Mechanism for efficiently synchronizing information over a network
First Claim
1. A mechanism for efficiently synchronizing the contents of databases stored on nodes of a computer network, the mechanism comprising:
- a database identifier generated by each node of the computer network from the contents of a database associated with each node;
node distribution means for distributing a database identifier to a receiving node of the network; and
node comparison means for comparing a database identifier with the distributed database identifier to determine if the identifiers, and thus the databases, are synchronized.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A novel mechanism efficiently synchronizes the contents of databases stored on nodes of a computer network to-ensure that those contents are consistent. The mechanism comprises a database identifier generated by a node of the computer network and distributed to other receiving nodes coupled to the network. The database identifier is uniquely representative of the contents of the distributing node'"'"'s database and the receiving nodes compare this unique identifier with their own generated database identifiers to determine if the identifiers, and thus their databases, are consistent and synchronized.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A mechanism for efficiently synchronizing the contents of databases stored on nodes of a computer network, the mechanism comprising:
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a database identifier generated by each node of the computer network from the contents of a database associated with each node; node distribution means for distributing a database identifier to a receiving node of the network; and node comparison means for comparing a database identifier with the distributed database identifier to determine if the identifiers, and thus the databases, are synchronized. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An arrangement for efficiently synchronizing the contents of databases stored on routers of a computer network, the arrangement comprising:
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a designated router coupled to the network and configured to generate a first database identifier from the contents of a first database associated with the designated router, the first database identifier uniquely representative of the contents of the first database; and at least one other router of the network configured to generate a second database identifier from the contents of a second database associated with the other router, the second database identifier uniquely representative of the contents of the second database, wherein the designated router periodically distributes the first database identifier to the other router which compares the first database identifier with the second database identifier to determine whether the database identifiers, and thus the first and second databases, are consistent. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A method for efficiently synchronizing the contents of databases stored on nodes of a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
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generating a first database identifer from the contents of a first database associated with a designated node coupled to the network, the first database identifier uniquely representative of the contents of the first database; calculating second database identifiers from the contents of second databases associated with a plurality of other routers coupled to the network, the second database identifiers uniquely representative of the contents of the second databases; periodically broadcasting the first database identifier to the other routers over the network; and processing the first database identifier at the other routers to determine whether there are any discrepancies between the first and second databases. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification