Data synchronization method

• US 20050210081A1
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hohndorf, Jan, Dehnel, Jan, Mayr, Frank, Fleck, Andreas, Ahr, Norbert
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1474 in transactions G06F16/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

The invention concerns a method of synchronizing a distributed system comprising a server (2) having a master data base (21) and a set of clients (31 to 35) having respective client data bases (41 to 45), as well as a server and a computer program product for executing this method. The client data bases (41 to 45) are incrementally updated from the master-data base (21) of the server (2). A trace of transaction (22) is maintained at the server (2) for recovery. The server (2) synchronizes the client data bases (41 to 45) in case of a failure by coordinated rollback transactions from the trace (22).

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing a distributed system comprising a server having a master data base and a set of clients having respective client data bases the method comprising the steps of:

incrementally updating client data bases of the clients from the master-data base of the server;

maintaining a trace of transactions at the server for recovery; and

synchronizing the client data bases in case of a failure by coordinated rollback transactions from the trace.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises the further step of triggering, when starting a new transaction, a mediator of the server for maintaining a trace of the transaction, the mediator storing reference data of the transaction and related meta-information including rollback information and information on which client has to process data of the transaction.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the mediator stores reference data of consecutive transactions linked with related dedicated meta-data including rollback information and information on which client has to process data of the respective transaction in a persistent replication queue.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the server stores, when starting a new transaction, the data of the transaction in the master-data base, determines the potential clients of the transaction and contacts the potential clients for updating their client data bases.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the server sends a final commitment of an update to the clients involved in a transaction if all clients involved in the transaction have returned an acknowledgment message confirming the execution of the respective update of the respective client data base.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the server removes the data relating to a transaction from the replication queue if all clients involved in the transaction have returned an acknowledgment message confirming the execution of the respective update of the respective client data base.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein, in case of a failure, the mediator sends a rollback message to all clients affected and the clients use the rollback information from the replication queue to undo the previous changes of their respective client data bases.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein in the method comprising the further step of accessing the client data bases through associated client data base adapters of the server, the client data base adapters manage a replication-queue of the respective client data base.

9. A server for synchronizing a distributed system, in particular a set of signaling transfer points of a telecommunication network, the server comprising a master data base, a communication unit for communicating with a set of clients having respective client data bases, and a control unit for incrementally updating client data bases of the clients from the master data base of the server, maintaining a trace of transactions for recovery, and synchronizing the client data bases in case of a failure by coordinated rollback transactions from the trace.

10. A computer program product for synchronizing a distributed system, in particular a set of signaling transfer points of a telecommunication network, the computer program product comprising a server having a master-data base and a set of clients having respective client data bases, wherein the computer program product, when executed by the server, performs the steps of:

incrementally updating client data bases of the clients from the master data base of the server;

maintaining a trace of transactions at the server for recovery; and

synchronizing the client data bases in case of a failure by coordinated rollback transactions from the trace.