Data synchronization

• US 20030110172A1
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Bergman, Robert, Selman, Daniel, OʼNeil, Edward K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,451,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/80 of semi-structured data, e.g. markup language structured data such as SGML, XML or HTML content-based retrieval of web data G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1012 to domains
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1015 to users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1064 Restricting content processing at operating system level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1073 Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1076 Revocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 : Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 : providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 : by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 : for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 : specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 : Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 : Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 : Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 : Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 : Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 : Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 : Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 : Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 : Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 : Version management

Abstract

Application data used by enterprise applications running on one or more servers can be synchronized with application data deployed from other locations. Application data can be transmitted as XML files over HTTP to facilitate synchronization with web-enabled servers. Multiple service data repositories can be synchronized with application data residing in a master data repository that runs within an enterprise application. Server-to-server data synchronization functionality is also provided through the use of proxy data repositories. Application data files can be deployed from an author system to remote servers. Newly-authored application data files can be versioned in the author system using a source control system and selectively deployed to various servers by the author in conjunction with a multi-stage testing process in preparation for deployment of the application data to a production server.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing application data on a server, comprising:

receiving application data to be synchronized;

synchronizing a database with said application data; and

synchronizing a first data repository with said application data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said first data repository is a service data repository.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying a second data repository of at least a subset of said application data; and

synchronizing said second data repository with said subset of said application data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

said second data repository is a proxy data repository.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

said second data repository is subscribed to receive said subset of said application data from said first data repository.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said first data repository comprises a runtime representation of said application data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said database provides persistent storage of said application data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said synchronizing steps are performed by a J2EE enterprise application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said application data is used by a service running in an enterprise application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

said service is used by a web application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said application data defines business logic of a web application.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said application data comprises at least one XML file.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said application data comprises application data files adapted for transmission over HTTP.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said method is performed as part of a testing process in preparation for deployment of said application data to a production server.

15. A method for deploying application data to a remote web server over a network, comprising:

authoring application data;

submitting said application data to a source control system;

identifying a server to receive application data; and

sending application data to said server, said server capable of synchronizing a data repository of said server with said application data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

said server is identified by a URL associated with said server.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

said application data comprises at least one XML file.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein:

said application data comprises application data files adapted for transmission over HTTP.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein:

said method is performed as part of a testing process in preparation for deployment of said application data to a production server.

20. A method for synchronizing application data between enterprise applications, comprising:

receiving application data;

notifying a proxy data repository of said application data, said proxy data repository running in a first enterprise application;

sending said application data to said proxy data repository; and

forwarding said application data from said proxy data repository to a second enterprise application.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein:

said first and second enterprise applications reside in a single server.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein:

said first and second enterprise applications reside in separate servers.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein:

said application data comprises at least one XML file.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein:

said application data comprises application data files adapted for transmission over HTTP.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein:

said method is performed as part of a testing process in preparation for deployment of said application data to a production server.

26. A method for synchronizing data in a data repository of an enterprise application, comprising:

polling a master data repository;

determining whether application data stored in a subscribed data depository is synchronized with said master data depository; and

synchronizing said subscribed data depository with said master data depository in response to said determining step.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein:

said application data is in an EJB runtime format.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein:

said method is performed as part of a testing process in preparation for deployment of said application data to a production server.

29. A system for synchronizing application data, comprising:

a web server;

a data synchronization application running on said web server,

said data synchronization application capable of receiving

application data sent over an Internet connection; and

a data repository in communication with said data synchronization application,

said data repository adapted for maintaining a runtime

representation of said application data,

said data synchronization application capable of synchronizing

said received application data with said data repository.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein:

said data synchronization application runs within an enterprise application of said server.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein:

said enterprise application is a J2EE enterprise application.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein:

said server is a development server.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein:

said server is a testing server.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein:

said server is a production server.

35. The system of claim 29, wherein:

said application data comprises at least one XML file.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein:

said application data comprises application data files adapted for transmission over HTTP.

37. A system for testing application data, comprising:

a plurality of web servers;

an author system in communication with said servers over the Internet;

a data synchronization application running on at least one of said servers, said data synchronization application capable of synchronizing application data received from said author system with application data of said server.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein:

said application data comprises at least one XML file.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein:

said application data comprises application data files adapted for transmission over HTTP.

40. A computer readable medium, comprising:

a storage medium; and

computer readable code embodied on said storage medium, said computer readable code for programming a computer to perform a method for synchronizing application data on a server, the method comprising;

receiving application data to be synchronized;

synchronizing a database with said application data; and

synchronizing a first data repository with said application data.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein:

said application data comprises at least one XML file.

42. The computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein:

said application data comprises application data files adapted for transmission over HTTP.

43. A method for synchronizing application data to a cluster of servers, comprising:

notifying a proxy data repository of application data, said proxy data repository running in an enterprise application on an administration server;

sending said application data to said proxy data repository;

forwarding said application data from said proxy data repository to an enterprise application on a server of a cluster of servers;

synchronizing said enterprise application on said cluster server with said application data; and

performing said forwarding and synchronizing steps for all remaining servers in said cluster of servers.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein:

said proxy data repository is subscribed to receive said application data.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein:

said application data comprises at least one XML file.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein:

said application data comprises application data files adapted for transmission over HTTP.

47. The method of claim 43, wherein:

said method is performed as part of a testing process in preparation for deployment of said application data to a production server.