SYNCHRONIZATION OF COMPUTER DATABASES USING CACHING AGENTS

• US 20110029486A1
• Filed: 10/11/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ACCESS Systems Americas Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: ACCESS Systems Americas Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Inventors: Pivowar, Alvin I., Poddar, Jayita
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/634
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24552 Database cache management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A method and system for synchronization of computer databases using caching agents. In one embodiment, information is accessed from a first database. The information is stored into a persistent store, which may be a permanent media, such as a magnetic disk. The information is retrieved from the persistent store. Such retrieval may be in close time proximity to the storing, or the retrieval may be at a substantially different time from the storing. The synchronization is completed by updating a second database with the information retrieved by the caching agent from the persistent store. As an advantageous result, synchronization of computer databases is more efficient due to an optimized storage format for the information as well as maximum bandwidth access. As a further beneficial result, if a database is not present at the time of synchronization, embodiments of the present invention may enable synchronization capabilities unavailable under the prior art.

Claims

1. A computer device for synchronization between databases, the device comprising:

a first interface for impermanently communicating with a remote server on which a first database is maintained,

a second interface for communicating with a removable media device on which a second database is maintained,

a third interface for communicating with an external computer device on which a third database is maintained,

a synchronization agent which be able to execute synchronization between the first, second and third databases, and

a caching agent with associated a persistent store, the caching agent monitors the synchronization between the first, second and third databases to store any new information,

wherein, if all databases are present, the synchronization agent obtain information directly from each database in order to update the other database, and,

if the computer device and the external computer device are connected with each other and the removable media device is not removed from the computer device during the first computer device is unable to communicate with the first database, the synchronization agent executes synchronization between the second and third databases and the caching agent monitor the synchronization to store any new information into the persistent store, and then, if the computer device is able to communicate with the firs database when the removable media device has been removed from the computer device, the caching agent supplies the new information stored on the persistent store to the first database on the server.