Trusted index structure in a network environment

• US 20070118651A1
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dominic Giampaolo, Steve Zellers, Yan Arrouye
• Original Assignee: Dominic Giampaolo, Steve Zellers, Yan Arrouye
• Inventors: Giampaolo, Dominic, Arrouye, Yan, Zellers, Steve
• Application Number:
  US11/643,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20070118651A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses of a trusted index structure in a network environment. In one embodiment, a data processing system includes a master device and at least one slave device to communicate with each other through a network; and a master lock status of a shared storage device to determine the master device.

Claims

1. A data processing system, comprising:

a master device and at least one slave device to communicate with each other through a network; and

a master lock status of a shared storage device to determine the master device based on an algorithm.

2. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the algorithm is at least one of a heartbeat messaging, a first-in-time assertion, and a preferred client analysis.

3. The data processing system of claim 2, wherein the master lock status to release a master lock when the master device is disabled.

4. The data processing system of claim 1, further comprising a shared storage volume of the shared storage device having a content structure, a trusted index structure, and a master list of changes generated by the master device.

5. The data processing system of claim 4, wherein the master device to intermittently update the trusted index structure of the shared storage volume with entries in the master list of changes.

6. The data processing system of claim 5, wherein the master list of changes are generated by scanning the at least one slave list of changes intermittently for published change list entries.

7. The data processing system of claim 4, wherein the trusted index structure to reference both a meta-data library and a content library of the content structure.

8. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the meta-data library to include internally maintained meta-data and published meta-data.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the meta-data library also to include a new meta-data generated based on business rules.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the master list of changes to include changes made to various content files by different slave devices.

11. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the various content files are created by different application programs and include different internally maintained meta-data.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the content structure is searched for particular ones of the internally maintained meta-data, the content, the published meta-data, and the new meta-data.

13. The data processing system of claim 1, further comprising a first notification module of each of the at least one slave device to notify the master device when a change-list entry is published by any of the at least one slave device.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, further comprising a second notification module of the master device to notify each of the at least one slave devices when the master list of changes is published by the master device.

15. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one slave devices include a search module, a local index data structure, a meta extractor module, a change-list management module, a change-list structure, a notification module, and a prioritization module.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein a change-list generator of the change-list management module of a particular slave device of the at least one slave device to create a change-list entry in the change-list structure of the particular slave device based on an operation to a content file by the particular slave device.

17. The data processing system of claim 15, further comprising a change-list updater of the change-list management module to update the local index structure when a particular slave device of the at least one slave device receives the master list of changes from the master device.

18. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the prioritization module to separate, within the change-list structure, change-list entries of at least two sessions of the master device based on physical station addresses associated with each of the at least two sessions.

19. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the meta-data extractor module to update the local index data structure with internally maintained meta-data, content, and published meta-data of a particular content file modified by at least a particular slave device.

20. A method of a slave device, comprising:

performing an operation on a content file associated with the slave device;

receiving notification of changes to the content file;

generating a change-list packet of the received notification; and

writing the change-list packet to a shared storage device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising transforming into a master device when the slave device transmits a signal to a master lock status of the shared storage device before other slave devices and when the master lock status is unlocked.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the master lock status uses an algorithm chosen from a group comprising at least one of a heartbeat messaging, a first-in-time assertion, and a preferred client analysis to determine whether the slave device becomes the master device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the master device to intermittently transmit a master list of changes to replace a trusted index structure of the shared storage device.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the content file is stored on the shared storage device, along with other content files modifiable by other slave devices.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising automatically generating a new meta-data based on at least one business rule.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the notification includes changes to the new meta-data as well as changes to internally maintained meta-data and published meta-data.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising searching the shared storage device for particular ones of the new meta-data, the internally maintained meta-data, and the published meta-data.

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving notifications from the master device when a master list of changes is published.

29. A method of a master device, comprising:

processing at least one change list entry generated by at least one slave device;

updating a master list of changes based upon the at least one change list entry;

optionally prioritizing entries in the master list of changes based upon an algorithm; and

updating a trusted index structure intermittently.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the master device wherein the at least one change-list entry indicates changes associated with an internally maintained meta-data, a published meta-data, and a newly generated meta-data associated with a content file.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising intermittently receiving notifications from the at least one slave device of new change-list entries generated by the at least one slave device.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the optionally prioritizing further includes separating, within the master list of changes, change-list entries of at least two sessions of the master device based on physical station addresses associated with each of the at least two sessions.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the change-list entry, the master list of changes, and the trusted index structure reference at least internally maintained meta-data, content, and published meta-data in a shared storage device.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising searching the shared storage device for particular ones of the internally maintained meta-data, the content, and the published meta-data.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the algorithm is based on at least one of a time stamp, a session identifier, and a status of the packet.