Technology
BranchCacheTM can help increase network responsiveness of centralized applications when accessed from remote offices, giving users in those offices the experience of working on your local area network. BranchCache also helps reduce wide area network (WAN) utilization. When BranchCache is enabled, a copy of data accessed from intranet Web and file servers is cached locally within the branch office. When another client on the same network requests the file, the client downloads it from the local cache without downloading the same content across the WAN.

BranchCache Modes:

Distributed Cache: Using a peer-to-peer architecture, Windows 7 client computers cache copies of files and send them directly to other Windows 7 client computers as they need it. Improving performance is as easy as enabling BranchCache on your Windows 7 client and Windows Server 2008 R2 computers. Distributed Cache is especially beneficial for branch offices that do not have a local server.

Hosted Cache: Using a client/server architecture, Windows 7 client computers cache content to a computer on the local network running Windows Server 2008 R2, known as the Hosted Cache. Other clients who need the same content retrieve it directly from the Hosted Cache. The Hosted Cache computer can run the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2 and can also host other applications.