System and method for searching a plurality of databases distributed across a multi server domain

• US 20040139057A1
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Shalabi, Sami M., Hirata, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 7,089,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• 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 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A system is for searching a plurality of project databases, including a service including a plurality of project database servers; a multi server single server signon processor for authenticating access by a user to a plurality of the project databases; a domain catalog server including a native server, a place server and a domain catalog; the native server for receiving from the user a search request and accessing the domain catalog with respect to the search request to obtain URLs for a plurality of documents in said project databases served by project servers configured to the domain catalog to which the user is authenticated and satisfying said search request; and the place server responsive to the URLs for building an XML result tree for responding to the search request.

Claims

1. A method for searching a plurality of project databases, comprising:

configuring a service to include a plurality of project servers, a domain catalog server, a domain catalog, and a domain catalog server search index;

authenticating a user for access to said service;

receiving a search request from a user;

with reference to said domain catalog, executing a domain search for documents satisfying said search request in all databases within said service to which said user is authenticated;

building an XML document tree of URLs to said documents satisfying said search request; and

deriving from said XML document tree and returning to said user a list of document URLs satisfying said search request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling said domain search on said user'"'"'s project server including providing a domain search user interface; and

receiving said search request via said user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an api for receiving said search requests from said user as XML documents.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining from a design template database a search result design form including a search skin component and search result style sheet;

building said XML document tree of URLs by applying said style sheet to said documents satisfying said search request.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing multi server single signon for authenticating said user for access to all project servers in said domain.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising purging system documents from said XML document tree.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting time of last update indicia in said search results to user time zone.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring a plurality of said servers in a cluster including a load balancer server, a plurality of other servers and corresponding project databases treated as a single virtual server in a service model.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring a main place server 312 for indexing and replicating all places within a service;

said domain catalog server building and maintaining said search index against said main place server; and

distributing URLs to result documents to said project servers in said domain.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising including a search criteria section and a document section for each document in said XML response document.

11. A system for searching a plurality of project databases, comprising:

a plurality of project databases;

a service including plurality of project database servers;

a multi server single server signon processor for authenticating access by a user to a plurality of said project databases;

a domain catalog server including a native server, a place server and a domain catalog;

said native server for receiving from said user a search result page request and accessing said domain catalog with respect to said search request to obtain URLs for a plurality of documents in said project databases served by project servers configured to said domain catalog to which said user is authenticated and satisfying said search request; and

said place server responsive to said URLs for building an HTML page for responding to said search result page request.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

design template database for storing search result design forms including search skin components and corresponding search result style sheets;

said native server further for accessing said design template database for a search skin component for said search request; and

said place server further responsive to said search skin component for building a query for said native server to access said domain catalog and to said style sheets for generating said XML result tree.

13. The system of claim 11, said place server further comprising a date/time handler for converting mean time to user time zone.

14. A system for searching a plurality of project databases, comprising:

means for configuring a service to include a plurality of project servers, a domain catalog server, a domain catalog, and a domain catalog server search index;

means for authenticating a user for access to said service;

means for receiving a search request from a user;

means for with reference to said domain catalog, executing a domain search for documents satisfying said search request in all databases within said service to which said user is authenticated;

means for building an XML document tree of URLs to said documents satisfying said search request; and

means for deriving from said XML document tree and returning to said user a list of document IDs satisfying said search request.

15. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for searching a plurality of project databases, said method comprising:

configuring a service to include a plurality of project servers, a domain catalog server, a domain catalog, and a domain catalog server search index;

authenticating a user for access to said service;

receiving a search request from a user;

with reference to said domain catalog, executing a domain search for documents satisfying said search request in all databases within said service to which said user is authenticated;

building an XML document tree of URLs to said documents satisfying said search request; and

deriving from said XML document tree and returning to said user a list of document IDs satisfying said search request.

16. A computer program product for searching a plurality of project databases according to the method comprising:

configuring a service to include a plurality of project servers, a domain catalog server, a domain catalog, and a domain catalog server search index;

authenticating a user for access to said service;

receiving a search request from a user;

with reference to said domain catalog, executing a domain search for documents satisfying said search request in all databases within said service to which said user is authenticated;

building an XML document tree of URLs to said documents satisfying said search request; and

deriving from said XML document tree and returning to said user a list of document IDs satisfying said search request.