Method and system for updating files of a plurality of storage devices through propogation of files over a nework

• US 5,546,539 A
• Filed: 10/12/1995
• Issued: 08/13/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Poling, William F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US08/542,039
• Time in Patent Office: 306 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/200.02, 395/200.05, 395/200.10, 395/182.05, 395/200.11, 395/839, 364/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 370/257
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for propagating a master file over a network bus to designated storage devices configured to maintain an identical copy of the master file. As a result, the copy of the master file can be stored in memory accessible to the user and/or the user'"'"'s processing device while the master file is stored in memory inaccessible to the user and/or his or her processing device.

Claims

1. A method for supporting parallel distribution of a file between a plurality of storage devices coupled to a network bus, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring at least two storage devices of the plurality of storage devices, wherein a first storage device contains a first master file and a second storage device contains a sub-master file, said sub-master file being a copy of said first master file which can be distributed over the network bus;

configuring at least two storage devices of the plurality of storage devices to receive and contain a first clone file, said first clone file of a third storage device of said at least two storage devices is a non-transferable copy of said first master file obtained from said first storage device and said first clone file of a fourth storage device of said at least two storage devices is a non-transferable copy of said sub-master file based on said first master file;

advertising over the network bus that the plurality of storage devices are coupled to the network bus;

periodically ascertaining by at least said fourth storage device as to whether said first clone file differs from said sub-master file; and

updating said first clone file contained in said fourth storage device by overwriting said first clone file with contents of said first master file after determining that said first clone file differs from said sub-master file contained in said second storage device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of updating said first clone file includes the steps of:

requesting by said third storage device that said first storage device containing said first master file propagates a copy of said first master file over the network bus; and

propagating said copy of said first master file over the network bus to said third storage device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of propagating said first master file includes the step of:

reading a configuration file within said first storage device to ascertain whether said first master file is configured to be propagated over the network bus, wherein

if said first master file is configured to be propagated over the network bus, then

propagating said first master file and its associated file characteristics over the network bus,

retrieving said first master file and said file characteristics from the network bus, and

storing said first master file and said file characteristics within said at least one receiving storage device, and

if said first master file is not configured to be propagated over the network bus, then

ignoring a request by said third storage device to propagate said first master file and said file characteristics over the network bus.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of periodically ascertaining whether said first clone file differs from said first master file includes the steps of:

retrieving prior file status information contained in said third storage device;

requesting current file status information contained in said first storage device;

outputting said current file status information of said first master file from said first storage device into said third storage device; and

comparing said current file status information with the prior file status information contained in said third storage device, wherein the request for said first storage device to propagate said master file is initiated by said third storage device if said current file status information differs from said prior file status information.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said prior file status information includes file characteristics of said first clone file stored in said third storage device, said file characteristics include a file name, file date, file ownership and file attributes.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said file attributes include read only, sharable, hidden and purged.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the outputting step includes the steps of:

reading a configuration file of said first storage device to determine whether said first storage device is configured to propagate said first master file over the network bus, wherein

if said first storage device is configured to propagate said first master file over the network bus, then said at least one storage device retrieves said current file status information from memory and sends said current file status information from said first storage device to said third storage device, and

if said first storage device is not configured to propagate said first master file over the network bus, then said first storage device propagates a null status over the network bus to said third storage device to indicate that said third storage device made an invalid file status request.

8. A method for supporting parallel distribution of a file between a plurality of storage devices coupled to a network bus, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring a first storage device of the plurality of storage devices to store and send a sub-master file being a transferable copy of a master file contained in another of the plurality of storage devices;

configuring a second storage device of the plurality of storage devices to receive and store a clone file of said sub-master file;

advertising over the network bus that the plurality of storage devices are coupled to the network bus;

periodically retrieving prior file status information regarding said clone file of said second storage device, said prior file status information being stored in said second storage device;

periodically requesting current file status information of said sub-master file stored in said first storage device;

outputting said current file status information of said sub-master file from said first storage device into said second storage device if said first storage device is configured to send said current file status information; and

comparing said current file status information with said prior file status information stored in said second storage device, wherein

if said current file status information differs from the prior file status information, then

requesting the first storage device to propagate said sub-master file over the network bus, and

propagating said sub-master file over the network bus for storage within said second storage device, and

if said current file status information is identical to said prior file status information, then

continuing to periodically request said current file status information stored in said first storage device.

9. In a network of processing devices for executing an application program and a plurality of storage devices which contains files required by the processing devices for execution of the application program, a method for supporting parallel distribution of a file between said plurality of storage devices coupled to a network bus, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring at least one Storage device of the plurality of storage devices to contain a second master file;

configuring at least one sending storage device of the plurality of storage devices to contain and send a first master file and a sub-master file, said sub-master file is a copy of said second master file which can be distributed over the network bus;

configuring at least one receiving storage device of the plurality of storage devices to receive and contain a first clone file and a second clone file, said first clone file and said second clone file are non-transferable copies of said first master file and said sub-master file, respectively;

advertising over the network bus that said at least one sending storage device and said at least one receiving storage device are coupled to the network bus;

periodically ascertaining by said at least one receiving storage device as to whether said first clone file differs from said first master file and whether said second clone file differs from said sub-master file;

updating said first clone file by said at least one sending storage device to produce an updated clone file after determining that said first clone file differs from said first master file contained in said at least one sending storage device; and

updating said second clone file with said sub-master file after determining that said second clone file differs from said sub-master file.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of updating said first clone file includes the steps of:

requesting said at least one receiving storage device that said at least one sending storage device propagates the first master file over the network bus; and

propagating the first master file over the network bus to said at least one receiving storage device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of propagating said first master file contained in the first storage device includes the step of:

reading a configuration file within said at least one sending storage device to ascertain whether said first master file is configured to be propagated over the network bus, wherein

if said first master file is configured to be propagated over the network bus, then

propagating said first master file and its associated file characteristics over the network bus,

retrieving said first master file and said file characteristics from the network bus, and

storing said first master file and said file characteristics as an updated clone file being the most current version of the first clone file within said at least one receiving storage device, and

if said first master file is not configured to be propagated over the network bus, then

ignoring a request by said at least one receiving storage device to propagate said first master file and said file characteristics over the network bus.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of periodically ascertaining whether said first clone file differs from said first master file includes the steps of:

retrieving prior file status information contained in said at least one receiving storage device;

requesting current file status information contained in said at least one sending storage device;

outputting said current file status information of the first master file from said at least one sending storage device into said at least one receiving storage device; and

comparing said current file status information with the prior file status information contained in said at least one receiving storage device, wherein the request for said at least one sending storage device to propagate said first master file is initiated by said at least one receiving storage device if said current file status information differs from said prior file status information.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said prior file status information includes file characteristics of said first clone file stored in said at least one receiving storage device, said file characteristics include a file name, file date, file ownership and file attributes.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said file attributes include read only, sharable, hidden and purged.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the outputting step includes the steps of:

reading a configuration file of said at least one sending storage device to determine whether said at least one sending device storage device is configured to propagate said first master file over the network bus, wherein

if said at least one sending device storage device is configured to propagate said first master file over the network bus, then said at least one sending device storage device retrieves said current file status information from memory and sends said current file status information to said at least one receiving device storage device, and

if said at least one sending device storage device is not configured to propagate said first master file over the network bus, then said at least one sending device storage device propagates a null status over the network bus to said at least one receiving device storage device to indicate that said at least one receiving device storage device made an invalid file status request.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein said at least one sending storage device includes a first sending storage device containing said first master file and a second sending storage device containing said sub-master file.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one receiving storage device includes first receiving storage device containing said first clone file and a second receiving storage device containing said second clone file.

18. In a network of processing devices that execute application programs and storage devices that contain files required by the processing devices to execute the application programs, a method for supporting parallel distribution of a file between a plurality of storage devices coupled to a network bus, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring a first storage device of the plurality of storage devices to contain and send a sub-master file being a transferable copy of a master file contained in one of the plurality of storage devices;

configuring a second storage device of the plurality of storage devices to receive and contain a clone file being a copy of said sub-master file;

advertising over the network bus that the plurality of storage devices are coupled to the network bus;

periodically retrieving prior file status information regarding said clone file from the second storage device, said prior file status information including a file date and file attributes of said clone file;

periodically requesting current file status information stored in said first storage device, said current file status information including a file data and file attributes of said sub-master file;

outputting said current file status information of said sub-master file from said first storage device into said second storage device if the first storage device is configured to send said current file status information; and

comparing said current file status information with said prior file status information stored in said second storage device, wherein

if said current file status information differs from the prior file status information, then

requesting said first storage device to propagate said sub-master file over the network bus, and

propagating said sub-master file over the network bus to said second storage device to be contained as an updated clone file, and

if said current file status information is identical to said prior file status information, then

continuing to periodically request said current file status information contained in said first storage device.