Urgent Replication Facility

• US 20070162519A1
• Filed: 03/20/2007
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Raman, Balan, Seaman, Michael, Contorer, Aaron, Misra, Pradyumna, Straube, Dave, Miller, Arnold
• Granted Patent: US 7,788,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1844 Management specifically adapted to replicated file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

A system and method for expediting the replication of at least one specified object to a replica in a distributed computer system. A source object of a source replica determines that it has an urgent change to propagate through the distributed system, and informs a replication facility at the source replica of the urgent change. The facility extracts, or is provided with, the change information from that object, and the source replica communicates information representative of the change to a destination replica. A replication facility at the destination replica provides the change information to a destination replica object, which uses the information to make itself consistent with the source replica object.

Claims

19. In a distributed computer system, a method of expediting the replication of a source object in a source computer to a destination replica object in a destination replica in the system wherein the state of the source object has changed from a first to a second state, comprising the steps of:

identifying, by the source computer, a difference in the changed source object;

transmitting, by the source computer, the difference to the destination replica,

receiving, by the destination replica, the transmitted difference, and

applying, by the destination replica, the difference to the destination replica object.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of applying the difference to the destination replica object such that the destination replica object is consistent with the changed source object.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of identifying includes invoking a method of a replication framework.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of transmitting the difference includes a duplication of the entire source object.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of identifying the difference comprises the source object generating differencing information.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting information to a second destination replica corresponding to the change to the source object;

receiving the transmitted information at the second destination replica;

extracting the change information from the received information at the second destination replica; and

providing the change information to a replica object of the second destination replica.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

when communication between the source computer and the destination replica is unavailable, storing the difference with a timestamp value at the source computer;

then after communication between the source computer and the destination replica becomes available, and if the difference corresponds to a relatively recent change, then expediting the replication of the source object.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein the source object initiates the identifying step.

27-38. -38. (canceled)